Conservative governments and the restriction of Commonwealth immigration in the 1950s
The problems of constraint
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8955848 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dennis Dean (University of London, corresponding author), D W Dean |
| Year | 1992 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 171-194 |
| Publication date | 1992-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Historical Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-246X • E-ISSN: 1469-5103 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0018246x00025656 |
| OpenAlex | W1990385858 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 13 |
| References cited | 1 |
The article seeks to establish the reasons why Conservative governments in the 1950s decided not to proceed with legislation to restrict immigration from the Commonwealth in the 1950s. It is thus particularly concerned with the debates about proposals that were put before the Eden cabinet in 1955 and the subsequent postponement of any decision to take action. The various constraints such as the need to placate opinion in the African and West Indian colonies, a strong desire to present an enlightened view of conservatism at home and abroad and uncertainties about possible reactions which could be exploited by their Labour opponents, are examined. It is argued that these factors outweighed the arguments of senior figures in government urging a speedy response to pressures building up for restrictions within the parliamentary backbenches and in a number of constituencies. The significance of the race riots that took place in Nottingham and the Notting Hill district of London are discussed. The article concludes that many of the factors which had contributed to a delay in imposing restrictions were seen, at the beginning of the 1960s, to possess less relevance than in the previous decade. This paved the way to the passage of the Commonwealth Immigration Act in 1962 which finally ended unrestricted entry
Cabinet (room · Commonwealth · Conservatism · Development economics · Economics · Government (linguistics · Immigration · Immigration policy · Legislation · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Postponement · African history and culture studies · Australian History and Society · Commonwealth, Australian Politics and Federalism · History · Law
Performing gender in liminal spaces
Race Politics in Britain and France
Articulating the Nation
The Conservative government and the 1961 Commonwealth Immigration Act
Across the universe
Enoch Powell’s ‘rivers of blood’ speech
The principle of the thing
Mental arithmetic and juggling with figures statistics in French and British policy towards colonial immigration in the 1950s
The Othered Irish
Subjects or Citizens? India, Pakistan and the 1948 British Nationality Act
Cause for Concern'? Policing Black Migrants in Post-War Britain (1945-68)
Shipping the Color Line
Brexit, Trump, and 'methodological whiteness
| Unique citing works | 13 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,23 |
| Citation span | 1969 - 2026 (58) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 12 |