The First World War

From July 1914 to November 1918, a great number of Europeans and people from other countries fought in the First World War, also known as the Great War. (Keegan 12). This war involved millions of people, and both armed personnel and civilians lost their lives during it. The War was started by European nations, but subsequently other continents like Japan and the United States joined. It caused a large number of people to leave their home nations and move to those they thought were safer. Immigration became one of the characteristics of the World War I which displaced millions of civilians from their native countries. As a result, various nations sought for controlling immigration by imposing many laws and regulations in order to regulate mobility and migration. However, World War I remained a crucial moment that shaped the history of migration.

Immigration during World War I (1914-1918)

Introduction

The period between 1870 and 1945 was the significant time in which many immigrants found their way to the United States and other countries such as Canada. Diner (6) asserted that some of the immigrants migrated ever after the Great War because America was seen as a safe haven where they could seek for refuge. Before its involvement in the War, it was a peaceful period for the immigrants because the US was neutral to the War. A frustration came in after the entanglement of the country. Insecurity started to kick in due to the mobilization by the government. The German Americans who had for a long time lived in the US were encountered fear because of their alien origin. Some would be sympathetic to their country of origin. However, they could not do anything because the government was so strict on those who opposed the War as pointed out by Keegan (16). As a result, the War impacted on the domestic development of the country which was felt for a long time. For instance, people could not put aside their differences during War mobilization. The situation resulted in distorting of the civil rights, immigration policies and change of economic structure amongst other aspects.

History of Immigration

In the late 1870s, the Americans freely encouraged open immigration where people were welcomed into the States without much policy as pointed out by Greenwood and Ward (18). However, some states nodded to immigration laws as a result of the civil war. For instance, the Supreme Court imposed injunctions in 1875 and declared it a responsibility of the federal government. It did not however reduce the number of immigrants coming into the country. The economic conditions of some regions worsened in the early 1880s resulting in the formation of immigration legislation by the Congress.

Various acts which limited the number of immigrants and the category of the people who could be allowed into the country were passed as pointed out by Keegan (19). Such acts as The Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 as well as Alien Contract Labour laws that arose in 1885 and 1887 made it illegal for labourers to immigrate into the United States. In addition, the introduction of the general Immigration Act in 1882 imposed a tax of fifty cents per individual immigrant and prohibited arrival of a certain category of people such as convicts and “idiots” who would become a burden to the country. These legislations called for a committed federal enforcement organization in order to effectively regulate immigration. As a result, many federal immigration stations were established to support the service.

All these laws were meant to protect the American workers who feared that the immigrants may have ended up limiting their work capabilities due to their increased numbers. From 1895 to early 1900s, various changes in immigration policies and enforcement occurred with changing titles to ensure that immigration is controlled. Diner (12) pointed out that it remained the fact that the number of immigrants continued to elevate amidst all those laws and legislations up to the start of the Great War after which their numbers began to dwindle. However, after the end of the War, the number of immigrants started to increase once again.

Due to the factors presented above, naturalization rules were created. It enabled immigrants to be granted citizenship in the US. Such acts as Naturalization Act enabled courts to grant citizenship to the immigrants but as of 1905, there was lack of uniformity in this process which became a big problem in the country. Therefore, standardization of national naturalization was created by the Congress in 1906 in order to restore the dignity of the process as pointed out by Shelby (3). Various requirements were needed for the enfranchisement of the immigrants but a section found them in the country without undergoing the due process.

Neutrality of America and Immigration during World War I

Immigration Services in the United States continued to increase their powers due to the increased number of immigrants. As pointed out by Keegan (21), it is approximated that more than fifteen million people immigrated into the US between 1900 and 1920. A significant number of immigrants were experienced just before and during World War I. It was mostly attributed to the fact that the country for a long time remained neutral to the War and many Europeans immigrants wanted to be safe.

People from different European countries migrated to the United States in search for economic stability and personal freedom. The US being neutral did not harbour stringent restrictions on immigration and some of the injunctions were not respected anyway as pointed by Shelby (7). The country was also experiencing a better economy at the time and somehow it could host and support the immigrants. Prior to the Great War, the number of immigrants greatly increased as approximately 350.000 people had migrated. During this period, however, the number hiked to not less than a million immigrants per year between 1905 and 1915 before the involvement of the United States in the War.

Immigration to Canada before the War atmosphere amounted to about 37.000 heads per year as pointed out by Keegan (26). This number increased to approximately a quarter million per year up to 1914. Therefore, before the War erupted, millions of immigrants were living in both Canada and the United States. For this reason, the US secluded itself from the War for a long period because it contained people who were tied to both sides of the conflict. It made the President of the US and other politicians to avoid the War for a while.

Lack of interest in the War also made it remain neutral. The latter was the factor that greatly motivated immigration. With a huge number of British, Italians and Scandinavians, the country at the time also had more than two million Germans and not less than one and a half million Irish immigrants who had migrated since 1880 as pointed out by Shelby (12). The situation of the immigrants however changed after the Germans assaulted Lusitania killing 139 Americans when it was torpedoed. The fate of immigration changed in 1917 when the United States got involved in the Great War.

Immigration in Europe

Other countries such as United Kingdom and Germany also experienced immigration but not to a greater extent as America did. In Germany, for instance, Muller (23) outlaid the fact that the government had experienced immigration before World War I, controls as well as regulations were imposed and installed to prevent immigrants into the country. On the other hand, the United Kingdom authorities had installed surveillance structures prior to the War. It enabled the government to control the aliens who could more often be deported back to their countries. It was done especially to those who violated even the simplest laws of the country as pointed out by Diner (28).

