Italian diaspora

The emigration of Italians in various countries of Europe and North and South America is considered the biggest mass migration in recent history.

Italian Diaspora

It extends approximately from the founding of the Italian state in 1861 until the economic boom of the 1960s, called miracolo economico ( economic miracle ) and was concerned at this time about 25 million people. Especially in the English-speaking world for this purpose also the expression of Italian diaspora will be used.

The main reason for emigration was the widespread poverty, especially the rural population. Until the 1950s, Italy was in part a rural, agrarian and pre-modern society, especially in the northeast and south, the agricultural conditions were not suitable to keep the peasants in the country.

Another reason was the overpopulation, especially in southern Italy. After completion of the Risorgimento, the establishment of an Italian nation-state in 1861, the inhabitants of the Mezzogiorno had access to running water and medical care in hospitals for the first time. This reduced the infant mortality and led with the highest birth rate in Europe for a long time to a demographic increase, which in turn many young southerners forced to emigrate in the early 20th century.

Between 1876 and 1915 a total of about 1.4 million Italians went to Austria - Hungary and about 1.2 million in the German Empire. During the year 1872 a total of 140 680 people emigrated 44,726 all Italian emigrants (or 31.8% ) to Austria, which is so ahead of France and the United States (both 23.7 %), Prussia (8.8%) and other countries ( 11.9%), by far the most important destination country was formed. With approximately 86.5 % of the bulk of these Austrian immigrants came from the north-eastern Italy (Veneto ). Even after France was drawn Italian emigrants. Until the early 20th century it attracted Italians from the north (Piedmont, Veneto) and from the middle of the country ( Marche and Umbria ) in the adjacent southeastern France. As a result of the Second World War, many people migrated from the southern regions of Italy from the industrial, farming areas of France, such as Lorraine or the metropolitan areas of Lyon and Paris. Today, 5 million French people of Italian descent or have Italian ancestors.

The emigration was during the Fascist period less than the rulers targeted the excess population of Italy settled in the newly acquired colonies of Libya, Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.

Moreover, took place during the entire time a migration of southerners, for example from Calabria and Sicily, in the cities of the north, such as Rome, Genoa, Milan and Turin instead.

After the Second World War, in turn, set up a wave of emigration, as the booming economies of Western and Central Europe needed workers. The economic boom of Italy and the structural change away from agriculture eventually ended largely emigration.

Italian origin by country

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