HIST140 Modern European History

Why were Jews going to the UK in the 1940s? What were some of the fears about Jewish refugees in Britain? How do you think the Jews felt about having to leave their homes and go to Britain? How would you compare the treatment of the Jewish refugees in Britain to the treatment of the Belgian refugees you read about yesterday? How does the experience of the Jews compare to other Migrants During World War Ii?

The Nazi Party otherwise known as the National Socialist German Workers’ Party lead by Adolf Hitler ascended political supremacy in 1933 in Germany. Hitler passed and encouraged numerous policies and laws that segregated the Jews from their society to encourage an “Anti-Semitic” ideology. This resulted in a huge number of Jews migrating to different countries all across Europe. A significant number of approximately 60,000 Jews took refuge in Britain before World War 2 started to secure their families. Subsequently, from the month of October in 1941, the Jews were forbidden to leave the country under the Nazi regime (Greensmith, and Harris).

           The British citizens were hostile towards the migrant and refugee Jews in their country. They thought of them as either “bogus asylum seekers” or “economic migrants” who did not have an immediate reason to leave Britain. They were indifferent towards the Jews as they thought the influx in the number of refugees would affect the country’s economy. Since the Great Depression after World War 1, approximately 2.2 million British citizens were unemployed, the increase in the number of Jew refugees meant they would be competing for the already scarce resources of the country (Let.leidenuniv.nl).

Most of the Jews left their country and fled to Britain because they wanted to live in a country where they would be free of “Anti-Semantic” persecution. They had assurance because they already had other family members in Britain and wished to migrate to America from Britain because they knew the language. The Jews felt uncertain going to Britain as Visa was only granted temporarily and only migrants under 4 categories were permitted the rights (Crashcourse).

The Belgian refugees were welcome initially in the country but when the First World War continued for a longer period than anticipated, the approach of the British citizens changed. The people who used to refer to them as “spoiled pets” started hurling at them in public. The Belgian men were tortured and the young couple was discouraged to stay together. After WWI, when the Great Depression struck and the commencement of WWII saw an influx of Jewish refugees, the British citizens became reluctant to shelter the refugees. They thought the refugees would create competition for the unemployed British citizens seeking a job. The Jews were considered as either “bogus asylum seekers” or “economic migrants”. Due to the public outrage for the “Kristallnacht”, the migration policies for the Jews were eased in Britain (Greensmith, and Harris).

The battleground for WW2 was the Nazi regime and their horrific holocaust concentration camps. Therefore, with the increasing colonization of the Nazis, the number of countries where the Jews could take shelter kept reducing leaving only Britain as a viable option for taking refuge. They were considered as either “bogus asylum seekers” or “economic migrants” in the country. Visa was only given to the Jews under 4 categories of a temporary visa of two years, “Kindertransport” for under 18, migrants between 16 to 35 years of age, and people over the age of 60. Refugees from notable fields were given immediate entry. But, after the war settled most of them were given permanent citizenship and they were able to start a living in the country (Crashcourse).

References

Greensmith, Lily, and Katie Harris. "Our Migration Story: The Making Of Britain". Ourmigrationstory.Org.Uk, 2018, https://www.ourmigrationstory.org.uk/oms/jewish-refuge-and-the-nazi-regime.

Let.leidenuniv.nl. "Before 1939: Installation Of Totalitarian Regimes". Let.Leidenuniv.Nl, 2008, http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/history/migration/chapter71.html.jewish-refuge-and-the-nazi-regime.

Crashcourse. World War II: Crash Course European History #38. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs_JMydrxZM&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtMsMTfmRomkVQG8AqrAmJFX&index=39. Accessed 23 June 2021.

Crashcourse. World War II Civilians And Soldiers: Crash Course European History #39. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlx6ur_D51s&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtMsMTfmRomkVQG8AqrAmJFX&index=40. Accessed 23 June 2021.

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