Whitechapel c1870 - c1900 [ARCHIVED]

• Jewish immigrants immigrated to Britain in order to escape persecution in Eastern Europe. They were unpopular due to them creating competition for businesses and housing as well having a different culture.
• The Jewish community was blamed by the police for the crimes committed by Jack the Ripper, even though there is no evidence that he was Jewish.
• Many Irish immigrants came to Britain in the 1840s when they couldn't go to the USA. Most worked in hard labour or dockers. they had a reputation of being violent due to how often they would get drunk and terrorists due to the Fenians (Irish Nationalist Terrorists who fought for Irish independence from Britain).
• Socialism was becoming more popular due to revolutions across Europe in the 1840s and 1850s. They were feared by authorities and upper-class citizens but attracted support from Whitechapel due to them wanting an end to capitalism.
• Anarchists also came to Britain to escape persecution from Europe so came to Britain as sanctuary.
• In 1863, the Metropolitan Police Act created the first professional police force in London which replaced the Bow Street runners. The new police force was made up of 2000 men with 1000 on duty at any one time. This meant that crime rates dropped significantly.
• The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was set up in 1842 to investigate serious crimes such as murder and robbery. In 1878 it was renamed the Special Branch and given responsibility for countering political subversion.
• Due to an increase in immigration, Whitechapel could not handle the flunctuating population so many local populations started to blame immigrants for crimes such as the Ripper cases.
• Workhouses were seen as a last resort due to the harsh conditions and harsh labour. Families would be split and isolated.
• By 1870 there were over 700 workhouses in England and Wales. By 1900 this had risen to 2000.
• There was extreme unemployment in Whitechapel due to there being a lack of support for the poor at the time and the economic depression. Jobs available would be hard labour, low-paying factory jobs with harsh conditions or railway building which had better pay.
• Many in Whitechapel stayed in rookeries which were slum areas that were extremely overcrowded and poorly sanitised
• Lodging houses were available in which lodgers would pay a nightly fee to sleep in a room for a certain amount of hours, they were unsanitary, overcrowded and had poor ventilation.
• The Peabody Estate opened in 1881 and was a way to improve housing conditions in Whitechapel. It had reasonable rents, more sanitary but there were harsh rules inplaced, for example, they could not be used as drug caves or prostitution.
• Low income levels meant that stealing for survival to avoid going to workhouses was common
• Unreliable or lack of work meant that many had free time which lead to alcoholism, disruptive behaviour, violence, drugs and prositiution
• All policing in Whitechapel was made more difficult by most locals' attitudes as the police were mistreated and were seen as part of the government that didn't care for the working-class. This meant that few cooperated with investigations.
• 1000s of hoax letters were sent to the police claiming to be Jack the Ripper