German Migration to 1800’s Chile : the phenomenon, its contexts and consequences to Chilean development : A passive immigration?

Abstract

This thesis is a sociological-historical study of nineteenth century German immigration to Chile. It attempts to show how and why a particular group of immigrants came to won substantial power in their new homeland. It also attempts to show the extent of their influence on important social institutions. Although the period of this study concentrates on the nineteenth century, methodological considerations have made it useful to place this wave of immigration into the context of the Spanish colonialism, since Spanish transoceanic enterprises had led to the stifling of the spirit and organizational skills of the indigenous people in all the territories they conquered. This approach is compatible with relevant work done by Eugenio Herrera, Pablo Huneeus, Francisco Moreno, and Max Weber, but not with that done by Andre Gunder Frank. According to the former, certain key circumstances had negative consequences that persisted in the occupied areas throughout the colonial period and after independence, and were, at least to some extent successfully overcome by the German immigrants. Based on this background, the thesis touches on the main trends of immigration to the Spanish colonies and deals more closely with the attempt to attract immigrants to Chile. Drawing especially on Herrera’s research on German immigration to Costa Rica and Huneeus’ analysis of the economic mentality of the Chileans, this study brings insights into the influence of foreign values and lifestyles on the host society. The study particularly aim to show how and why the German immigrants were able to adapt to and overcome adversity in an unknown environment by establishing networks and organizing themselves. The influence of the German immigrants was thus far from passive: indeed, the evidence shows dynamism and enduring influence