German settlement in Argentina
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German-Argentines are Argentines of German descent. The term “German” is an extremely vague and imprecise concept. German-speakers immigrated to the Argentina not only from Germany, but also from Austria, France, Hungary, Poland, Rumania, Russia, Switzerland, former Yugoslavia and elsewhere across Europe. Germany as a political entity was founded only in 1871, but German language and culture have traditionally been of more importance than the country of origin as a basis for ethnic consciousness and nationalism. Beside that, “Germans” speak in many different dialects named after specific regions like Friesian, Pomeranian, Prussia, Swabia, Volga-Germans and others. This is why it hard to calucate the exact number of German Immigrants to Argentina, especially since Germans really started to come in large numbers to Argentina after World War II. Germans Today make up the third largest group in Argentina with well over 1,200,000 Volga Germans alone. Thousands of German-Argentines had become professionals and technicians like doctors, bureaucrats, teachers and soldiers. They took strong influence into the Argentine education system and many German schools emerged. Many German businessmen and professionals believed that Argentina was industrializing and would become more dependent from German advanced technology. Indeed the Argentine military planned recruiting large numbers of German scientists and technologists for new steel and other industries. Also creating German-language newspapers, the Argentinische Tageblatt meaning in German the ""Argentine Day"".
[edit] German Immigration to Argentina
When the first wave of German physicists arrived in Argentina during the decade before 1914, they would have found a large German community centered around the capital. Between 1885 and the First World War the population of Argentina doubled with the influx of three million immigrants, 100,000 of whom spoke German. Strong German communities developed in Argentina, especially in Buenos Aires with their own schools, hospitals, shops, theaters, sport clubs and banks. Many in the upper middle class feared assimilation and maintained strong ties to German culture, providing high-quality German instruction so that their children would not be at a disadvantage when they returned to Germany.German power lay in the manpower of the German colonies, in the political force of the National Socialist and Pan-German ideologies, in the strong personal and political influence exerted by the two on Argentine society, and in the German economic empire extended into Argentina. During the 1920s and 1930s the German-speaking collectives took strong influence on Argentine politics. After WWI and WWII due to the social situation in Germany and due to the fact that large German colonies already existed, many emigrated again to Argentina. After the large Wave of Germans coming to Argentina in World War I and II. Another notable time period was in 1970-1 were Germans emigrated to Argentina than to the USA (up to 250,000 per year).
[edit] Volga-German Immigration to Argentina
Upon the invitation of Catherine the Great, 25,000 Germans immigrated to the Volga valley of Russia to establish 104 German Villages from 1764-1767.A century after the first Germans had settled in the Volga region, Russia passed legislation that revoked many of the privileges promised to them by Catherine the Great. The sentiment in Russia became decidedly anti-German. Russia first made changes to the German local government. Then in 1874, a new military law decreed that all male Russian subjects, when they reached the age of 20, were eligible to serve in the military for 6 years. For the German colonists, this law represented a breach of faith. In the 1880s the Russia began a subtle attack on the German schools. Just when Russia was abridging the privileges granted to the Germans in a an earlier era, several nations in the Americas were attempting to attract settlers by offering inducements reminiscent of those of Catherine the Great. Soon after the military service bill became law, both Protestant and Catholic Volga Germans gathered and choose delegations to journey across the Atlantic to examine settlement conditions in countries like th United States, Argentina, Brazil,and Canada.
Many Catholic Volga Germans chose South America as their new homeland because the official religion in Brazil and Argentina was Catholic. The ratio of Catholics to Protestant Volga Germans in South America was 7 to 1. The opposite was true in the Volga, Protestant Volga Germans outnumbered Catholics by about 2 to 1. So in spite of the numerous stories told of Volga German immigrants being diverted to South America against their will or being sent there because they were denied entry to the US due to health reasons, Brazil and Argentina were the planned destination of many Catholic Volga German immigrants.
Under the guidance of Andreas Basgall, Volga Germans started to relocate to Argentina from Brazil in December of 1877 and in January of 1878 they founded the first Volga German colony of Hinojo, in the province of Buenos Aries in Argentina. Some large groups of Volga Germans on ships destined for Brazil were diverted to Argentina. These people settled in Colonia General Alvear in the province of Entre Ríos. Additional Volga Germans, some from Brazil and others directly from Russia, arrived in Argentina over the next few years. Colonia General Alvear was was for many years the main settlement of Volga Germans in Argentina. Nearly 90% of the first Volga Germans that arrived in Argentina settled there.
