Britain 1948-1962

1948The Commonwealth Heads of Government decided in 1948 to embark on a major change in the law of nationality throughout the Commonwealth, following Canada's decision to enact its own citizenship in 1946. Until then all Commonwealth countries, with the exception of the Irish Free State had a single nationality status: British subject status. It was decided at that conference that the United Kingdom and the self-governing dominions would each adopt separate national citizenships, but retain the common status of British subject.Thus the British Nationality Law provided for a new status of Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies, consisting of all those British subjects who had a close relationship (either through birth or descent) with the United Kingdom and its remaining colonies. Each other Commonwealth country did likewise, and also established its own citizenship 

The Act also provided that British subjects could be known by the alternative title Commonwealth citizen.

1950 Clement Attlee wins the general election, giving Labour a second term in government after their election triumph in 1945. However, he retains power with a majority of just five seats, a stark contrast to the 146-seat majority that he gained when he came to power five years ago. Among the lost Labour seats is Bexley in Kent, which 33-year-old Conservative Party candidate Edward Heath seizes from Ashley Bramall. This affected the general society that people lived in as they were under new power.

1958 Riots in Notting Hill between black people and white peopleThe riot is thought to have started on Friday 29 August when a gang of white youths attacked a Swedish woman, Majbritt Morrison. The youths had seen her the previous night arguing with her Jamaican husband at Latimer Road Tube Station. They had apparently shouted racial insults at him. Seeing her the next night, the same youths threw bottles, stones and wood at her and struck her in the back with an iron bar, until the police intervened and she was taken home. She later wrote an autobiographical book, Jungle West 11, which included details of her experience.

Later that night a mob of 300 to 400 white people, many of them "Teddy Boys" (young men who liked to differentiate themselves from teenagers), were seen attacking the houses of West Indian residents.

The disturbances, rioting and attacks continued every night until they slowly fizzled out by 5 September.

The Police arrested over 140 people during the two weeks of disturbances, mostly white youths but also many black people were found to be carrying weapons. A report stated that of the 108 people charged with crimes such as grievous bodily harm, riot and possessing offensive weapons, 72 were white and 36 were black.