The main waves of immigration to Brazil occurred between the middle of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. “Portuguese, Italians, Spanish, Japanese and Germans constituted the main flows in quantitative terms”, says sociologist Ethel Kosminsky, from Unesp de Marília (SP).
The entry into the country of more than 4 million foreigners of these nationalities had two very different moments. Until the first half of the 19th century, many were attracted by land offered by the Brazilian government, mainly to occupy the south of the country. From 1870, things changed. At that time, Brazil’s main export product was coffee, and its production based on the use of slave labor was in crisis — the slave trade had already been suspended and the total abolition of slavery would come in 1888. A solution found by the government and by the large landowners to replace the freed workers was to encourage the arrival of labor from abroad.
Thus, the new generation of immigrants arrived not to have their little home, but to work hard in the fields, mainly in São Paulo. To attract foreigners, ship tickets were paid and temporary accommodation was offered until the immigrant found work.
In the 20th century, this policy of supporting immigration would go through ups and downs. In 1902, for example, a crisis in the coffee industry led to the reduction of incentives for foreigners. After the First War (1914-1918), however, the migratory flow would grow again, this time also driven by workers of other nationalities, such as Poles, Jews and Russians. The period after the Second World War (1939-1945) would be marked by the arrival of another type of foreigner: refugees from countries affected by the conflict, such as the Chinese, who moved with the help of international organizations. From 1960 onwards, other peoples, such as Bolivians and Koreans, began to land here, but the rate of migration to Brazil was already much lower and would decrease even more in the following decades.
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PORTUGUESE
How many came: more than 1.6 million
What time: from the mid-19th century
Of course, the Portuguese have been here since the beginning of European colonization, but those who came to Brazil after our independence, in 1822, are considered immigrants. They spread throughout the country, but the greatest concentration occurred in Rio and São Paulo. The use of the same language and the lack of economic growth in Portugal in the 19th century were the main reasons to encourage migration to Brazil
ITALIANS
How many came: more than 1.5 million
What time: from 1870
The first arrivals came mainly from the north of Italy. In the 20th century, however, immigrants from the center-south and south of the country predominated. São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul and Minas Gerais were the main destinations. Most of those who settled in São Paulo received subsidies to come and work in fields or as laborers; those from Rio Grande do Sul migrated on their own, becoming small farmers
SPANISH
How many came: more than 700 thousand
What time: from 1872
Spanish immigrants were only less numerous than Portuguese and Italians — between the 1870s and 1970s, they represented around 14% of the foreigners who landed here, against 31% of Italians and 31% of Portuguese. It was the colony that was most concentrated in the state of São Paulo and its main occupation was working on coffee plantations. The Spaniards were still the Europeans who arrived with more children and family groups.
GERMANS
How many came: more than 200 thousand
What time: from the first half of the 19th century
One of the first groups to arrive, the Germans — and citizens of other Germanic-speaking nationalities, such as Austrians and Swiss — settled mainly in the states of the southern region. Many became small rural landowners, occupying land offered by the government. The period of greatest arrival of Germans in Brazil was in 1920, when Germany was devastated by the defeat in the First World War.
“TURKS”
How many came: more than 50 thousand
What time: from 1870
Although they came mainly from Syria, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East, these immigrants came to be called “Turks” in Brazil, since at the time these regions were part of the Turkish-Ottoman Empire. The empire’s economic crisis — which would soon collapse, giving rise to the Republic of Turkey — encouraged migration. Here, most Syrians and Lebanese engaged in trade and settled mainly in the state of São Paulo
JAPANESE
How many came: about 250 thousand
What time: from 1907
In the early 20th century, Italy made subsidized migration to Brazil difficult. So, this kind of policy turned to Japan, which was interested in exporting surplus labor in the country. Between 1932 and 1935, one third of the immigrants who entered Brazil were Japanese. The preferred states were São Paulo and, to a lesser extent, Paraná. They arrived to work on crops, but gradually became small farmers