The first census of the Volga Germans in Argentina was performed on March 31, 1881 in "Colonia General Alvear", Entre Rios Province, Argentina. A complete census index of all the villages within the colony villages can be found here.[1] This colony was comprised of 6 villages: Asunción (Spatzenkuter), Concepción (Valle María), San José (Brasilera), Agricultores (Protestante), San Francisco (Pfeifer) and Salto (Koeller). This census provides: Date of arrival in the Colony (24 groups between 22-01-1878 and 24-04-1880), Name, Nationality, Marital status, age and literacy. Five of six villages were Catholic. The single Protestant or Lutheran village was Agricultores (Protestante or Protestantendorf).
From both starting points of Colonia General Alvear and of Colonia Hinojo they spread in all directions. There are still fifteen villages in Entre Ríos populated by descendants of the original settlers, twelve of them are of Catholic origin and the remaining three Protestant. However most Volga Germans live in small cities like Ramírez, Crespo, Urdinarrain, Galarza and Maciá where they usually are majority. Expansion from Colonia Hinojo went westwards comprising south of Buenos Aires and the province of La Pampa; from there they reached Cordoba and Chaco. Catholic settlers in La Pampa came from south of Buenos Aires and Protestants from Entre Ríos. The former founded Santa María and Santa Teresa, the latter Guatraché, San Martín and Alpachiri. Source: "Los Alemanes del Volga" 1977 Victor Popp - Nicolás Dening
Upon arriving in Argentina, the Volga-German families were very happy even though they had to begin from scratch, because they were finally living in freedom. In contrast to their Volga-German countrymen in Russia, they would never be exiled, they did not experience famines like those of 1921 and 1933 in the Volga region nor any mass shootings and deportation as under Stalin's regime. Finally, they were never dispossessed, they kept their land and their animals -- something they remain proud of to this day. The immigration of Germans from Russia to Argentina kept a steady pace until the beginning of World War I. Crespo in Entre Ríos and Cornel Suárez in Buenos Aires became the most outstanding centers of colonization. At the present time, the descendants of these people live disseminated all over Argentina. The numerous progeny of the original founders and the division and distribution of their properties into smaller lots forced many of them to abandon the original colonization sites and find new occupations.
The fact that Argentina appears among the most important grain producers of the world is, in part, responsibility of its citizens of Volga German origin.
In 1927 only 6,000 Volga Germans in Brazil as compared to 70,000 in Argentina.
Today the Volga-German population alone in Argentina is well over 1,200,000.
[edit] Historical Ties with Argentina and Germany
A flourishing trade developed between Germany and Argentina. Germany had a privileged position in the Argentine economy. Argentina maintained a strong economic relationship with both Germany and Great Britain and supported them with supplies during World War I. “The creation, beginning during the war, of a semi-autonomous branch-plant enclave; the deliberate attempt after 1918 of rightist activists to make of Argentina a political redoubt of the Wilhelmian old regime, a continuing influx of new immigrants, the determination of German cultural nationalists to hold the German collectivity to Deutschtum against the claims of Argentine nationality, the continuing linkages to German centers of high finance, cultural nationalism, anti-Weimar politics, and military and naval networks – all strengthened this ill-defined self-perception.”
The military connection between Argentina and Prussia has often been emphasized, and there can be no doubt that sympathy for Germany among the general staff in Buenos Aires contributed to establishing Argentina’s policy of neutrality during the two world wars. From the point of view of Argentine strategists at the end of the nineteenth century, it was a clever move to fall in line with the strongest European war machine.Great Britain and North America became aware of the threat that Argentina’s German-speakers, which was a quarter million strong, acted as the Reich’s agent. “The uses the Reich was contemporaneously making of the real or alleged grievances of German minorities in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and elsewhere beyond her borders offered disturbing analogies to the Argentine situation. They became especially alarmed when they realized that a rectification of the Treaty of Versailles would not stop Hitler’s aggression and that Germans intentions and capabilities were widely unknown. When the Nazi-movement rose in Germany within the German-Argentine community evoke euphoria. The Nazi revolution promised a stronger fatherland and a renewal of the German status as a culture in the world.
[edit] German impact on culture in Argentina
[edit] Food
The influence of German culture has also impacted Argentine food as well, appearing remarkable in the field of sweet dishes. The pastries known as facturas are Germanic in origin: croissants, known as medialunas, are the most popular of these, and can be found in two varieties: butter- and lard-based. Also German in origin are the "Berlinese" known as bolas de fraile ("friar's balls"), and the rolls called piononos. The facturas were re-christened with local names given the difficult phonology of German, and usually Argentinized by the addition of a dulce of leche filling. In addition dishes like Chucrut (Sauerkraut) have also made it into main stream Argentine Cuisine.
