Izseljevanje Slovencev od devetnajstega stoletja do osamosvojitve Slovenije

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https://doi.org/10.59132/geo/2016/2-3/32-43

Povzetek

Odhajanje ljudi iz slovenskega etničnega prostora na tuje se je začelo že pred t. i. množičnim izseljevanjem, ki se je začelo po 1879. Odhajali so v avstrijske dežele Avstro-Ogrske, Hrvaško, Slavonijo in Srbijo, pozneje v Romunijo, Bolgarijo in Rusijo, v drugi polovici devetnajstega stoletja pa tudi v prekomorske dežele: Severno Ameriko (ZDA, Kanado), Južno Ameriko (Argentina, Brazilija, Venezuela, Mehika) in Avstralijo. Obstajajo različne ocene o tem, koliko ljudi se je do leta 1914 izselilo v prekomorske države, a prevladuje stališče, da jih je bilo okoli 300.000. V virih, ki obravnavajo izseljevanje v rensko-vestfalsko področje velja ocena, da je bilo pred prvo svetovno vojno v tem okrožju že okoli 30.000 Slovencev, na jugovzhodni strani avstro-ogrske meje, v prostoru, kjer je po prvi svetovni vojni nastala Kraljevina Srbov, Hrvatov in Slovencev ter pozneje Jugoslavija, pa se je pri popisu leta 1910 v celotnem prostoru (brez Slovenije) 38.277 oseb opredelilo za slovenski materni jezik. Kar nekaj Slovencev je v tem času odšlo tudi v Egipt, kjer naj bi jih bilo na prelomu stoletja prek 7000. Prva svetovna vojna je bila prelomnica v zgodovini migracij v Evropi in širše v svetu. V tem času so se ljudje zaradi vojne intenzivno selili, bili nasilno preseljeni ali pregnani. Po prvi svetovni vojni se je množično izseljevanje iz slovenskega etničnega prostora nadaljevalo vse do let 1921 in 1924, ko se je z uvedbo kvotnega sistema priseljevanje v ZDA skoraj povsem zaustavilo. Po zaprtju vrat ZDA so se naši izseljenci v večjem številu podali v Kanado, države Južne Amerike, Avstralijo in v zahodnoevropske države. Navaja se ocena, da naj bi se med dvema svetovnima vojnama v prekomorske države in po državah zahodne Evrope razselilo 100.000 ljudi. Po prvi svetovni vojni se je z nastankom skupne države Kraljevine SHS in pozneje Jugoslavije povečalo izseljevanje v jugovzhodne dele skupne države. Prej zunanje, mednarodne migracije prek meja Avstro-Ogrske v druge prostore proti jugovzhodu so postale notranje, in s tem drugače družbeno in politično obravnavane, včasih tudi načrtovane in spodbujane. Pri zadnjem popisu pred drugo svetovno vojno, tj. leta 1931, se je 72.857 oseb opredelilo za slovenski materni/pogovorni jezik. Morda lahko tvegamo z oceno, da je ob začetku druge svetovne vojne po Jugoslaviji zunaj Slovenije živelo do 100.000 ljudi, ki so se identificirali s slovenstvom. Začetek druge svetovne vojne je močno posegel v selitve ljudi po Evropi. Divjanje vojne po vsej Evropi, deportacije, nasilni izgoni, izselitve, beg ljudi najprej proti državam zahodne Evrope in potem naprej čez ocean so povzročili močno »mešanje« ljudi. Ob koncu druge svetovne vojne so se pojavili beg pripadnikov poražene vojske in selitve dela civilnega prebivalstva v taborišča v Avstrijo in Italijo; prvi zaradi neposredne ogroženosti svojega življenja, drugi pa zaradi močne psihoze strahu pred novo politično oblastjo. Večje kolonije naših ljudi so nastale v Argentini, ZDA, Kanadi, Avstraliji in državah zahodne Evrope. Prevladuje ocena, da je takoj po drugi svetovni vojni naš prostor zapustilo okoli 20.000 ljudi. Ponovna odhajanja v tujino iz pretežno ekonomskih razlogov zaznamo pri nas že konec petdesetih let dvajsetega stoletja, ko govorimo o prebežnikih in ilegalnih izselitvah. V letih 1955 do 1963 naj bi se iz Slovenije izselilo 11.000 ljudi. Prebežniki so se napotili v države zahodne Evrope, v Argentino, ZDA, Kanado in Avstralijo. V začetku šestdesetih let so se jugoslovanske meje uradno odprle za izseljevanje. Temu je sledilo obdobje organiziranih ekonomskih selitev (1965–1975), ki se je začelo z gospodarsko reformo leta 1965, in so se tokovi izseljevanja ponovno vse bolj usmerjali v države zahodne Evrope (ZRN, Avstrija, Francija, Nizozemska, Švedska, Švica, Italija). V večji meri je bila to ekonomska migracija, za katero se je pri nas uveljavil poseben termin »začasno delo v tujini«. Po popisu prebivalstva iz leta 1971 je bilo v državah zahodne Evrope 70.000 Slovencev, od tega največ v ZR Nemčiji (47.000) in v Avstriji (12.000), drugo pa po ostalih državah. Poleg odhajanja iz države pa so se Slovenci še naprej razseljevali po Jugoslaviji. Število notranje razseljenih je vrh doseglo v popisu leta 1953, ko se je 71.833 oseb izreklo za slovensko narodno pripadnost, potem pa je številno postopno upadalo do popisa leta 1981, ko se je 41.126 oseb izreklo za slovensko narodno pripadnost, in do popisa v letu osamosvojitve Slovenije s 34.464 opredeljenimi.

