Immigration in Whitechapel (Edexcel GCSE History)

How did Immigration Affect Crime in Whitechapel? - Timeline & Summary

Why Were Immigrants Attracted to Whitechapel?

• Whitechapel was an ideal location for immigrants

  • Boats from Eastern Europe and Ireland docked in the East End

    • St Catherine Docks is to the south of Whitechapel

    • Whitechapel was the first district that immigrants would see 

  • As a result, Whitechapel had large and well-established immigrant communities

    • Immigrants found a connection to home in the immigrant community in Whitechapel

  • Whitechapel was one of the poorest districts in London

    • Immigrants could have little money

    • Whitechapel had cheaper accommodation than other parts of London

The Irish Community in Whitechapel

• There was an increase in Irish immigration to the East End of London in the 1840s

  • Ireland suffered from the Great Famine between 1845 and 1852

    • Around one million people died in Ireland due to starvation

    • Around one million people fled from Ireland to survive

• Most Irish immigrants were young men

  • Many Irish immigrants had planned to travel to America from East London

  • Some immigrants ran out of money and had to stay in London

• A popular job among Irish immigrants was as navigators or ‘navvies’ 

• Irish immigrants also:

  • Provided manual labour on the canals, roads and railways around London

  • Became dockers on the River Thames

• Irish immigrants had a poor reputation among London society

  • Many people considered Irish immigrants as thugs and drunks

  • High levels of poverty affected Irish immigrants

    • Alcoholism caused issues with law and order among the Irish community

What Increased Jewish Migration from Eastern Europe to Whitechapel during the 1880s?

• Eastern European immigrants were escaping the Russian Empire in the 1880s

  • In 1880, most areas of Eastern Europe were not independent countries

    • They were controlled by the Russian emperor, known as the Tsar

  • In 1881, Russia experienced a wave of anti-semitism

    • The government blamed a Jewish person for the assassination of Tsar Alexander II

    • The new tsar, Alexander III, encouraged pogroms against the Jewish communities in Eastern Europe

    • Many Jewish people fled from their countries to London

• Whitechapel was a popular area for Jewish immigrants

  • Whitechapel was affordable for the Jewish immigrants

  • Settling in one place gave more protection for Jewish immigrants

  • Nearly 95% of the population of the Spitalfields area of Whitechapel were Jewish by the 20th century

    • In comparison, only 1% of the population of Britain were Jewish

The Growth of Socialism and Anarchism in Whitechapel

What does socialism & anarchism mean?

An illustration showing the different opinions of anarchists and socialists

How did anarchism impact Whitechapel?

• In 1871, anarchists and revolutionaries took, but could not maintain, control of Paris

  • The leaders of the revolution fled to Britain

  • Once they arrived in Britain, some anarchists created anarchist societies in the East End of London

• Anarchists caused fear among the population of the East End of London

  • Anarchy went against the middle and upper classes' idea of government

  • Newspapers reported on the damage that anarchists caused across Europe

    • The newspapers exaggerated the number of bombings to increase the fear of anarchy

  • In 1893, the police began to monitor Eastern Europeans for their connection to anarchist groups

How did socialism impact Whitechapel?

• In 1881, the Social Democratic Federation (SDF) became the first British socialist group. It aimed to:

  • Represent the interests of agricultural and industrial workers

  • Campaign for civil rights for women

  • Create a revolution to end capitalism in Britain

• The SDF caused the events of Bloody Sunday in 1887

  • The SDF’s actions against the police scared many people in Britain

• In 1888, the newly formed London County Council called their first election

  • The SDF campaigned in Whitechapel because:

    • Whitechapel’s poverty could increase the popularity of socialism

    • Many people in Whitechapel were angry at the lack of support from the government

Prejudice Against the Immigrants of Whitechapel

• Unfortunately, a mixture of nationalities in Whitechapel caused tension

Prejudice against the Irish community

• Whitechapel’s Irish community suffered from persecution due to the Fenians

  • The Fenians were an Irish Catholic group. They demanded that the UK free Ireland from British rule

• The Fenians bombed Clerkenwell Prison in London in 1867 and Gower Street Station in 1885

  • As a result, many people had an anti-Irish and anti-Catholic attitude

  • The Metropolitan Police created the Special Branch. Part of their responsibilities was to hunt for Irish terrorists

• Between 1870 and 1900, life for Irish immigrants became tough

  • The press reported negatively on Irish immigrants

  • Irish immigrants struggled to find jobs, as employers assumed that all Irish immigrants supported the Fenians

Prejudice against the Jewish community

Cultural differences

• People in Whitechapel disliked the Jewish community because of cultural differences: 

  • The Jewish immigrants spoke a different language called Yiddish

    • This made them stand out from the white Christian community in Whitechapel

  • Judaism has different religious celebrations like the Sabbath

    • Most residents in Whitechapel celebrated Christian events

  • The Jewish immigrants wore different clothes, like the Kippah, and did not eat pork

    • The British, Christian residents of Whitechapel did not understand Yiddish and became suspicious of Jewish people

Work ethic

• Jewish immigrants established successful businesses within Whitechapel

  • The Jewish immigrants found more work with Jewish-owned businesses

  • In some areas, this resulted in ethnic segregation of the Jewish community

• Out of desperation, Jewish workers accepted lower wages from sweatshops to make clothes. This increased the anger of other businessmen because:

  • Other businessmen could not compete with sweatshops on price

    • Business owners blamed immigrants for this

Stereotypes

• Many people in Britain had a negative stereotype of Jewish people

  • Newspapers blamed Jewish immigrants for the issues within Whitechapel

    • During the Jack the Ripper murders in 1888, many newspapers reported that the murderer was a Jewish person

    • The newspapers had no evidence for this accusation. Many readers believed the newspapers and increased their anti-semitism

  • Some Jewish immigrants created anarchist and socialist societies in London

    • Many middle-class people feared the ideas of anarchy and socialism

    • They blamed the Jewish immigrants for bringing these ideas into the country

Crimes against immigrants

• In areas where Eastern European and Irish immigrants mixed, violence was common

  • Anti-semitism caused these communities to assault Jewish people in the streets

  • Police considered these areas very difficult to police because of the violence

• In times of crisis, this violence only increased

  • In 1888, sensationalist newspapers like the East London Observer wrote anti-semitic articles

  • The Lloyd Weekly News drew Jack the Ripper as a stereotypical Jewish person

• British Christians in Whitechapel blamed the immigrant communities for committing the Whitechapel murders

  • The police became concerned about the levels of hate crimes within Whitechapel

  • To combat crime against immigrants, the Metropolitan Police brought reinforcements into Whitechapel