THE UKRAINIAN EXPERIENCE IN ARGENTINA, 1897-1950: AŃ HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Among the countries of the Americas Argentina ranked second, after the United States, in the number of immigrants received from Europe between 1820 and 1932. The majority of the European newcomers came from Italy and Spain, but hundreds of thousands of others arrived from Eastern Europe. Ukrainians were among the largest groups, who came from the eastern part of the European continent. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians came to Argentina in three separate waves: 1897-1914, 1920-39, and 1946-50. Although a fourth wave of immigration from Ukraine took place after independence was gained in 1991, this essay focuses on the first three waves of 1897-1950. During the course of those approximately five decades, the settlers came with Austro-Hungarian, Russian, Polish, Romanian, and Czechoslovakian passports. They also entered Argentina with other documents (e.g. Nansen passports), though much less frequently. Most of the immigrants came from the Second Polish Republic (from the regions of Galicia and Volhynia) in 1920-39. The majority of the Ukrainian immigrants were of rural background and many of them settled as farmers, especially in the northern border regions of Argentina. Others worked in meatpacking plants and in other industries. Immigration after World War II concerned more people with tertiary education. This essay provides an overview of the characteristics of each of the first three waves of immigration, and discusses the organizations created in Argentina by the immigrants