6.7 Effects of Migration

Industrialization drove global migration

Industrialization created massive migration flows as workers sought jobs in factories, mines, and plantations. Push factors like overpopulation and land shortages combined with pull factors like wage labor opportunities. Millions moved from Europe to the Americas, from India and China to plantations and mines worldwide (via indentured servitude), and within countries from rural to urban areas.

Migrants shaped receiving societies

Migrants created ethnic enclaves in cities—neighborhoods like Chinatowns and Little Italys—where they preserved language, food, and traditions while adapting to new environments. These communities provided mutual support but also faced discrimination. Migration also caused urbanization, straining housing, sanitation, and infrastructure in rapidly growing industrial cities.

Backlash and government responses

Rising immigration provoked nativism, xenophotic and racist hostility toward newcomers, blamed for job competition and cultural change. Governments responded with restrictive laws, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) in the U.S. and similar exclusionary policies elsewhere, limiting migration based on ethnicity or national origin.

Key terms

Push/pull factors

Push: conditions driving people to leave (overpopulation, land shortage). Pull: opportunities attracting migrants (wage labor, jobs).

Indentured servitude

A labor system where workers, often from India and China, signed contracts to work for a set period, replacing slave labor after abolition.

Ethnic enclave

A neighborhood where immigrant communities preserve their language, customs, and traditions (e.g., Chinatown, Little Italy).

Nativism

Hostility toward immigrants, often blaming them for economic and social problems, leading to discrimination and exclusionary laws.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

U.S. law banning Chinese immigration, reflecting nativist backlash against Asian labor migration.

Try an AP-style question

The Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) was an example of…

1. a trade agreement
2. anti-immigrant legislation
3. a labor union law
4. pro-immigration policy