Calabrian diaspora
Encyclopedia
The term Calabrian Diaspora
refers to the migration of Calabrians away from Calabria
(Southern Italy) in the period after the unification of Italy in 1876 and the beginning of World War I
in 1914. The second period between both world wars and the last period after 1945 (until in the 1980’s).
For the second period of migration, Although the physical perils involved with transatlantic ship traffic during the First World War obviously disrupted emigration from all parts of Europe, including Italy, the condition of various national economies in the immediate post-war period was so bad that immigration picked up almost immediately.
The extreme economic difficulties of post-war Italy and the severe internal tensions within the nation (which led to the rise of Fascism) "pushed" 614,000 emigrants away in 1920, half of them going to the United States. ("Push" as opposed to the economic "pull" of a foreign nation in need of immigrant labor—the case in earlier decades.) When the Fascists came to power in 1922 there was a general slowdown in the flow of emigrants from Italy—eventually. However, during the first five years of Fascism, one and one-half million people left Italy. That is 300,000 persons per year, a number quite comparable to the early years of the 20th century. Even as late as 1930, 300,000 emigrants left Italy in that single year. By that time, the nature of the emigrants had changed; there was, for example, a marked increase in the rise of relatives of non-working age who were moving to be with their families who had gone before.
A destination privileged by the emigrants between 1915 and 1940 : is the western Europe (except Germany) and in particular France, where more than 2 millions of Italians (and thus a Calabrian proportion is always comparable with those of the first period) will go.
For the last period of migration, the tendency inverse between the south and north : 65% of the Italian migrants are southern Italy. Also, 2,3 millions of Calabrian will leave their country.
But between 1945 and 1985, the destinations change. So formerly America was the first destination, as from 1970, Italian stopped to go there because of the immigration control. And since 1960, South America is not more coveted by the emigrants. For the rebuilding after the war, the Europe receive a great number of Italians: in France, in Switzerland, in Belgium but especially, in Germany, which will accommodate close to 1 million from 1950 to 1960. Lastly, a new destination receives emigrants between 1950 and 1970, it is Australia, but it’s few comparing with Europe.
The unification of Italy broke down the feudal land system that had survived in the south since the Middle Ages, especially where land had been the inalienable property of aristocrats, religious bodies, or the king. The breakdown of feudalism, however, and redistribution of land did not necessarily lead to small farmers in the south winding up with land of their own, land they could work and profit from. Many remained landless, and plots grew smaller and smaller (and, thus, more and more unproductive) as land was subdivided among heirs.
Mezzadria –sharefarming—where tenant families got a plot to work from an owner and kept a reasonable share of the profits—was more prevalent in central Italy, which is one of the reasons there was less emigration from that part of Italy. The south lacked entrepreneurs, and absentee landlords were common. Although owning land was the basic yardstick of wealth, farming in the south was socially despised. People invested not in agricultural equipment, but in such things as low-risk state bonds. Thus, when one talks about "Italian diaspora
" it is best not to view it as a single Italy-wide phenomenon affecting all regions of the nation equally. In the second phase of emigration—1900 to World War I—most emigrants were from the south and most of them were from rural areas, driven off the land by inefficient land management policies.
The general rule that "emigration from cities was negligible" has an important exception, and that is the city of Naples. The city went from being the capital of its own kingdom in 1860 to being just another large city in Italy. The disrupted bureaucracy and financial situation encouraged unemployment. Also, in the early 1880s, grave epidemics of cholera struck the city, causing many people to leave. The epidemics were then the driving force behind the decision to rebuild entire sections of the city, an undertaking known as the "risanamento
" (lit. "making healthy again") and one that lasted until World War I. That process of tearing down and rebuilding also disrupted urban life and became another reason for many to leave the city.
" would be between 5 and 7.5 million if we refer to the natural increase, to the birth rate and the mortality of each of the times but also to the return of emigrants to the country of origin and to the arrival of new ones (stopped in the 80s). This makes one of the most important Italian diaspora with the Sicilian, and like second Calabria, a kind "Little Calabria" world. When it is known that Calabria is populated of 2 million inhabitant (2,007,707 in 12-2007), the "little Calabria" is no more really "little".
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
refers to the migration of Calabrians away from Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
(Southern Italy) in the period after the unification of Italy in 1876 and the beginning of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1914. The second period between both world wars and the last period after 1945 (until in the 1980’s).
Numbers
For the first period of migration, only 880,000 Calabrians will emigrate. Then from approximately 40% of the Italian migrants come from the Southern Italy, only 6% are Calabrian.For the second period of migration, Although the physical perils involved with transatlantic ship traffic during the First World War obviously disrupted emigration from all parts of Europe, including Italy, the condition of various national economies in the immediate post-war period was so bad that immigration picked up almost immediately.
The extreme economic difficulties of post-war Italy and the severe internal tensions within the nation (which led to the rise of Fascism) "pushed" 614,000 emigrants away in 1920, half of them going to the United States. ("Push" as opposed to the economic "pull" of a foreign nation in need of immigrant labor—the case in earlier decades.) When the Fascists came to power in 1922 there was a general slowdown in the flow of emigrants from Italy—eventually. However, during the first five years of Fascism, one and one-half million people left Italy. That is 300,000 persons per year, a number quite comparable to the early years of the 20th century. Even as late as 1930, 300,000 emigrants left Italy in that single year. By that time, the nature of the emigrants had changed; there was, for example, a marked increase in the rise of relatives of non-working age who were moving to be with their families who had gone before.
