The Impact of Migrants in Eighteenth & Nineteenth-Century Britain (Edexcel GCSE History) : Revision Note

What impact did migrants have on Britain in the 1700s and 1800s?- Timeline & Summary

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Migrants had a big impact on Britain’s economy, towns, and industries. Irish workers helped build important transport links like railways and canals, changing how people and goods moved around the country. Jewish migrants helped grow the clothing industry, and some, like Michael Marks, set up well-known businesses. Other European migrants, such as Italians and Germans, worked in food, trade, and skilled crafts. These changes helped Britain become a more industrial and connected country.

Migrants also influenced British culture and politics. They brought new foods, music, languages, and religions, which made towns more diverse. Places like Whitechapel and Soho became home to many different communities. Some migrants also helped bring about change, like Olaudah Equiano, who campaigned to end slavery, and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who became a famous Black British composer. Even though many migrants faced prejudice and discrimination, they helped shape Britain’s identity and left a lasting impact on society.

Eighteenth & nineteenth century politics

The ending of slavery

• Olaudah Equiano was a formerly enslaved African

  • He moved to Britain

  • He became a leading voice in the abolitionist movement

• His autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789), helped people understand the horrors of the slave trade and pushed for change

• His work supported campaigns that led to:

  • The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act (1807)

    • This act ended Britain’s involvement in the slave trade

  • The Slavery Abolition Act (1833)

    • This act made owning slaves illegal in most of the British Empire

Improvements in civil rights

• In Britain, minority groups experienced improvements in their civil rights

  • The Catholic Emancipation Act, 1829 gave Catholics the right to sit in Parliament

  • The Jews Relief Act, 1858 allowed Jewish people to become MPs

    • Lionel de Rothschild became the first Jewish MP in Britain

  • The Universities Tests Act, 1871 removed the rule that university staff and students had to belong to the Church of England

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

• Both men were migrants from Germany

• While living in London and Manchester, they studied the effects of the Industrial Revolution on workers

• Their book, The Communist Manifesto (1848), discussed how:

  • Businesses should be owned by the people

  • Society should become fairer by sharing the wealth between all people

• This political theory became known as communism

The Chartist Movement

• Chartism fought for the right to vote for all men

• Feargus O’Connor, an Irish migrant, became a key figure in this movement

  • O’Connor spoke at mass rallies

  • He founded and edited The Northern Star, the most important newspaper of the Chartist movement

• Chartism involved migrants from many communities

  • William Cuffey, son of a formerly enslaved African, was elected Chairman of the London Chartist Executive in 1848

Eighteenth & nineteenth century trade & industry

Britain’s transport network

• Irish navvies helped to transform Britain’s infrastructure

  • They built thousands of miles of railways, canals, and roads

  • Major railway lines linking industrial cities like Manchester, Birmingham, and London

• This helped goods and people move across the country, boosting trade and industrial growth

Business success

• Many Jewish migrants worked in the clothing trade, especially in London’s East End

• Some Jewish migrants became successful businesspeople

  • One of the most famous was Michael Marks, a Jewish migrant from Poland

    • In the 1880s, he started a penny bazaar in Leeds

    • This later became Marks & Spencer, one of Britain’s most well-known high street shops

    • By 1900, Marks & Spencer had 12 stores and 24 market stalls across Britain

Eighteenth & nineteenth century towns

• Migrants helped transform towns and cities

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A concept map showing how migration developed the urban environment in the 18th and 19th centuries

Eighteenth & nineteenth century culture

Food and business

• Migrants introduced new types of food and drink, especially in cafés, restaurants, and street stalls

  • Italian and Jewish migrants sold ice cream, pastries, and hot food in cities like London, Manchester, and Leeds

  • These businesses made British streets more varied, and influenced the nation’s eating habits

    • Currently, the national dish of the UK is Tikka Masala, originated from Bangladeshi migrant chefs in Britain

Music

• Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a famous Black British composer in the late 19th century

  • His father was from Sierra Leone

• He became well known for his choral music, including Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast (1898), which was hugely popular

• He challenged the idea that only white Europeans could succeed in classical music

  • He became an inspiration for later Black Britons to enter the arts