9.3 Migration

Why people moved after 1900

Globalization accelerated migration as transportation improved and economies became interconnected. People moved for economic opportunity (labor shortages, wage gaps), to escape political conflict or persecution (wars, decolonization, revolutions), and due to environmental or demographic pressures. Migration flowed both from rural to urban areas within countries and across international borders, often from less industrialized to industrialized regions.

Patterns of migration

Labor migration brought workers to industrialized nations (e.g., Turkish workers to West Germany, Mexican laborers to the U.S., South Asians to the Gulf states). Refugee flows surged from conflicts like WWI, WWII, decolonization wars, and later crises (Vietnam, Rwanda, Syria). Migration created diaspora communities that maintained ties to homelands while adapting to new societies.

Effects of migration

Migration reshaped societies through multiethnic communities, cultural exchange, and sometimes backlash. Host countries saw shifts in demographics, labor markets, and cultural life, while sending countries experienced brain drain and relied on remittances. Migration also sparked debates over national identity, citizenship, and led some governments to enact restrictive immigration policies.

Key terms

Labor migration

Movement of workers seeking employment, often from less industrialized to industrialized regions (e.g., Turkish workers to West Germany).

Diaspora

A dispersed population that maintains cultural, social, or economic ties to its homeland while living abroad.

Remittances

Money sent home by migrants to support family members, often vital to the sending country's economy.

Brain drain

The emigration of skilled or educated individuals from a country, weakening its labor force and economy.

Refugee

A person who flees their home country due to war, persecution, or disaster, often seeking asylum abroad.

Try an AP-style question

Post-WWII migration often moved people from…

1. crowded cities back to rural farms
2. former colonies to former colonizers
3. Asia to research bases in Antarctica
4. Europe to newly independent Africa