Abstract

Emigration of Slovenians from the Nineteenth Century to Slovenia’s Attainment of Independence

People began leaving the Slovenian ethnic territory to go abroad even before the so-called mass emigration, which began after 1879. They left for the Austrian lands of Austria-Hungary, for Croatia, Slavonia and Serbia, and later on for Romania, Bulgaria and Russia; in the second half of the 19th century, they also left for overseas countries: North America (USA, Canada), South America (Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico), and Australia. There are different estimates as to how many people emigrated to overseas countries by 1914; the prevailing estimate says around 300,000. Sources that discuss emigration to North RhineWestphalia estimate that around 30,000 Slovenians were already in that state before World War I; on the southeast side of the Austro-Hungarian border, in the territory where the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and later on Yugoslavia, was formed after World War I, 38,277 persons in the entire region (not including Slovenia) declared that their mother tongue was Slovenian in a census of 1910. Quite a few Slovenians left for Egypt in that time; it is believed that over 7000 of them were there at the turn of the century. World War I was a turning point in the history of migrations in Europe and the world. In that time, people migrated intensively because of the war, were violently displaced or deported. After World War I, this mass emigration from the Slovenian ethnic territory continued until 1921 and 1924, when the introduction of the quota system brought immigration to the USA to a virtual standstill. After the USA closed its doors, large numbers of our immigrants headed for Canada, the countries of South America, for Australia, and the countries of Western Europe. It is estimated that in the interwar period 100,000 people settled in overseas countries and in the countries of Western Europe. After World War I, when a unified state was created, i.e. the Kingdom of SCS and later on Yugoslavia, emigration to the SE parts of this unified state increased. Migrations, which had previously been external and international, across the borders of Austria-Hungary into other territories towards the southeast, became internal and as such viewed differently by society and politics; occasionally, they were even planned and encouraged. In the last census prior to World War II, i.e. in 1931, 72,857 persons declared Slovene as their mother tongue/spoken language. We could perhaps take a risk and estimate that at the onset of World War II up to 100,000 people lived across Yugoslavia, outside of Slovenia, who thought of themselves as Slovenian. The onset of World War II had a great impact on the migrations of people throughout Europe. The war raging all over Europe, deportations, violent banishment, emigrations, people fleeing towards the countries of Western Europe and across the ocean caused a great ‘blending’ of people. At the end of World War II, members of the defeated army fled and a part of the civilian population migrated to camps in Austria and Italy; the first because of the immediate threat to their lives, and the latter because of a strong psychotic fear of the new political authority. Larger colonies of Slovenians were formed in Argentina, USA, Canada, Australia, and in the countries of Western Europe. The prevailing estimate says that around 20,000 people left our lands immediately after World War II. People again started emigrating abroad for mostly economic reasons at the end of the fifties, a time of illegal aliens and illegal expatriation. Between 1955 and 1963, around 11,000 people are believed to have emigrated from Slovenia. Illegal aliens headed for the countries of Western Europe, Argentina, USA, Canada, and Australia. In the early sixties, Yugoslav borders were officially opened for emigration. This was followed by a period of organised economic migrations (1965 – 1975), which began with the economic reform of 1965; the waves of emigration were once more being directed mainly towards the countries of Western Europe (Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, etc.). This was largely an economic migration, for which a special term became established in Slovenia: ‘temporary work abroad’. According to a population census of 1971, there were 70,000 Slovenians in the countries of Western Europe, most of them in the Federal Republic of Germany (47,000) and Austria (12,000); the rest were residing in other countries. In addition to leaving the country, Slovenians continued to settle throughout Yugoslavia. The number of internally displaced persons peaked in the census of 1953, when 71,833 persons declared themselves to be of Slovenian nationality; after that time, the numbers gradually dropped until the census of 1981, when 41,126 persons declared themselves to be of Slovenian nationality, and until the census in the year in which Slovenia attained independence, in which 34,464 people declared themselves.