The Emigration Policy of Austria-Hungary and Emigration from Croatia in the 1867–1914 Period

Abstract

Prezentiranim radom želi se ukazati na načine djelovanja i posljedice austro-ugarske emigracijske politike na tlu Hrvatske. Spomenuta politika, za sve vrijeme postojanja Monarhije, nikada nije bila službena, tj. javno objelodanjena a u suštini se svodila na poticanje iseljavanja iz određenih (posebno južnoslavenskih) dijelova Monarhije. Drugim riječima, Austro-Ugarska je u praksi prokušanim metodama (od indirektnih ekonomskih, preko kulturnih do otvorenih političkih pritisaka), uz denacionalizaciju (germanizacija, mađarizacija) u istom cilju poticala i iseljavanje iz eminentno slavenskih prostora Monarhije. Situacija na planu austro-ugarske emigracijske politike u odnosu na Hrvatsku, ali i druge slavenske zemlje unutar Monarhije, pokazuje znakove postupne izmjene tek nekoliko godina pred početak velikog svjetskog sukoba. U to je vrijeme, naime, iseljavanje iz Hrvatske dostiglo epidemijsku kulminaciju, stoga su monarhističke vlasti, da bi zaštitile vlastite vojne interese, bile prisiljene da zakonski zaustave odljev vitalno najsposobnijeg dijela slavenske, odnosno hrvatske muške populacije.The purpose of this work is to indicate the modes of operation and the consequences of the Austro-Hungarian emigration policy in the territory of Croatia. Throughout the existence of the Monarchy, this policy was never official or publicized, but in its essence it amounted to encouraging emigration from individual (especially South-Slavic) parts of the Monarchy. In other words, using all the means available, which had been tested in practice for decades (ranging from indirect economic, via cultural, to open political pressures), coupled with denationalization (i.e. Germanization, Magyarization), Austria-Hungary encouraged emigration from certain areas of the Monarchy, notably the Slavic ones. As concerns the emigration policy of Austria-Hungary vis-à-vis Croatia as well as the other Slavic countries within the Monarchy, there was some indication of its gradual change only several years before the beginning of the great world war. That is when emigration from Croatia reached its climax. Consequently, in order to protect its own military interests, the Monarchy administration had to apply legal regulations to stop the outflow of the most active, most capable part of the Slavic-Croatian male population