the government attempted to assimilate new groups into british culture by teaching them english and jobs that required little training. they also tried to get new ethnic groups to join the conservative party, which led to a surge in support for the war against irish republicanism. in addition, public schools accepted non-british pupils for the first time in history, allowing children from different cultures to mix and learn together. this was called 'multiculturalism' at the time and was seen as a way to build a more unified society.