Migration Pattern from German to Argentina from 1880 to 1930 - Case Study Example

Name Tutor Course Date A Research Paper on the Migration Pattern from German to Argentina from 1880 to 1930 Introduction First, this paper will examine the migration patterns in terms of level of skills, gender and age. These determinants will be used in describing the nature of movement for those Germans who made use of this period to migrate to a foreign land. The aim of this paper is to find out what basically drove migration from German to Argentina from 1880 to 1930. The other research question for this paper is basically meant to describe the determinants of the choice of migration and the driving policies behind the migration type. After this the following step will answer the question on the characteristics of the immigrants. In this case factors such as gender, age and original area will be analysed followed closely by the final destination. Special attention will be on the push and pull factors that were behind these migration patterns. On the same note it will be able to establish the main determinants behind the massive migration experienced between 1880 and 1930. During this time there were a lot of restrictions because of the rate at which migration was taking place and therefore majority of the countries limited the number of immigrants. However Argentina did away with such restrictions and instead welcomed a good number of people who were coming to settle within the country. Nevertheless there were so many forces behind the migration to Argentina. Economy and in equality was one of the major forces behind such restrictions. The period between 1880 and 1930 is well known for the mass movement of people from German to Argentina. Massive migration was as a result of a number of factors that pushed people from German to move at this rate. This is the time that Argentina realised that economy can only be sustained by placing more restrictions on the number of people getting into the country. Foreigners normally came in large numbers to provide labour but were not allowed to take part in the elections. This pushed for both political and social sectors to put much emphasis on restrictions since the immigrants were of no use after all. It was clear that these sectors were adversely affected the kind of migration that was experienced from German to Argentina. The conclusion gives out a recap on the pull and push factors with emphasis on the main points. Push Factors These factors present themselves in so many ways. In a number of occasions they come in a manner that leaves individuals with no choice but to leave their country of origin and settle in a foreign land. There are several factors that pushed the German people to move from their homeland to settle in Argentina. Economic factors contributed greatly to the massive migration experienced during this period. According to (Koser Pg1-13) poverty and high unemployment rates force people to move from their original homeland in search of greener pastures. Unemployment affected almost all groups of people in German including the highly educated. Employment opportunities were less compared to the number of skilled personnel. As a result most people found themselves in great poverty as there was no source of income (College Board). At the same tome the economy deteriorated due to the fact that dependants were more as compared to those who were generating to sustain the economy levels. The number of people graduating in German was increasing at a high rate but of course with no clear set employment opportunities set for them. The domestic jobs available to those graduating from the various institutions remained limited regardless of the increasing number of graduates. Even though the number of employment opportunities had increased, it could not meet the high number of graduates from the various top learning institutions. In addition, the state of the country was not stable to accommodate all groups of people. As such there was not enough food and other daily basic needs that would sustain them for some time. Agriculture had lost meaning as a result of political instability and internal clashes. They therefore had to rely entirely on importation that was not also sustainable at that moment. So to evade such disasters they had to settle in Argentina where at least the agricultural sector was stable and even had an excess in products for exportation. Pull Factors These factors on the other hand were the determinants that dictated where the masses were to settle. There were a good number of positive factors in Argentina that attracted the Germans. For instance they escaped the high rate of unemployment in their original land by getting to a country with higher standards of living than theirs. They found out that same jobs offered in their homeland were highly paid in Argentina. At the same time there were also incentives, benefits and safety to all types of workers. Therefore apart from seeking employment they were also attracted by the high wages once employed. Getting good living standards was one of the major dreams for German people. So getting a place with such factors was a great heaven for those who were languishing in poverty. The attractive economy was as a result of booming exports in such items as grains, beef and wool. Argentina also required unskilled labour to assist in the factories and running of other machineries. They were also required to provide man power in the construction of roads, railway networks and other communication systems. Those who had not specialised or trained in anything found this to be a real escape goat. Argentina was in need of low skilled labour input to support their growing economy as a developed country. Because of the number of manufacturing industries, there was dire need for more people who are skilled to provide labour. During this period there were a lot of skilled people in German that found this to be somehow attractive rather than living without any source of income. Some even grab such opportunities as a way to get opportunities to sharpen their already learnt skills. Freedom in politics and religion was also a big push factor. Freedom in these social institutions implies that there is minimal discrimination in terms of race and gender when it comes to linking religion and other opportunities within the government. Both issues of discrimination and persecution made Argentina more attractive to most immigrants from German. Thousands of Germans settled in Argentina permanently as a result of so many reasons. Land was easily accessible to all including the foreigners. Therefore agricultural resources were evenly distributed to all groups of people. Agricultural sector attracted a good number of people since it was one of the main export earnings for the country. Also the government really supported the immigrants and at the same time it had a positive attitude towards them. They were not treated weirdly as the other foreigners may feel when in a new country. The Argentine government had to have a positive attitude towards them since it needed to retain most of them for the sake of providing labour in the manufacturing industries. Without their input the government realized it may not be able to sustain its economy as such industries contributed greatly to its economy. Of course globalization played a major role in attracting more immigrants in Argentina. With advanced communication and transport networks in place as a result of globalisation, most people found it easier to reconnect with those back home. As a result they found it as a direct ticket to their destination but with easier tracing roots at the same time. Technological advances make it possible for the foreigners to communicate with their mates back home in a move to maintain their social status. Pull factors cannot be complete without mentioning education and medical within the foreign land. As such medical happened to be available and accessible to all regardless of religion, gender and race. It was not only accessible but also of high quality (Lucassen, Feldman