Intraregional Migration and Social Mobility : A Study of Europeans in the Southern Cone, 1880-1914

The migration of Europeans to the New World at the end of the nineteenth century has been documented by numerous historians. Few, however, have addressed the second migration which occurred between the countries of the Western Hemisphere, especially that which took place between Brazil and Argentina. This thesis uses primary and secondary sources, including diplomatic reports, government records and newspaper articles, to define the magnitude of the migration and shows that, between 1880 and 1914, a substantially larger number of people left Brazil for Argentina than left Argentina for Brazil. This thesis also offers a number of explanations for the phenomenon described above, including a difference in economic opportunities and possibilities for social mobility between the two countries. After providing background information on the immigration of Europeans to the Southern Cone during the period in question, this thesis examines key events including emancipation, political changes, labor organization and war and explains their impact on migration within the region. The differing colonial foundations of the two countries is also presented as playing a critical role in the development of elite attitudes toward free labor. In conclusion, a variety of factors allowed for increased social mobility, or at least the perception of social mobility, in Argentina, which is reflected in the magnitude of new immigrants who moved from Brazil across the Rio de la Plata in search of a better life.Air Force Inst of Tech Wright-Patterson AFB OH is the author of 'Intraregional Migration and Social Mobility : A Study of Europeans in the Southern Cone, 1880-1914', published 1997 under ISBN 9781423567677 and ISBN 1423567676.