The welcome given to refugees from fascist Europe is part of our
fond nostalgia for Britain’s role in the Second World War,
nestling in our imagination next to images of evacuees clutching
teddy bears, and milkmen picking their way through bomb rubble
during the Blitz. But there is a darker side to this story. Then,
as now, there was great suspicion, resentment and fear towards new
arrivals, much of it kindled by the tabloid press. Then, as now,
politicians dealt with a reluctance to accommodate refugees by
hiding behind bureaucratic hurdles and obfuscation. Many of the
10,000 Kindertransport children who arrived here in the late 1930s
have warm memories of the kindness they were shown, but half a
million refugees were refused entry and most of them died as a
result. And those who were accepted found their troubles far from
over. While Britain fearfully awaited invasion in 1940, 30,000 Jews
were interned as ‘enemy aliens’ and some were sent off to the
colonies on dangerous and sometimes fatal voyages. Nor were Jews
the only refugees clamouring for the thin gruel of public sympathy.
Those fleeing fascism and civil war elsewhere in Europe found that
whether they were met with kindness or hostility depended on the
locals’ political affiliations and newspapers of choice.
Interweaving personal testimonies with historical sources, Paul
Dowswell casts a fresh eye on the wartime era, painting a vivid
picture of what life was really like for Britain’s refugees.
General
Imprint: |
Biteback Publishing
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
August 2023 |
Authors: |
Paul Dowswell
|
Pages: |
320 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-78590-793-7 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-78590-793-X |
Barcode: |
9781785907937 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!