From a Multiethnic Empire to a Nation of Nations

A Transatlantic Experience

The book describes the transatlantic experience of migrants from Imperial Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary who arrived in the US from the middle of the nineteenth century up to the outbreak of WWI. Traditional assumptions of mass migration – such as the rapid and easy Americanization of newly arriving Europeans, as well as their strong desire of retaining as much of native culture as possible – have been challenged by recent historical studies.

Multiethnic Groups

The socio-economic, demographic, and cultural analyses presented in this book offer a much more differentiated picture of the migrants who struggled for new living space amidst hostile industrial environments. This study breaks new ground by examining migration broadly between the Habsburg Monarchy and North America and return migration to Central Europe, including the study of a variety of ethnic and religious groups who originated in different regions.

This book offers a scientific investigation of the circumstances under which Austro-Hungarians migrated to the United States in order to find new opportunities while trying to keep up their traditional values.