Title: Historical Events and Their Impact on German Research • FamilySearch
Headings: Historical Events and Their Impact on German Research
Historical Events and Their Impact on German Research
Content: Mass manufacturing threatened individually hand crafted items and goods. Political changes also affected internal emigration and immigration. The repeated calls for freedom, democracy and unity from the middle and upper class led to the failed Revolution in 1848. Faced with the choices of imprisonment or death, many of the educated and skilled middle class emigrated from Germany to America and other countries. In the 1700’s in many states in Germany it was illegal to immigrate. By the 1820’s immigration was legalized and in the 1840’s-1850’s many areas, on a governmental level, encouraged the emigration of the poor. The improvement in the conditions, cost and modes of travel had a positive effect. The voyage to American became more convenient and less expensive. By the mid-1890’s the number of immigrations decreased and internal mass migrations within Germany increased. Of all of the ports used by German emigrants, only the Hamburg Passenger List, post-1850, has survived.