A destination privileged by the emigrants between 1915 and 1940 : is the western Europe (except Germany) and in particular France, where more than 2 millions of Italians (and thus a Calabrian proportion is always comparable with those of the first period) will go.
For the last period of migration, the tendency inverse between the south and north : 65% of the Italian migrants are southern Italy. Also, 2,3 millions of Calabrian will leave their country.
But between 1945 and 1985, the destinations change. So formerly America was the first destination, as from 1970, Italian stopped to go there because of the immigration control. And since 1960, South America is not more coveted by the emigrants. For the rebuilding after the war, the Europe receive a great number of Italians: in France, in Switzerland, in Belgium but especially, in Germany, which will accommodate close to 1 million from 1950 to 1960. Lastly, a new destination receives emigrants between 1950 and 1970, it is Australia, but it’s few comparing with Europe.
Causes of emigration
Historically, there are many reasons why people decide to leave their homes. Among these are political or religious persecution, overcrowding at home, and poverty. The last reason is, no doubt, the one responsible for the great "Italian diaspora." Much of Italy—and especially southern Italy—at the time of unification was rural, and land management practices—again, especially in the south—did not easily convince farmers to stay on the land and work the soil.The unification of Italy broke down the feudal land system that had survived in the south since the Middle Ages, especially where land had been the inalienable property of aristocrats, religious bodies, or the king. The breakdown of feudalism, however, and redistribution of land did not necessarily lead to small farmers in the south winding up with land of their own, land they could work and profit from. Many remained landless, and plots grew smaller and smaller (and, thus, more and more unproductive) as land was subdivided among heirs.
Mezzadria –sharefarming—where tenant families got a plot to work from an owner and kept a reasonable share of the profits—was more prevalent in central Italy, which is one of the reasons there was less emigration from that part of Italy. The south lacked entrepreneurs, and absentee landlords were common. Although owning land was the basic yardstick of wealth, farming in the south was socially despised. People invested not in agricultural equipment, but in such things as low-risk state bonds. Thus, when one talks about "Italian diaspora
Italian diaspora
The term Italian diaspora refers to the large-scale migration of Italians away from Italy in the period roughly beginning with the unification of Italy in 1861 and ending with the Italian economic miracle in the 1960s...
" it is best not to view it as a single Italy-wide phenomenon affecting all regions of the nation equally. In the second phase of emigration—1900 to World War I—most emigrants were from the south and most of them were from rural areas, driven off the land by inefficient land management policies.
The general rule that "emigration from cities was negligible" has an important exception, and that is the city of Naples. The city went from being the capital of its own kingdom in 1860 to being just another large city in Italy. The disrupted bureaucracy and financial situation encouraged unemployment. Also, in the early 1880s, grave epidemics of cholera struck the city, causing many people to leave. The epidemics were then the driving force behind the decision to rebuild entire sections of the city, an undertaking known as the "risanamento
Risanamento
Risanamento is a name given to the large scale re-planning of Italian cities following unification. Particular examples are the Risanamento of Florence and Naples....
" (lit. "making healthy again") and one that lasted until World War I. That process of tearing down and rebuilding also disrupted urban life and became another reason for many to leave the city.
Calabrian diaspora
Today, Calabrian's "OriundiOriundi
Oriundi is a 1999 movie starring Anthony Quinn about an Italian oriundo family in Brazil. Oriundo is an Italian word used to describe foreign-born Italian nationals, especially South Americans of Italian heritage....
" would be between 5 and 7.5 million if we refer to the natural increase, to the birth rate and the mortality of each of the times but also to the return of emigrants to the country of origin and to the arrival of new ones (stopped in the 80s). This makes one of the most important Italian diaspora with the Sicilian, and like second Calabria, a kind "Little Calabria" world. When it is known that Calabria is populated of 2 million inhabitant (2,007,707 in 12-2007), the "little Calabria" is no more really "little".
See also
- DiasporaDiasporaA diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
- Italian peopleItalian peopleThe Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
- Italian diasporaItalian diasporaThe term Italian diaspora refers to the large-scale migration of Italians away from Italy in the period roughly beginning with the unification of Italy in 1861 and ending with the Italian economic miracle in the 1960s...
- CalabriaCalabriaCalabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
- Calabrian languages
External links
- Statistical Data on the Italians in the world
- Italian Diaspora
- Federazione Italiana Lavoratori Emigranti e Famiglie
- A.S.E.I. Archivio Storico Emigrazione Italiana
- Federazione Italiana Emigrazione Immigrazione
- stats 3
- stats 2
- stats 1
- Destination of italians migrants
- Il più grande esodo migratorio della storia moderna
- Calabrian Diaspora groups for Facebook members
- Calabrian Diaspora groups for No-Facebook members
- Calabresi The Calabrians in the worlds
- “Our calabrians heritage”
- Calabrian genealogy