History Argentines of European descent

1 history

1.1 colonial , post-independence period
1.2 great wave of immigration europe (1857–1940)

1.2.1 origin of immigrants between 1857 , 1920
1.2.2 origin of immigrants between 1857 , 1940


1.3 second wave of immigration
1.4 recent trends
1.5 latin american immigrants of european origin
1.6 third immigratory wave eastern europe (1994–2000)

history
colonial , post-independence period

the presence of european people in argentine territory began in 1516, when spanish conquistador juan díaz de solís explored río de la plata. in 1527, sebastian cabot founded fort of sancti spiritus, near coronda, santa fe; first spanish settlement on argentine soil. process of spanish occupation continued expeditions coming upper peru (present-day bolivia), founded santiago del estero in 1553, san miguel de tucumán in 1565 , córdoba in 1573, , chile, founded mendoza in 1561 , san juan in 1562. other spanish expeditions founded cities of santa fe (1573), buenos aires (1580), , corrientes (1588).

it not until creation of viceroyalty of río de la plata in 1776, first censuses classification castas conducted. 1778 census ordered viceroy juan josé de vértiz in buenos aires revealed that, of total population of 37,130 inhabitants, spaniards , criollos numbered 25,451, or 68.55% of total. census carried out in corregimiento de cuyo in 1777 showed spaniards , criollos numbered 4,491 (or 51.24%) out of population of 8,765 inhabitants. in córdoba (city , countryside) spanish/criollo people comprised 39.36% (about 14,170) of 36,000 inhabitants.

according data argentine government in 1810, 6,000 spanish lived in territory of united provinces of río de la plata spanish, of total population of around 700,000 inhabitants. small number indicates presence of people european ancestors small, , large number of criollos mixed indigenous , african mothers, although fact hidden; in regard, example, according researcher josé ignacio garcía hamilton liberator, josé de san martín, mestizo.

nevertheless, these censuses restricted cities , surrounding rural areas, little known racial composition of large areas of viceroyalty, though supposed spaniards , criollos minority, other castas comprising majority. worth noting that, since person classified peninsular or criollo had access more privileges in colonial society, many castizos (resulting union of spanish , mestizo) purchased limpieza de sangre ( purity of blood ).

although being minority in demographics terms, criollo people played leading role in may revolution of 1810, in independence of argentina spanish empire in 1816. argentine national heroes such manuel belgrano , juan martín de pueyrredón, military men cornelio saavedra , carlos maría de alvear, , politicians juan josé paso , mariano moreno criollos of spanish, italian or french descent. second triumvirate , 1813 assembly enacted laws encouraging immigration, , instituted advertising campaigns , contract work programs among prospective immigrants in europe.

the minister of government of buenos aires province, bernardino rivadavia, established immigration commission in 1824. appointed ventura arzac conduct new census in city, , showed these results: city had 55,416 inhabitants, of 40,000 of european descent (about 72.2%); of total of whites, 90% criollos, 5% spaniards, , other 5% other european nations.

after wars independence, long period of internal struggle followed. during period between 1826 , 1852, europeans settled in country -sometimes hired local governments. notable among them, savoyan lithographer charles pellegrini (president carlos pellegrini s father) , wife maria bevans, neapolitan journalist pedro de angelis, , german physician/zoologist hermann burmeister. because of long conflict, there neither economic resources nor political stability carry out census until 1850s, when provincial censuses organized. these censuses did not continue classification castas typical of pre-independence period.

the administration of governor juan manuel de rosas, had been given sum of public power other governors in argentine confederation, maintained rivadavia immigration commission, continued advertise agricultural colonies in argentina among prospective european immigrants. following rosas overthrow entre ríos province governor justo josé de urquiza, jurist , legal scholar juan bautista alberdi commissioned prepare draft new constitution. outline, bases , starting points political organization of argentine republic, called federal government promote european immigration, , policy included article 25 of argentine constitution of 1853.

the first post-independence census conducted in buenos aires took place in 1855; showed there 26,149 european inhabitants in city. among nationals there no distinction of race, distinguish literates illiterates; @ time formal education privilege exclusive upper sectors of society, predominantly of european descent. including european residents , 21,253 argentine literates, around 47,402 people of european descent resided in buenos aires in 1855; have comprised 51.6% of total population of 91,895 inhabitants.

