{"id":640,"date":"2019-11-05T16:36:29","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T15:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marismits.nl\/?p=640"},"modified":"2019-11-05T16:36:29","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T15:36:29","slug":"gobernar-es-poblar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marismits.nl\/?p=640","title":{"rendered":"Gobernar es poblar"},"content":{"rendered":"

State propaganda and state planning of migration from the Netherlands to Argentina and Brazil, 1822-1992<\/strong><\/p>\n

International migration is the result of a decision of people to leave their country of origin and to settle elsewhere. The motives to do this can be different. The decision is not always a free choice, but can be a result of political or religious oppression. In that case migrants are refugees, of which many of them hope to return to their country of origin as soon as the political or religious situation has improved. Another motive is economic. Migrants move to another country in order to build up a new and better live in their country of destination. The decision to migrate out of economic motives is not always voluntary. In many cases people were driven by bitter poverty.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Dutch immigrants in Gon\u00e7alves Juni\u00f3r, 1909. Colorized photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although most migrants decided themselves to move to other countries, governments of both the countries of departure and arrival can play a role in organizing the migration process. This article focuses on the role of state propaganda and state planning of migration from the Netherlands to Brazil and Argentina. First, we focus on three migration waves in the nineteenth and the early twentieth century when propaganda from the countries of destination played an important role in boosting Dutch migration. The second part of the article focuses on the close cooperation between the Netherlands and Brazil in organizing migration after the Second World War.<\/em><\/p>\n

Limited role<\/strong><\/p>\n

In terms of numbers of migrants, Dutch migration played only a limited role within international migration between Europe and the New World. Between 1846 and 1932, only 250,000 people left the Netherlands for a better future overseas, whereas 18 million migrants left the British isles (including Ireland) and 10 million Italians left their country.[1]<\/a> Compared to the total population of the Netherlands, only 7 out of 10.000 inhabitants emigrated. In the same period, 122 out of 10,000 Irish inhabitants left their island![2]<\/a> In 1889 Dutch overseas migration reached its peak: 9100 migrants \u2013 which means 20 out of 10,000 inhabitants left the country. About 4000 of them left for Argentina. It was only one of the accidental peaks within the Dutch migration to South America. Whereas the great majority of Dutch migrants left for the United States and Canada, South America played only a limited role. While 220,000 Dutch people entered the United States between 1840 and 1940, only 10,200 migrants left for Argentina and 8200 people left for Brazil.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

Only after the Second World War the Netherlands were confronted with an emigration boom. The memory of the 1930\u2019s, the war and the expectation that it would not get better soon did many people think of moving to overseas countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The belief that the Netherlands were overpopulated and that a new war was imminent made the \u201cemigration psychosis\u201d even bigger. In an opinion poll, held in 1948, 32.5% of the respondents answered that they preferred to move to another country.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

In combination with the demand for European migrants in Canada, Australia and New-Zealand this caused an unprecedented emigration peak in the Netherlands. Between 1946 and 1963 no less than 409,000 people left their country in order to settle in overseas countries. South America played only a limited role in post-War emigration from the Netherlands. About 4850 Dutchmen moved to Brazil, whereas only a few migrants went to Argentina.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

On the other hand, the Dutch also played a limited role within migration to South America. Argentina received between 1861 and 1920 some 3.8 million immigrants. 47 Percent of them were Italians and 24 percent were Spanish.[6]<\/a> Only between 1888 and 1891 Argentina received a significant number of Dutch immigrants: about 4500.[7]<\/a> The same applies to Brazil, which received 5.4 million immigrants between 1820 and 1960.[8]<\/a> With at about 13,000 immigrants the Dutch seemed to be insignificant within Brazilian immigration history.<\/p>\n

A Paradise that never was<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1998, the Dutch-American historian Robert P. Swierenga gave a lecture with the above title during an international historical congress in Madrid. He spoke about Dutch migration to Argentina during the years 1888-1890. In his speech he concluded that this migration movement was a movement of individuals in search for work and trade and promoted by the country of destination. This is in contrast to the much larger emigration movement of the Dutch to North America. Migrants who went to North America often had family ties with already settled migrants, wanted to acquire land and had religious motives for their decision to move to the United States.[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

Swierenga\u2019s conclusions also apply to two Dutch migration movements to Brazil: between 1858 and 1862 and later between 1908 and 1913. The three movements \u2013 two to Brazil and one to Argentina \u2013 have some elements in common:<\/p>\n