Onset Of Urban Disturbances At British Seaports - 2169 Words

Although the First World War ended in late 1918, the effects and aftermath were long felt afterwards. During this period, the world was going through a large economic crisis, which meant that Britain was a place that was sparse in resources due to economic constraints. This was particularly in areas that were heavily industrialised and areas with large seaports, as these where the areas that were heavily involved in the production and transportation of goods. At the end of the war Britain had approximately 4 million soldiers, who were to be demobilised and slowly reintroduced into British society once more. Soldiers that fought in the war had been promised a ‘ Land fit for Heroes’ when they came back by the wartime government. Instead they came back to desolate conditions and faced uncertainty in terms of employment, housing, and other resources. In essay I will be focusing on three key elements which precipitated the onset of urban disturbances at British seaports, whi ch are often called the ‘1919 race riots’; high rates of unemployment, socio-economic factors such as; lack of housing and interracial relationships. (TALK ABOUT HOW BLACK IS NOT JJUST USED TO DESCRIBE THOSE WHO ARE OF BLACK ORIGIN – AT THIS PIEROD OF TIME USED TO DESCRIBE THOSE WHO WERE NOT WHITE) Susan Kingsley Kent (2009: p 8-9) argues that an explanation for the urban disturbances can be explained by the government’s proganadist standpoint on immigrants within the country. Following the armistice in