great wave of immigration europe (1857–1940)

in february 1856, municipal government of baradero granted lands settlement of ten swiss families in agricultural colony near town. later year, colony founded swiss immigrants in esperanza, santa fe. these provincial initiatives remained isolated cases until differences between argentine confederation , state of buenos aires resolved battle of pavón in 1861, , strong central government established. presidents bartolomé mitre (the victor @ pavón), domingo sarmiento , nicolás avellaneda implemented policies encouraged massive european immigration. these formalized 1876 congressional approval of law 817 of immigration , colonization, signed president avellaneda. during following decades, , until mid-20th century, waves of european settlers came argentina. major contributors included italy (initially piedmont, veneto , lombardy, later campania, calabria, , sicily), , spain (most galicians , basques), there asturians.

smaller significant numbers of immigrants include france, poland, russia, germany, austria, hungary, croatia, england, scotland, ireland, switzerland, belgium, denmark, , others. europeans former ottoman empire greek (lebanese , armenian immigrants arrived in larger numbers). majority of argentina s jewish community descend immigrants of ashkenazi jewish origin.

german argentines crespo, entre ríos (volga german descendants)



this migratory influx had 2 effects on argentina s demography

1) exponential growth of country s population. in first national census of 1869 argentine population 1,877,490 inhabitants, in 1895 had doubled 4,044,911, in 1914 had reached 7,903,662, , 1947 had doubled again 15,893,811. estimated 1920, more 50% of residents in buenos aires had been born abroad. according zulma recchini de lattes estimate, if great immigratory wave europe , middle east had not happened, argentina s population 1960 have been less 8 million, while national census carried out year revealed population of 20,013,793 inhabitants. argentina received total of 6,611,000 european , middle-eastern immigrants during period 1857–1940; 2,970,000 italians (44.9%), 2,080,000 spaniards (31.5%), , remaining 23.6% composed of french, poles, russians, germans, austro-hungarians, british, portuguese, swiss, belgians, danes, dutch, swedes, etc.

2) radical change in ethnic composition; 1914 national census revealed around 80% of national population either european immigrants, children or grandchildren. among remaining 20% (those descended population residing locally before immigrant wave took shape), around fifth of european descent. put down numbers, means 84%, or 6,300,000 people (out of total population of 7,903,662), residing in argentina of european descent. european immigration continued account on half nation s population growth during 1920s, , again significant (albeit in smaller wave) following world war ii.

the distribution of these european/middle eastern immigrants not uniform across country. newcomers settled in coastal cities , farmlands of buenos aires, santa fe, córdoba , entre ríos. example, 1914 national census showed that, of 3 million people −2,965,805 exact- living in provinces of buenos aires , santa fe, 1,019,872 european immigrants, , 1 , half million more children of european mothers; in all, community comprised @ least 84.9% of region s population. same dynamic less evident in rural areas of northwestern provinces, however: immigrants (mostly of syrian-lebanese origin) represented mere 2.6% (about 15,600) of total rural population of 600,000 in jujuy, salta, tucumán, santiago del estero , catamarca.

origin of immigrants between 1857 , 1920

notes:

(1) figure includes russians, ukrainians, volga germans, belarusians, poles, lithuanians, etc. entered argentina passport of russian empire.
(2) figure includes peoples lived within boundaries of austro-hungarian empire between 1867 , 1918: austrians, hungarians, czechs, slovakians, slovenians, croatians, bosniaks, ruthenians , people regions of voivodina in serbia, trentino-alto adige/südtirol , trieste in italy, transilvania in romania, , galitzia in poland.
(3) united kingdom included ireland until 1922; why of british immigrants -nicknamed ingleses - in fact irish, welsh , scottish.
(4) around 0.5% of luxembourg s total population emigrated argentina during 1880s.

source: dirección nacional de migraciones: infografías., information modified – figures there nationality, not country.

origin of immigrants between 1857 , 1940

source: national migration, 1970.

second wave of immigration

during , after second world war, many europeans fled argentina, escaping hunger , poverty of post-war period. according national bureau of migrations, during period 1941–1950 @ least 392,603 europeans entered country: 252,045 italians, 110,899 spaniards, 16,784 poles, 7,373 russians , 5,538 french. among notable italian immigrants in period protest singer piero de benedictis (emigrated parents in 1948), actors rodolfo ranni (emigrated in 1947) , gianni lunadei (1950), publisher césar civita (1941), businessman francisco macri (1949), lawmaker pablo verani (1947), , rock musician kay galiffi (1950).

argentina received thousands of germans, including humanitarian businessman oskar schindler , wife, hundreds of ashkenazi jews, , hundreds of nazi war criminals. notorious beneficiaries of ratlines included adolf eichmann, josef mengele, erich priebke, rodolfo freude (who became first director of argentine state intelligence), , ustaše head of state of croatia, ante pavelić. still matter of debate whether argentine government of president juan perón aware of presence of these criminals on argentine soil or not; consequence argentina considered nazi haven several decades.

