This book explores the linkages between Southern Europe and South America in the post-World War II period, through organized migration and development policies. In the post-war period, regulated ...migration was widely considered in the West as a route to development and modernization. Southern European and Latin American countries shared this hegemonic view and adopted similar policies, strategies, and patterns, which also served to promote their integration into the Western bloc. This book showcases how overpopulated Southern European countries viewed emigration as a solution for high unemployment and poverty, whereas huge and underpopulated South American developing countries such as Brazil and Argentina looked at skilled European immigrants as a solution to their deficiencies in qualified human resources. By investigating the transnational dynamics, range, and limitations of the ensuing migration flows between Southern Europe and Southern America during the 1950s and 1960s, this book sheds light on post-World War II migration-development nexus strategies and their impact in the peripheral areas of the Western bloc. Whereas many migration studies focus on single countries, the impressive scope of this book will make it an invaluable resource for researchers of the history of migration, development, international relations, as well as Southern Europe and South America.
Ambitious plans with modest results Damilakou, Maria; Papadopoulos, Yannis G. S.
Migration and Development in Southern Europe and South America,
2022
Book Chapter
Odprti dostop
In the post-World War II period, the Greek state envisaged South American countries as potential destinations for Greek immigrants. The most important postwar Greek migration flow to Argentina took ...place spontaneously in the period 1948-1952, motivated by social networks and the presence of Greek communities in several Argentinean cities. On the other hand, Argentina's participation in the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) since February 1953 had a limited impact on Greek migration flows to the country. Any efforts for agricultural settlement failed, and a few hundred skilled workers moved to Argentina, through ICEM's mechanism, only during the presidency of Arturo Frondizi (1958-1962) who had adopted developmentalism as his basic government policy.
In relation to Brazil, most Greeks settled there after World War II and migrated through organized ICEM schemes. The results of these assisted flows were numerically superior when compared to Argentina's. Nevertheless, Greek urban workers complained that the conditions they faced in Brazil did not meet their expectations, and the plans for the settlement of Greek farmers did not materialize. Matching the needs and priorities of Southern European countries like Greece with those of developing South American countries, through regulated migration flows, was a difficult task in the 1950s and 1960s. The post-World War II international migration schemes "from South to South" generated undoubtedly interesting debates and policy designs but had limited practical results, as they could not compete with the capacity of industrialized countries to attract and absorb labor force from peripheral areas.
The most important postwar Greek migration flow to Argentina took place spontaneously in the period 1948-1952, motivated by social networks and the presence of Greek communities in several Argentinean cities. The post-World War II international migration schemes "from South to South" generated undoubtedly interesting debates and policy designs but had limited practical results, as they could not compete with the capacity of industrialized countries to attract and absorb labor force from peripheral areas. In the aftermath of World War II, Argentina and Brazil became, once again, destinations for thousands of European emigrants who were forced to abandon their countries driven by the post-war acute economic and political crisis. The Brazilian government had a much warmer attitude than Argentina in its encouragement of flows from countries other than its traditional immigrant providers. In the Argentina of the 1950s and 1960s, the percentage of Greek merchants and entrepreneurs increased significantly.
Concluding remarks Damilakou, Maria; Papadopoulos, Yannis G. S.
Migration and Development in Southern Europe and South America,
2022
Book Chapter
The end of World War II, with Europe in ruins and huge population displacements, coincides with the ripening of ideas regarding the regulation of human mobility, a topic that had already been under ...discussion since the beginning of the 20th century. In the aftermath of World War II, for Southern European sending countries going through a process of national reconstruction and economic recovery, emigration became once again an answer to their structural problems, especially the hypertrophy of their primary sector and the lack of effective policies for the utilization of the available domestic workforce. The long-term perspective of these analyses calls people to reflect on how these new migration realities, framed by revised migration and diasporic policies, relate to the place and role that the two areas under discussion currently have in the world system. Latin American countries have undergone strong neoliberal experiences that changed long-established structures and perceptions of the relationship between state and society.
Introduction Damilakou, Maria; Papadopoulos, Yannis G. S.
Migration and Development in Southern Europe and South America,
2022
Book Chapter
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book offers a comparative approach on migration and development policies that goes ...beyond the perspective of the national state by taking into account the interactions between national strategies, international dynamics and transnational networks. It focuses on the periphery of the post-war Western world, interweaving socio-economic aspects, public debates and policies of the Southern European countries and South America, which were in a crucial period, a time when they were setting the parameters of their own economic development. The book examines the shaping of migration policies and development strategies in post-war Greece. It focuses on another aspect of the economic impact of migration in the post-World War II period, namely migrant transport, and demonstrates the close relationship that existed between government and private business interests regarding migration traffic.
