Lietuvių ekonominė emigracija XX a. 3-iajame dešimtmetyje

LTPirmojo pasaulinio karo pasekmės ir 1918 m. vasario 16 d. Lietuvos nepriklausomybės atkūrimas turėjo įtakos susiklostyti dar vienai netikėtai situacijai: laisvės atgavimo euforija ir sunkus ekonomikos atsigavimas labai skirtingai paveikė lietuvius. Sunkiai atsigaunanti pramonė, demografijos ritmo nepalaikanti ekonominė raida, darbo vietų ir žemės trūkumas, skurdas ir badas palietė daugelį gyventojų. Pirmojo pasaulinio karo metu emigracija iš Rusijos sustojo, nors į Jungtines Amerikos Valstijas 1916–1919 m. iš kitų šalių atvyko 1 373 lietuviai. Karui pasibaigus, emigracinis judėjimas atsinaujino, nes, atsikūrus Lietuvos valstybei, ekonominės problemos liko – ekonominį krašto atsilikimą dar padidino karo veiksmai ir kaizerinės Vokietijos okupacija. Teko labai sunkiomis sąlygomis atkurti ir vystyti ekonomiką, nes nutrūko ryšiai su Rusijos rinka, Lenkija okupavo svarbiausią pramoninį Lietuvos miestą Vilnių. Lietuvos ekonomika tapo priklausoma nuo pasaulinės rinkos pokyčių. Lietuvai pasirašius pirmas sutartis su užsienio šalimis, pagyvėjo prekyba su Didžiąja Britanija ir Vokietija (iki 1926 m. 70–80 proc. importo ir 40–60 proc. eksporto). Lietuva tapo šių šalių pramonės produkcijos realizavimo rinka, pigių maisto produktų ir žemės ūkio žaliavų šaltiniu. [Iš straipsnio, p. 261]

ENThe consequences of the First World War and the restoration of Lithuania’s independence on February 16, 1918 created another unexpected situation: the euphoria of the restoration of freedom and the difficult economic recovery affected Lithuanians in very different ways. Emerging industries, unsustainable economic developments, job and land shortages, poverty and hunger affected many people. Cities grew slowly, land reform did not improve the situation of all peasants. The unemployed in the city, the relative surplus of seasonal workers in the countryside became a mobile force who had to look for better livelihoods abroad. From 1920 to 1940 (until June 1) 102.461 residents emigrated from Lithuania. Of this number, 30.869 (30.1%) went to the USA, 24.982 (24.4%) to Brazil, 16.794 (16.3%) to Argentina, and 7.942 (7.8%) to Canada, 4.437 (4.3%) to Uruguay, 5.264 (5.1%) to other countries. 7.215 emigrants (7.0%) emigrated to the South African Union, and 5.008 (4.9%) of all Lithuanian emigrants emigrated to Palestine. The absolute majority of those who went to South Africa and Palestine were Jews. Jews also emigrated to other countries, including the United States. In the absence of accurate data, it must be assumed that the Jews in the 1920s and 1940s accounted for about 20 percent of Lithuanian emigrants. The absolute majority was Lithuanians, about 70%, i.e., about 70 thousand Lithuanians emigrated during the mentioned period. From 1928 to 1939 most of the emigrants were men - 55.07 percent, women - 44.93 percent. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Uruguay were mostly visited by men, and women dominated the emigration to the United States – 59.70 percent (many of them went to their husbands, parents, brothers, fiancées), more women emigrated to Palestine (56.93%) and South Africa (50.05%).Most of the emigrants were young and middle-aged people, i.e., up to 50 years old. They accounted for 96.26 percent of all emigrants. South American states did not guarantee that older people would get jobs because plantation owners and producers needed strong, young workers who could withstand harsh climatic conditions. The national composition of emigrants is interesting. From 1928 March-December to 1939 most of the emigrants were Lithuanians, i.e., 58.95 percent. As much as 33.68 percent of the emigrants were Jews who went mostly to Palestine and South Africa. The history of Lithuanian emigration in 1868-1940 shows that in separate stages of history, moments of the nation’s development, the mass emigration of a small nation plays a significant role in the cultural and political life of the nation, it has a significant impact on the rise of the country’s economy, trade, and agriculture. [From the publication]