[edit] Language
Today most German Argentines do not speak German. However, over 1,800,000 [[2]] people today in Argentina speak German. German has become a language heard all over Argentina due to the many bussiness started by German-Argentines and Germans alike. For this reason many German has also become an important bussiness language. Today German is a included as the fourth most spoken language in Argentina.[3]
[edit] German Colonies in Argentina
A list of some German Colonies in Argentina. (note: list is not complete)
[edit] Buenos Aires
- Colonia Hinojo (05-ENE-1878) originalmente llamada Colonia Santa María. Entre los colonos la llamaban Kamenka.
- Colonia San Miguel (03-OCT-1881). Entre los colonos la llamaban Dehler.
- Colonia Nievas (1885). Entre los colonos la llamaban Holtzel.
- Colonia Primera (1887). Entre los colonos la llamaban Hildman. En la actualidad se llama Pueblo Santa Trinidad.
- Colonia Segunda (1887). Entre los colonos la llamaban Dehler. En la actualidad se llama Pueblo San José.
- Colonia Tercera (1887). Entre los colonos la llamaban Kamenka. En la actualidad se llama Pueblo Santa María.
- Colonia Santa Rosa (1899). Esta colonia fue abandonada.
- Colonia San Miguel Arcangel (1903).
- Colonia Monte La Plata (1906).
[edit] Entre Ríos
- Colonia General Alvear (1878). Fue la fudación simultánea de cinco colonias: Valle María (entre los colonos la llamaban Mariental), Campo María (Spatzenkutter, que es el nombre actual), Salto (Kehler) o Santa Cruz, San Francisco (Pfeifer) y Protestante.
- Aldea Brasilera (1879).
- Aldea María Luisa (1883).
- Colonia San Juan (1889)
- Colonia San Antonio (1889)
- Colonia Santa Celia (1889)
- Aldea San Miguel (1899)
- Colonia Santa Anita (1900)
- Colonia San Isidro (1921)
[edit] La Pampa
- Colonia Santa María (1909).
- Colonia San José (1910).
- Colonia Santa Teresa (1921).
[edit] Córdoba
- Colonia Santa María
- Colonia San José
- Colonia Eldorado
[edit] La Pampa
- Colonia Santa María (1909).
- Colonia San José (1910).
- Colonia Santa Teresa (1921).
[edit] Córdoba
- Colonia Santa María
- Colonia San José
- Colonia Eldorado
[edit] Chaco
[edit] Santa Fe
[edit] Formosa
[edit] Neuquen
- San Carlos de Bariloche (1895)
[edit] Rio Negro
[edit] Chubut
[edit] Misiones
[edit] Argentinische Tageblatt
The Argentinische Tageblatt was created by German-Swiss Immigrant Johann Alemann, and his son Moritz von Berne as Argentinisches Wochenblatt or “Argentine weekly paper”. Together with its other sons, Theodor and Ernst, free-intimate Swiss journalist Johann Alemann created 1889 the “Argentine day sheet”. The “weekly paper” appeared until 1967 as week final expenditure of the Argentine day sheet. 1981 were re-designed the Argentine day sheet for economic reasons to the weekly paper.
1925, after death Theodor Alemanns, took over its son Ernesto F. Alemann the management of the newspaper. Under its line the Argentine day sheet developed to the language pipe of the anti-National Socialist opposition under the German in Argentina and got a world-wide call. Since death Ernesto Alemanns 1982 is published the newspaper by his sons Dr. Roberto T. Alemann and Dr. Juan E. Alemann as well as by Eduardo Alemann.
The newspaper feels obligated also for four generations the principle of industrial union liberal of sense of free tradition postulated in the imprint. In its over hundred-year history the Argentine day sheet overcame innumerable storms. The newspaper was several times forbidden, their director of the country was referred. She through-suffered an indicator boycott of German enterprises because of their republican attitude. Bomb assassination attempts on the publishing house seat and the dwellings of the publishers were occasional at the agenda. Editors were violently attacked by racquet gangs. 1936 extracted the university from Heidelberg Ernesto Alemann the doctor title acquired there. The Argentine day sheet was forbidden on the soil of the German Reich. During the NS time the day sheet got over six processes introduced by the German message in Argentina because of its compromiseless attitude in relation to the Hitler regime. Later, under Perón, paper rationings and the temporary locking of printering. As family business the publishing house had to umschiffen in and the 80's 70's the cliffs of the high and hyperinflation. The newspaper survived all meeting with hostility and economic difficulties. Other German-language sheets in Argentina whether monarchistic, German national or National Socialist, remained on the distance. The readership decided finally for the objective, industrial union liberal of sense of free reporting of the day sheet.