and Oltmer). On the same note, education happened to be universal and accessible to all regardless of whether one was a foreigner or dweller of the nation. That meant that even the highly selective and competitive institutions of higher learning were available to all groups of people. Deteriorating conditions in German after the First World War left most parts of German in an unstable condition that was not favourable for the survival of most inhabitants. Property had been destroyed with some resources exploited beyond recovery. This even made some of them to move to Argentina as refugees. Cultural spaces that the immigrants created in their new home Immigration in Argentina was reflected by Tango which is an Argentine symbol representing different dances and music. With the immigrants trying to capture on their traditions, they actually had to contribute to this type of mix so that they can have a feeling of their original homes ( Balderas and Greenwood ). The same was reflected in how the newspapers were presented. Most of them were even written in the immigrant’s native language and the culture presented throughout the newspaper. They ended up creating a modern working class that so many of the immigrants occupying the top jobs. Argentina really wanted to see that all the foreigners were occupied and that no one was idle throughout their stay within the foreign land. According to Baines, some immigrants had come to stay where some were on and off. Therefore those without jobs were considered undesirable during their stay in Argentina and could be forced to exit from the country. Apart from occupying most modern and classic jobs, each German family got a piece of land and livestock to sustain them for a year. Much has changed since the Germans settled in Argentina in terms of development. Initially, it was thought that Argentina needed a good number of foreigners in order to move from the past colony Argentina to a modern country. With the settlement of the Germans, more business centres were created and at the same time factories and industries expanded. Big banks were created that enabled the Germans source some loans. Surprisingly this money was invested back in their original homelands. There are several communities in Argentina that have their origins from the various migration patterns from German. Currently, German makes up one of the largest immigrant groups in Argentina. Thousands of them have been absorbed in high professions with majority also taking up the technical jobs. A good number of German communities permanently settled in Argentina. Here, they operated with their own banks and hospitals, established their own schools and even the shopping centres. They even came up with recreational centres such as the sports club that were meant to satisfy their leisure needs. Even with the kind of assimilation by the Buenos Aires of the Argentine, they still remained with their German culture especially when it came to instructing their young ones so that they may not get lost in case they return to their original land. In the period between 1880 and 1930, the Germans who had finally settled in Argentina came up with a number of institutions for themselves. The developed institutions are often explored in written articles, the social set up and various schools. At the same time German indigenous names such as Bracht and Bullrich exist up to date. Such names dominated in almost all the sectors and this mad the Germans feel that they were actually somewhere and were of course recognised. The effect of mass immigration in Argentina facilitated shift in the original Argentine identity. Festivities were also introduced in memory of the immigrants. The government had to set aside a day specifically for this occasion. Monuments were also placed in the major cities in commemoration of the immigrants. Apart from the government setting aside a day for remembering the immigrants who came in from 1880 to 1930, the Germans also decided to come up with their specific days to celebrate their past life. They did it their own way in reference to their culture and traditions. As time went by the immigrants established a good number of institutions. They either came up with schools and hospitals that went hand in hand with their traditions or established their own relaxing sites for leisure. They also went to an extent of forming their financial organisations. Others came in as priests so that they can be able to ring up their children according to their cultures. This was necessary so that their children could be able to fit well in the society in case they went back to their homeland. Security in Argentina did not also miss various Germans who came in as soldiers. Since most of the Germans came with an aim of getting an employment, so they ended up occupying most of the positions as soldiers. They actually occupied most government jobs that they could not be forced to leave the country. However Argentina saw this as a way of improving and sustaining its economy. Conclusion The push and pull factors are important determinants in any migration pattern. They both make an individual to move out of the original home and settle in a foreign land as a result of the driving forces behind them. The pull factors happen to motivate such massive migration patterns. Other factors also make them to move to their new homes as refugees. With the high rates of unemployment and economic instability, obvious one would expect such massive movements as experienced during this period from 1880 to 1930. In a situation where most people are learned and specialised in a variety of skills but the government is not in a good position to create job opportunities, it becomes hard to maintain the economy of such a state in most circumstances. However most of the Germans settled in Argentina but with the hopes of going back to their original homeland the moment things get back to normal. Pressure in terms of labour supply in German appears to be one of the factors that influenced migration to Argentina from 1880 to 1930. On the other hand, the distance between the original homeland and final destination as well as the extent of manufacturing did not appear to have any impact on the migration pattern. Also the fact that the Germans had to be faced with language barrier, this did not any manner disturb the minds of those who were migrating. As much as these factors did not have great impact on the migration pattern, they somehow determined the type of people who finally settled in Argentina. Migration will remain to be a factor in global life unless the different pull and push factors that determine migration in both the receiving and sending states are done away with as much as possible. Argentina happens to be one of the Latin American states highly characterised by postelection massive immigration. From the year 1880 to 1930, it actually became one of the preferred foreign homes for most immigrants during this time who were really searching for better life and other opportunities. In addition, the massive settlement was the force behind Argentina’s population growth leading to a drastic increase in numbers of the immigrants as compared to the indigenous population. Argentina as a country changed a lot as a result of the major developments that came by with the settling of the Germans. Economy also received a major boost with the expansion manufacturing sites and agricultural sectors. At the same time it was able to shift from its colonial past to a modern state with modern class workers dominating the working industry. Works Cited Balderas , Ulyses and Michael Greenwood . "A Comparative Panel-Data Analysis." 20006. Migration from Europe to the Americas. 28 5 2016 . Baines, Dudley. Emigration from Europe. London: Cambridge University Press, 1995. College Board. "World History Migration." 2008. AP. 28 5 2016 . Koser, Khalid. International Migration. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Lucassen, Leo, David Feldman and Jochen Oltmer. Paths of Intergration. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2006. Read More