What Drove the Mass Migrations from Europe in the Late Nineteenth Century?

Abstract

RISING MASS EMIGRATION from Europe to the New World was one of the most important features of the evolving global economy in the nineteenth century. Between 1850 and 1913, more than 40 million people emigrated from Europe to the New World. Although a significant and growing share ultimately returned home, this mass migration represented an unparalleled population transfer that had profound effects on the global distribution of population, income, and wealth. The United States absorbed nearly twothirds of the emigrants, although there were sizable flows to Canada, Australasia, and Latin America, the last including Argentina, Brazil, and Cuba. In addition, smaller streams originated from countries such as Belgium and Italy to other European destinations. The migrants left countries with abundant labor and low living standards and entered countries with scarce labor and high living standards. While these migrations were taking place, real wages in the Old World gradually began catching up with real wages in the New. In some cases, the catching up was quite fast, as in countries with high emigration rates like Ireland, Italy, Norway, and Sweden; in other cases, the catching up was slow, as in countries with low emigration rates like France. While such evidence suggests that the mass migration made a significant contribution to the convergence taking place in the world economy, some countries with high emigration failed to share in the real wage convergence (like Spain), while others with low emigration did share in it (like Belgium and the Netherlands). The early migrant flows came chiefly from Northwest Europe-the United Kingdom and Scandinavia in particular-but over time the composition shifted from the north and west to the south and east. After 1890, the balance shifted decisively in favor of the new emigrants coming from