WAVES OF MIGRATION IN POLAND Erasmus+ project: „we are all migrants of this world” 2016-2018 Visit in Poland 14-18 November 2016

1800-1870 The great emigration involved thousands of Poles particularly from the political and cultural elites, from 1831 to 1870, after the failure of the November Uprising and of other uprisings (1846 - failed revolt against Russia occupation, 1863). the most popular direction was France, Switzerland, England, Belgium and the USA. This first and large group of immigrants is difficult to account for since they came from Poland when Poland did not exist as a separate country but was partitioned between Prussia, Russia and Austria. so they were registered as citizens of these countries rather than Poland.

1870-1914 The largest wave of Polish immigration to America occurred in the years after the American Civil War until World War I. This wave of immigrants is referred to as “in pursuit of bread” immigrants because they were primarily peasants facing starvation and poverty in occupied Poland. Many immigrants were illiterate and unskilled laborers in their own country. The majority came from South and Southeastern part of Poland (Carpathian and the Tatra Mountains, Krakow and Rzeszow area). These areas were very poor.

1914-1939 The migration was on account of a difficult economic situation. People were emigrating mainly to richer or better developing countries. After 1918, when Poland regained independence emigration changed from the political character into economical. Peasants moved to Canada, Argentina, Brazil and the USA. Workers moved to France. Group of Polish people in different countries were named „Polonia”. In the USA, Brazil, France and Canada, Polonia had great conditions to develop. At the end of 1930s, Polonia had 9 million people in the world.

1939-1945 During World War II, 3 million Poles ended up beyond the Polish boarders, mainly as the soldiers who fought against the Hitler regime in foreign armies or in Polish armies formed abroad. The Soviet Union Stalin's regime sent to Siberia and Kazakchstan at least 1.7 mln Polish citizens during the two years when they occupied the eastern part of Poland. In this period, out of 5mln people, 90% of the emigrants were those who were forced to do it. Jews moved because of relocations and Holocaust Civilians were dislocated by the Nazis, deported to the USSR, or "evacuated" or those who escaped Soldiers, because of the escape and the fight outside the country, also prisoners of war

After WW2 Another wave of immigration took place after World War II. During the war, Poland lost disproportionally more people than any other country. Over 6 million of its 35 million people were killed. Poland was also devastated economically, many towns and businesses very destroyed. The fact that Poland was liberated by Soviets and consequently turned into communistic country posed a danger for Poles who from different reasons were still abroad or were fighting along Western aliens during the war. "Individuals in this second wave were primarily political prisoners, dissidents, and intellectuals from refugee camps all over Europe. Many in this group, who were educated and committed to assimilating into American culture, separated from Polonia and aligned themselves with other middle-class and professional groups in America. The mobile and middle-class aspirations of this group differed from the working-class orientation of the first- and second-generation descendants of the first wave." Also a lot of Poles had to migrate from the USSR to Poland because they were resettled from the previously Polish areas now occupied by the Soviet Union. The number of the people that migrated was about 2mln.

1950-1987 Between 1950 and 1987, about 850 thousands of people immigrated to Germany in the effect of this action as resettlers. Many of these people claimed German connections. The great migratory movement appeared also after implementing the martial law in 1981. This emigration was mainly because of economic and political reasons to countries of Europe West and of the United States.

1980-1990 The next big wave of immigration took place in years 1980-1990 when about 100 thousands people left Poland every year. This immigration was mainly economical although some Solidarity activists had to leave after the martial law was enforced. The majority of people who left were young and well educated people who did not foresee political or economic change. Most people left for Germany, Austria, Canada, Australia or the USA. Some won visa on the visa lottery. Some immigrants of the newest wave are very skilled professionals. Quite a numerous group in American universities consists of well-educated Polish immigrants. Some, especially illegal immigrants are not still that well settled down in the society and they live in low-income housing mainly in Polish quarters in Chicago, New York or Detroit. An estimated 1.1 to 1.3 million Polish citizens were considered long-term emigrants (residing in a foreign country for at least a year). According to Polish state estimates, te Polonia consists of between 15 and 18 million people worldwide.

2004-2016 Another migration wave started with the day when Poland joined the EU on May 1st 2004. Some EU countries allowed the new EU members to apply for a job with the day they joined EU. Among these countries is Great Britain, Ireland and Sweden. But this emigration was related to the prospects of Poles to find a legal and a well-paid job abroad. People emigrated mainly because of: - possibility of finding a better-paid job - possibility of getting employment - desire for improving its situation - willingness to gain experience and raise one's qualifications - foreign language learning - desire to get to know other countries

CONSEQUENCES The positive consequences of the migrations in Poland include gains in skills and familiarity with global culture. Emigration raised wages for those workers who stayed behind. The migration has also been associated with lowering the unemployment in Poland. In Poland most immigrant are form Ukraine, Germany, Belarus, Russia, Italy and China. Most Ukrainians come to Poland looking for work but they mostly migrate for 2 or 3 months then come back to Ukraine to help their family and again go to Poland. Many people from China are here because they are on contracts. Poland is a host country for migrants from the East of Europe Results and consequences: - legal and political - the settlement of national and international laws and documents regulating migrations, - economic - the influence of immigrants on the job market, - social - the shift of population on the data of space, - cultural - the involvement of different cultural groups, the creation of multicultural society, - psychological - adaptation to new conditions of life among other people,