| dc.description.abstract | The paper presents the results of the author's researches on earning emigration
from Podhale villages to the USA in the years 1982-1988. The main goal of the
researches was to estimate the size of emigration and its results on social and
economic changes of the region. At the beginning of the eighties, together with
liberalizations in receiving passports, number of people emigrating to the USA
rapidly increased. Fifty six villages were examined and in the years 1982-1988
about 2 400 of people emigrated to the USA. The greatest number of people, even
more than 200, left those villages in which emigration to the USA began in the
XIX th century.
Among people leaving for the USA more than a half were men and young
people of the age 24-40. Majority of them were husbands of wives who after 2-3
years of work in the USA came back and they spent the earned money on building
new houses or modernization the old one, on arranging a workshop or on
agricultural equipment. The paper presents also connections of emigrants with their
native village and families who stayed in Poland. Emigrants' share in financial
support for different investments like in building new churches, fire stations, roads,
schools was also presented.
The author also pointed out the negative results of emigration which are
particularly visible when one member of a married couple leaves for the USA for
longer than 3 years period of time.
The author states that earning emigration to the USA was an important factor
in socio-economic changes in Podhale villages and had a significant impact on
Podhale economic development. | en_EN |