1992 were closed printering. Since that time the publishing house is limited exclusive to the publication of the only German-language newspaper Argentina. The Argentine day sheet tries today to supply to its readers with as extensive an information about the world happening with emphasis on the German-language countries as possible. It informs besides in commentating form about the political and economic development in Argentina. The newspaper sees itself as an intermediary between the German-language culture range and Argentina and as news organ of the German community in Argentina. Associations, schools and religious communities have the possibility of publishing reports free of charge in the day sheet. Further emphasis of the journalistic work of the editorship is culture, sport, literature, maintenance, journeys, natural science and medicine as well as interview with personalities from the political, cultural or social life in the German-speaking countries and Argentina.
[edit] Quilmes
Cervecería y maltería or Quilmes Beer Company is an Argentine Brewery founded in 1888 in Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province, by Otto Bemberg, a German immigrant.
[edit] San Carlos de Bariloche
Like many cities settled by the Germans it was greatly influenced its people. San Carlos de Bariloche stands out however due to it become a heavily Touristed area in Argentina. Today, the city has its Chalet styled Arcitecture brought by its German, Swiss and Austrian Immigrants. The city is named after the Carlos Wiederhold, a pioneer, who settled the region.
[edit] Some Famous German-Argentines
(list not complete)
- Gustavo Andrés Oberman (Soccer player)
- Andrés Klipphan (journalist)
- Jorge Gottau (bishop of Añatuya, creator of "Colecta Más por Menos")
- Gabriel Heinze (soccer player, currentrly in Manchester United)
- Pipo Pescador (houmorist, actor)
- Federico Lussenhoff (soccer player)
- Sergio Denis (singer, actor)
- Raúl Daniel Schmidt (soccer player)
- Nicole Neumann (model, TV host)
- Naty Hollmann (also known as Naty Petrosino, elected "International Woman of the Year"- 2006- by the Autonomous Region of Valle d'Aosta in Northern Italy)
- Haydée Tamara Bunke Bider
- R. Walther Darré (served as part of Hitler's Cabinet)
- Erich Eliskases ( competitive chess player)
- Carlos Wiederhold (a Pioneer, he founded the famous city of San Carlos de Bariloche in 1895)
- Rodolfo Freude (close advisor of Argentine President Juan Perón and served as his Director of the Information Division)
- Claudio Fernando Graf (soccer player)
- Enrique Rau (bishop, well known for his humanitarian labour)
- Christian Bach (actress and producer of telenovelas)
- Carlos Alberto Reutemann (former Formula One racing driver and a prominent politician)
- Víctor Zwenger (soccer player)
- Wálter Herrmann (basketball player)
- Carlos Kaspar (actor)
- Héctor Germán Oesterheld (comic writer, considered the greatest South American to work in his field).
- Alejandro Guinder (lawyer, founder of "Festival del Folklore de Cosquín")
- Alejandro Wiebe (better known as Marley, TV host)
- René Strickler (actor)
- Ingrid Grudke (model, TV host)
- Juan Eduardo Esnáider (soccer player)
- Cristian Breitenstein (mayor of Bahía Blanca)
- Gabriel Schürrer (soccer player)
- Geraldine Neumann (model, TV host)
- Jorge Novak (founder of "Movimiento Ecuménico por los Derechos Humanos")
- René Houseman (soccer player)
- Javier Herrlein (musician, former member of group Catupecu Machu)
- Mauro Gerk (soccer player)
- Jorge Mayer (bishop of Bahía Blanca)
- Romina Mohr (journalist, Canal 9)
- Johann Alemann (founded the Argentinische Tageblatt)
- Moritz von Berne (co-founder of the Argentinische Tageblatt)
[edit] See also
- Basque settlement in Argentina
- English settlement in Argentina
- Irish settlement in Argentina
- Norwegian settlement in Argentina
- Spanish settlement in Argentina
- Swedish settlement in Argentina
- Welsh settlement in Argentina
- Montenegrins in Argentina
- Ukrainians of Argentina
[edit] References
- Schönwald, M.: Deutschland und Argentinien nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg. Politische und wirtschaftliche Beziehungen und deutsche Auswanderung 1945-1955, (= Sammlung Schöningh zur Geschichte und Gegenwart).
