80 Michał Michalski
Michał M i c h a l s k i
Seasonal emigration from Wieluń County to Germany during the interwar period ( 1918 – 1939 )
Summary
Seasonal emigration to Germany was a specific phenomenon taking place in Wieluń County since 1890 . Every year in the interwar period , some inhabitants emigrated for work ( legally or otherwise ), most pursuing jobs in agriculture . It was also the county responsible for the greatest number of emigrants crossing the Prosna river in Poland . In 1926 , 48,000 people temporarily moved to Germany , while the year 1931 saw a record number of seasonal emigrants — 62,000 people . The possibility of emigrating for work mostly depended on German policies , which — with certain exceptions , mainly during the great economic depression — strongly encouraged Polish workers to come there , whether they crossed the border legally or illegally . Germans also specified the number of people legally allowed in , which was always smaller than the actual numbers of those wishing to do so . The willingness to work abroad resulted from the difficult economic situation in Poland , especially in agriculture , withthe rural Wieluń County being one the most badly hit . Seasonal emigration was the quickest and the most efficient way of resolving the problem of unemployment and thus alleviating social tensions in the region .
Keywords : Second Polish Republic , Germany , Wieluń County , seasonal emigration , econo mic emigration