The People

The native peoples of the British Isles English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish—are the descendants of a long succession of invaders and colonizers, the last of whom were the Normans who arrived in 1066 A.D. Earlier invaders included (in reverse order) Danes and other Norsemen, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Romans, and Celts.

The English achieved political dominance but the other three peoples did not lose their sense of identity or their determination to preserve their own cultures. Persons of each component nationality have risen to prominence in the central British government and have gained recognition in various fields of endeavor.

After World War II there was an influx, especially into England's larger cities, of blacks and East Indians from various parts of the former British Empire. The English found it difficult to assimilate them into their society, and Great Britain suffered instances of racial conflict.