Antisemitism and the "Jewish Question" in Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Britain

This paper will explore aspects of social and political unrest and anxiety within Britain from the mid 19^th to the early 20^th centuries in connection with the so-called ‘Jewish-question’ and anxieties relating to changing the ‘Christian nature’ of the British constitution.  More specifically, it will explore British perceptions of Jews, both Anglo and foreign, and anti-Semitic rhetoric and sentiment as they emerged at various times in the 19^th century and most strongly around the Anglo-Boer War and the influx of Jews from Eastern Europe.  Particular developments in London, Limerick, Ireland and Tredegar, Wales will be considered.

The various connections between British anti-Semitic, anti-capitalist, and anti-imperialist sentiments will also be investigated.  This paper is intended to become part of a larger project on a more general 19^th and 20^th century English ‘Jewish question’ that appears to have emerged at times of political, economic, or social stress in England and the Empire.  While never as virulent as the ‘Jewish question’ on the continent, the British variant is of interest both for its own sake and for the way in which it informs historians about British views of minorities within the larger nation as well as British and English self-perceptions.