Immigration in Whitechapel (Edexcel GCSE History)

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

Immigration from Ireland and Eastern Europe affected the atmosphere of Whitechapel. Immigrants came from areas of poverty and violence. By moving to Whitechapel, they were entering a similar environment to the one they had escaped. 

Some immigrants committed crimes. Immigrants struggled to cope with the poor conditions of Whitechapel. Immigrants drank alcohol to forget their problems. Drunkenness often led to violent crimes such as assault. People would steal to afford to buy more alcohol. Immigration brought more serious crimes into Whitechapel too. The ideas of anarchy and socialism fuelled some immigrants to commit terrorist attacks. This created panic in Whitechapel. The police monitored areas of high immigration closely to search for terrorists. Some immigrants were also successful and wealthy. This also caused tension between less wealthy residents of Whitechapel.

Immigration caused crime between the different communities of Whitechapel. Whitechapel’s nationalities misunderstood each other. Stereotypes and racism created tension between white Christians and the Jewish community. This could often lead to physical violence. Attitudes towards immigrants made policing Whitechapel increasingly difficult from c1870.

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?

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