Argentina in the Era of Mass Immigration

Abstract

In his exploration of the dichotomy between civilization and barbarism in 1845, Domingo F. Sarmiento, an Argentine intellectual who would become president some years later, proposed Argentina should seek European immigrants to help populate and modernize the large Latin American nation. The Immigration and Colonization Act of 1876 became the catalyst for what would become known as the “era of mass immigration” (1880–1930), a period in Argentine history that would see a continuous, uninterrupted flow of people across the Atlantic. There were many reasons why Europeans desired to migrate to the Americas in general, and to Argentina in particular. Most immigrants sought to leave behind the difficult economic times that led them to experience hunger and poverty, while others wanted to escape discrimination and persecution. The longing for a better life, for themselves and their families, led them to leave their countries of origin for a chance at a more promising future. Innovations in technology—namely the steamship, but also the railroad—made this odyssey possible for millions of people. The 1876 law offered immigrants food and lodging upon arrival, promised to help them find work, and provided them with a free train ride to their final destination. These, and other incentives, in addition to the global and regional mechanisms in place, made Argentina one of the largest immigrant destinations in the world during the era of mass migration, second only to the United States. It is estimated that between 1850 and 1930, Argentina received more than 6.6 million immigrants. Italians, Spanish, French, German, British, and others came to “make it in America” and, while not everyone stayed (approximately half of them either returned to their country of origin or continued their migration to another destination), it certainly forever affected the character of the Argentine nation. The government of Argentina attracted immigrants not only from Europe, but also from the Middle East and Asia. Jews and Arabs, for instance, arrived from three empires on the verge of disintegration: the Ottoman Empire, the Tsarist Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire of central Europe, making Argentina home to one of the largest Jewish populations in the world. Argentina thus became as much a country of immigrants as the United States. Yet, in contrast to its North American neighbor, the effects of immigration had a greater impact on Argentina because the proportion of newcomers to the existing population was much greater, thus affecting its language and culture in unimaginable ways. The purpose of this article is to focus on the historical and sociological aspects of immigration to Argentina in the period from 1880 to 1930. The impact of immigration on its cultural production—its literature, music, and art—is beyond the scope of this study.