the flow of european immigration continued during 1950s , afterward; compared previous decade, diminished considerably. marshall plan implemented united states europe recover consequences of world war ii working, , emigration lessened. during period 1951–1960, 242,889 europeans entered argentina: 142,829 italians, 98,801 spaniards, 934 french, , 325 poles. next decade (1961–1970), total number of european immigrants barely reached 13,363 (9,514 spaniards, 1,845 poles, 1,266 french , 738 russians).

european immigration non-existent during 1970s , 1980s. instability 1970 1976 in form of escalating violence between montoneros , triple a), guerrilla warfare, , dirty war waged against leftists after march 1976 coup, compounded economic crisis caused 1981 collapse of dictatorship s domestic policies. situation encouraged emigration rather immigration of europeans , european-argentines alike, , during 1971–1976 period @ least 9,971 europeans left country. during period 1976–1983 thousands of argentines , numerous europeans kidnapped , killed in clandestine centers military dictatorship s grupos de tareas (task groups); these included haroldo conti, dagmar hagelin, rodolfo walsh, léonie duquet, alice domon, héctor oesterheld (all presumably assassinated in 1977) , jacobo timerman (who liberated in 1979; sought exile in israel, , returned in 1984). conadep, commission formed president raúl alfonsín, investigated , documented existence of @ least 8,960 cases, though other estimates vary between 13,000 , 30,000 dead.

recent trends

the principal source of immigration argentina after 1960 no longer europe, rather bordering south american countries. during period in between censuses of 1895 , 1914, immigrants europe comprised 88.4% of total, , latin american immigrants represented 7.5%. 1960s, however, trend had been reversed: latin american immigrants 76.1%, , europeans merely 18.7% of total.

given main sources of south american immigrants since 1960s have been bolivia, paraguay , peru, of these immigrants have been either amerindian or mestizo, represent ethnic majorities in countries. increasing numbers of immigrants these sources has caused proportion of argentines of european descent reduced in areas of greater buenos aires (particularly in morón, la matanza, escobar , tres de febrero), buenos aires neighbourhoods of flores, villa soldati, villa lugano , nueva pompeya. many amerindian or mestizo people of bolivian/paraguayan/peruvian origin have suffered racist discrimination, , in cases, violence, or have been victims of sexual slavery , forced labor in textile sweat shops.

latin american immigrants of european origin

latin americans of predominantly european descent have arrived chile, brazil, colombia, paraguay , in particular, uruguay. uruguayan immigrants represent distinct case in argentina, may pass unnoticed foreigners . uruguay recieven great part of same influx of european immigrants changed argentina s ethnic profile, uruguayans of european origin (estimates vary 87.4% 94.6%). uruguayans , argentines speak same spanish dialect (rioplatense spanish), heavily influenced entonation patterns of italian language s southern dialects.

the official censuses show slow growth in uruguayan-born community: 51,100 in 1970, 114,108 in 1980, , 135,406 in 1991, decline 117,564 in 2001. around 218,000 uruguayans emigrated argentina between 1960 , 1980, however.

third immigratory wave eastern europe (1994–2000)

following fall of communist regimes of soviet union , eastern europe, governments of western bloc worried possible massive exodus eastern europe , russia. president carlos saúl menem – in political framework of washington consensus – offered receive part of emigratory wave in argentina. accordingly, resolution 4632/94 enacted on 19 december 1994, allowing special treatment applicants wished emigrate former soviet republics. total of 9,399 eastern europeans emigrated argentina january 1994 december 2000, , of total, 6,720 ukrainians (71.5%), 1,598 russians (17%), 160 romanians (1.7%), 122 bulgarians (1.3%), 94 armenians (1%), 150 georgians/moldovans/poles (1.6%) , 555 (5.9%) traveled soviet passport.

around 85% of newcomers under age 45, , 51% had university education, integrated quite rapidly argentine society, albeit initial difficulties finding gainful employment. these included 200 romanian gypsy families arrived in 1998, , 140 more romanian gypsies migrated uruguay in 1999, enter argentina later crossing uruguay river through fray bentos, salto or colonia.

european immigration in argentina has not stopped since wave eastern europe. according national bureau of migrations, 14,964 europeans have settled in argentina (3,599 spaniards, 1,407 italians , 9,958 other countries) during period 1999–2004. figure, many of 8,285 americans , 4,453 uruguayans may added, since these countries have european-descended majorities of 75% , 87% in populations.