However, these laws and regulations meant to control the mobility of the minority into other countries between 1914 and 1918 did not succeed because they were soon abolished. Although, the need to control immigration could not exceed the aim for immigrants’ safety as pointed out by Diner (32). Diner continued to point the facts that the control was in a big way affected by the reciprocity principle (36). Therefore, most of the European countries feared that if they sent away the immigrants back to their native country, the neighbouring countries would reciprocate by sending their foreigners too.

Change of Attitude towards Immigration

The attitude of the Americans towards immigration began to change due to mass emigration of European populace. The increased number of immigrants resulted in changing the immigration history in America as pointed out by Muller (27). National immigration laws were strengthened by the Congress while the Presidential Commission started to investigate the reasons behind the massive emigration of Europeans from their countries, namely, the Southern and Eastern Europe. The conditions of immigrants were also studied and they were required to fulfil some obligations such as being able to read and write in their innate languages.

Subsequent challenges that occurred during World War I saw the number of immigrants begin to reduce as pointed out by Bense (126). Immigration from Europe decreased while new duties were imposed on the immigration service. The service personnel were also allocated responsibilities that went beyond their capabilities. Requirements such as passport and paperwork overloaded the agencies because the immigrants were numerous in number. These requirements inhibited the traffic routines in the US and the Service started to issue mandatory Crossing Cards to be used in the boarder.

Migration after World War I

The Great War caused a lot of panic globally. Subsequently, massive immigration recommenced again after the War and the Congress in the United States responded with new and stricter policies to limit the number of immigrants. For instance, the establishment of the Immigration Act of 1921 and that of 1924 were the stringiest policies that limited the number of immigrants in the US history. Visas became a requirement for the naturalization of the immigrants. Moreover, Embassies were only allowed to receive those with valid visas as pointed out by Greenwood and Ward (26).

Border Patrol and Board of Review in conjunction with the Immigration Service responded to the illegal smuggling of immigrants due to the restrictions imposed by the Congress as pointed out by Gat (56). Many people who went to the United States illegally were deported back to their countries. It became one of the hardest jobs of the agency. Due to the fact, the birth of the Immigrant Board of Review was initiated to handle the processes. Different appeals on immigration laws were taken to court creating panic to most of the citizens.

The Great Depression also significantly dropped the number of immigrants and the agency was now more focused on the enforcement of the law as pointed out by Muller (32). In 1933, the United Immigration and Naturalization Service (UINS) was established. The organ further minimized the number of immigrants into the country. Since 1993, INS devoted much of its resources in the investigation as well as preventing illegal entries into the States. Those who violated immigration acts were also prosecuted leading to immigration dropping in a big way.

Effects of World War I on Immigrants

Divided loyalties became common amongst immigrants. They feared that they would end up fighting among themselves due to the situation. Concerns about the affiliation of the immigrants especially in the United States kept most of them in fear. German Americans, for instance, faced a lot of challenges when the US got involved in the War in 1917 as pointed out by Bense (122). Some were concerned that these immigrants would sympathize with their native countries and cause trouble during the War. As expected, some of them opposed the military involvement.

Gat (62) asserted that there was discrimination on the immigrants, especially those affiliated with the Central Powers. This prejudice resulted into some immigrants making changes to their virtues so as to avoid being discriminated by their colleagues. German traditions which were freely celebrated could no longer be conducted. In Iowa, for instance, immigrants were prohibited from speaking their native languages and they could only be allowed to use English. Church services that were being conducted in local languages became illegal. It was not only imposed on the Germans but also other immigrants such as Norwegians, Dutch and Danes amongst others.

The symbols that could make other people recognize the nationality of the immigrants were destroyed. Thus, as pointed out by Greenwood and Ward (29), books were burnt. Immigrants viewed their virtue transformations to be easier than defending their loyalties to their native countries. As a result, immigrants’ traditions continued to decrease. Eventually, only few individuals spoke in their native languages. Most of the German Americans had also joined the military. It became so difficult and disturbing to kill their fellow German soldiers during combat. Immigration caused a lot of panic during the War because the fate of the immigrants could not be predicted.

Conclusion

To sum up, immigration before, during and after the World War I was the great issue which caused tremendous changes in history. The United States, being the greatest refuge of immigrants underwent various changes because of its neutrality and its later engagement in the Great War. As Diner (46) ascertained, millions of immigrants went to the United States and Canada while European countries experienced a serious emigration. It resulted in the enforcement of the laws that were meant to reduce the number of immigrants whose number was increasing at a greater rate. Although immigration reduced during the Great War, the end of the War initiated its increase. The government was forced to use stricter laws to ensure that only legit immigrants could be nationalized.

Works Cited

Bense, Judith A. Archaeology of the Southeastern United States: Paleoindian to World War I. Routledge, 2016.

Diner, Hasia. ”Immigration and US History.“ IIP Digital. US Dept. of State, 13 Feb. 2008, http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newsouth/5690. Accessed 28 Jul. 2015.

Gat, Azar. ”The Return of Authoritarian Great Powers.“ Foreign Affairs, no. 86(4), 2007, pp. 59-69, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20032415. Accessed Jul.-Aug. 2007.

Greenwood, Michael J., and Zachary Ward. ”Immigration Quotas, World War I, and Emigrant Flows from the United States in the Early 20th Century.“ Explorations in Economic History, no. 55, 2015, pp. 76-96, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014498314000199. Accessed Jan. 2015.

Keegan, John. The First World War. Random House, 2014.

Muller, Jerry Z. ”Us and Them: The Enduring Power of Ethnic Nationalism.“ Foreign Affairs, no. 87(2), 2008, pp. 18-35, http://lionelingram.com/592_Muller_Ethnic_Nationalionalism_FA.pdf. Accessed Mar.-Apr. 2008.

Shelby, Karen D. Introduction. In Flemish Nationalism and the Great War, Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2014, pp. 1-28.