Migratory Flows in Spain: Causes, Consequences, and History
Migratory Flows: Causes and Consequences
1. Migration
1.1. Causes and Consequences of Migration
Causes:
- Demographic and Economic: Population growth without the creation of jobs creates unemployment. For example, Spanish people emigrated to America and Western Europe.
- Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, floods, etc.
- Political Causes: War and persecution cause the outflow of the population. In Spain, after the Civil War, many people went into exile.
- Socio-cultural: These can be very diverse.
Consequences:
- For the Country of Origin: Reduced unemployment, but it involves the loss of the labor force and the most dynamic people, causing an aging population.
- For the Destination Country: Waves of immigration can lead to labor disputes, but their arrival brings economic development and diversification to the host country.
- For the Individual Emigrant: Life poses the challenge from the decision to migrate, deciding the place of destination, etc.
1.2. Migratory Movements in Spain
Transoceanic migrations in history.
2. Internal Migration
2.1. Internal Migration: Rural-Urban
From the 20th century, population growth in Spain was concentrated in rural areas, but these were regions with socio-economic difficulties due to low land productivity, the strong presence of day laborers with unemployment problems, or the dominance of small farms. A large part of the agricultural population moved to the cities, resulting in internal rural-urban migration. Internal reception areas were very polarized, primarily industrial areas such as Madrid, Barcelona, and the Basque Country. The origin and arrival were often near the places of departure, but Andalusia, Extremadura, and Galicia preferred Barcelona. The arrival of these migrants posed problems but were eventually solved.
3. External Migration
3.1. External Migration
External migration started in 1950 and involved labor movements, followed by immigrants from other countries. This high external migration was due to economic expansion in European countries following the U.S. Marshall Plan and the subsequent creation of the Common Market, coupled with the disadvantaged situation in Spain. Emigration to Europe came from throughout the Spanish territory, but the main receiving countries were Germany, France, and Switzerland.
3.2. Consequences of External Migration
European emigration to Spain had several consequences. The 1973 crisis marked the beginning of the end of major external migration.
4. From a Country of Emigrants to a Country of Immigrants
4.1. Spain: A Country of Immigrants
Immigration can be grouped into:
- Retirees from Central and Northern Europe: These are people who are permanently settled in Spain, particularly on the Mediterranean coast, for its good climate.
- Executives of Multinational Corporations, Highly Professional Workers, People from the World of Art and Culture: This group consists of people from the EU who come to Spain for work or a better quality of life.
- Political Refugees: People who have been exiled from their country for political reasons. It also includes those who fled their country during armed conflicts.
- Migrants from Other Countries: This is the largest population, consisting of women, men, and children from other countries in search of work and decent living conditions.