[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Reasons for migrating; Was Re: German citizenship

[Jerry Frank]

Adding further to the iffy reasons for migration:

As I have indicated in my presentations at several conferences, it is still 
my opinion that the primary motivation for ALL migration is monetary 
improvement.

We often here the altruistic reason for the Mennonite migration to Russia - 
freedom from military service.  However, I would question how many 
Mennonites would have made the trek if the land had not been 
free.  Certainly all the other issues lurk in the background as 
motivational but how many Germans would have left Russia for North America 
if they had not obtained land for $10 per quarter section.  Of course the 
post WW I migrants did not get that benefit because most homestead land was 
gone by that time but none the less, I am sure that they sought out an 
economically improved lifestyle for themselves.



At 10:52 AM 04/02/2003 -0500, Richard Benert wrote:
>While it is very true that our people left Russia for some very
>good reasons, and that among these reasons were the measures the Russian
>government took to make life difficult for the German colonists--indeed, to
>force them out if possible--, there lurks in the back of my mind the fact
>that so many Germans remained there, and that the Russians were still
>complaining about growing German population and land-ownership right up to
>1914.

Jerry Frank - Calgary, Alberta
jkfrank at shaw.ca