IMMIGRATION OF JEWS FROM AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
The immigration of Jews from Austria-Hungary began before the eighties
of the last century, becoming at the beginning of the nineties a
relatively strong and steady current. Until recently, this immigration
was almost exclusively from Galicia.[77]
Summarizing the movement by decades,[78] we find that 44,619 Jews, or
15.9 per cent of the total, came during the decade from 1881 to 1890;
83,720 immigrants, or 29.8 per cent of the total, came during the
decade from 1891 to 1900. In the last decade, from 1901 to 1910, there
entered 152,811 immigrants, or 54.3 per cent of the total. Thus there
is a nearly steady rise of the movement, though it is not as great as
that found in the Jewish immigration from Russia.
The annual variations are also not as large as are found in the
Russian Jewish movement.[79] The greatest number that came in any year
in the first decade was in 1887, when 6,898 immigrants arrived,
contributing 2.4 per cent of the total for the year. The highest
number that came in the second decade was in 1899, when 11,071
immigrants arrived, contributing 3.9 per cent of the total. From this
year there began a great rise which reached its maximum in 1904 with
an immigration of 20,211 Jews, constituting 7.2 per cent of the
total--the highest point attained in the entire movement.
A comparison of the fluctuations of the Jewish with those of the total
Austro-Hungarian immigration shows that the former follows the general
movement quite closely, though there are minor differences and the
maximum periods of both movements do not coincide.[80]
An examination of the part the Jewish played in the general
immigration from Austria-Hungary shows that during the entire period
of thirty years there entered into the United States from
Austria-Hungary 3,091,692 immigrants, to which the Jews contributed
281,150 immigrants, or 9.1 per cent.[81] That the Jewish movement was
relatively stronger in the earlier period than the general movement
from Austria-Hungary is indicated by the fact that the Jews
participate to a much larger extent in the movement of the first
decades than in that of the last. In the first decade, from 1881 to
1890, of the 353,719 immigrants from Austria-Hungary, the Jews were
44,619, or 12.6 per cent of the total for the decade. In the decade
from 1891 to 1900, of the 592,707 immigrants they were 83,720, or 14.1
per cent of the total. In the last decade, of 2,145,266 immigrants,
they were 158,811, or 7.4 per cent of the entire movement. The Jewish
movement is thus seen to be relatively the strongest in the second
decade. Its fall in the last decade to almost half the proportion of
the preceding decade was due to the tremendous growth in the
immigration of the other races from Austria-Hungary. Whereas the
general movement nearly quadrupled its numbers in the last decade, the
Jewish movement did not quite double its numbers.
The largest part in the movement from Austria-Hungary was taken by
the Jews during the earlier years.[82] The highest point was reached
in 1886, when the Jews constituted 18.6 per cent of the total
movement. In the following year the Jewish immigrants constituted 17.1
per cent. Other years in which the Jews participated strongly were
1895, and from 1897 to 1899. In 1898 the second highest point was
reached, the Jews constituting 18.5 per cent of the movement. From
1904 a great fall ensued. The lowest point was reached in 1909, when
the Jews constituted only 5 per cent of the total movement.
A clearer idea of the situation would be obtained if the figures for
the years and decades could be ascertained for Austria and Hungary
separately, as the Jews in each of the divisions of the Dual Monarchy
differ considerably in their immigration tendency. Austria and Hungary
are distinguished in the immigration statistics only since 1910.
Nevertheless, the three years from 1910 to 1912 serve to show that the
Jews from Austria immigrate to the United States in much larger
numbers than their brethren in Hungary. From 1910 to 1912, out of a
total of 36,684 Jewish immigrants from Austria-Hungary, 29,340, or
fully four-fifths, came from Austria. The participation of the
Austrian Jews in the general movement is also correspondingly larger.
From 1910 to 1912, the Jewish immigrants from Austria numbered 29,340
out of a total of 303,776, constituting 9.7 per cent of the total
Austrian immigration. For the same period the Jewish immigrants from
Hungary numbered only 7,344 out of a total of 292,900, constituting
2.5 per cent of the total. Thus the Jews participate in the movement
from Austria practically four times as much as in the movement from
Hungary.
The relative position of the Jews among the peoples immigrating from
Austria is of interest in this connection. The peoples with which
comparison must be maintained are those concentrated in Galicia, the
chief source of the Jewish, Polish and Ruthenian immigration.[83] For
the seven years between 1899 and 1905, the Jewish immigrants
constituted the second largest group. From 1906, they fell into the
third position (excepting in 1908), owing to the rapid increase of
immigration among the Ruthenians.
The average rate of immigration of the Jews of Austria-Hungary for the
twelve-year period from 1899 to 1910, is 74 for every 10,000 Jews in
the Empire.[84] The maximum rate was 97, which was reached in the
immigration of 1904. In comparison with the Russian and Roumanian
Jewish immigrants, those from Austria-Hungary have a far lower rate of
immigration. This is true for the average as well as for the single
years. However, in the first two years, 1899 and 1900, the rate of
immigration was higher among the Jewish immigrants from
Austria-Hungary. In comparison with the rate of immigration of the
Poles and the Ruthenians, the Jews occupy an intermediate position,
having a lower rate than the Poles and a higher rate than the
Ruthenians.[85]
The Jewish movement from Austria-Hungary thus shows a fairly steady
rise, but neither in its yearly variations nor its rate of immigration
does it give evidence of any exceptional characteristics.
FOOTNOTES:
[77] Buzek, "Das Auswanderungsproblem in Oesterreich," _Zeitschrift
fuer Volkswirtschaft, Sozialpolitik und Verwaltung_, p. 458.
[78] _Cf._ table XXI, p. 169.
[79] _Cf._ table XXII, p. 169.
[80] _Cf._ table XXIII, p. 170.
[81] _Cf._ table XXIV, p. 170.
[82] _Cf._ table XXIV, p. 170.
[83] _Cf._ table XXV, p. 171.
[84] _Cf._ table XXVI, p. 171.
[85] _Cf._ Hersch, _op. cit._, p. 43. This comparison gives a lower
rate of immigration to the Jews than they really possess, owing to the
fact that it is based upon the total Jewish population of
Austria-Hungary, and not upon that of Galicia, from which province the
great majority of the Jewish immigrants come.