Slovakia is a relatively young state, and its economy, even more than 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, still lags behind its western neighbors. However, our ancestors experienced even more noticeable differences at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, a period when the most Slovaks emigrated to the United States, Canada, Argentina, and other countries.
The great wave of emigration to the promised land across the ocean
The economic situation of Slovaks at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in Austria-Hungary was bleak. Many families struggled with poverty and couldn’t make a living even through hard work. At that time, the Industrial Revolution was taking place in Europe and the United States, leading to urbanization and the creation of new job opportunities in industrial centers.
It was natural that Slovaks wanted to seize the chance to change their unfortunate fate. It is estimated that during this period, 600,000 to 700,000 Slovaks fled abroad for a better life. Most of them found their new home in the USA.
The glitter and misery of life across the big pond
Life across the big pond was not idyllic for Slovaks. Those who survived the challenging journey by ocean liner worked in cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, and Detroit under harsh conditions as miners, in the automotive and steel industries, and on construction sites.
Some fell into alcoholism, others managed to bring their entire families to the USA, and there were those who saved up for a house and started their own businesses. Among them was Ján Pavol Jozef Turzo, a pioneer among Slovak entrepreneurs in America, who founded a successful construction company in New York. Also notable was Štefan Banič, the inventor of the parachute, who patented his invention in the USA in 1914. The Slovak public is more familiar with the story of Júlia Warhola, a native of Miková and the mother of the famous pop art artist Andy Warhol. However, even their beginnings in the USA were extremely challenging.
Slovaks abroad today
It is estimated that today approximately 2.2 to 2.5 million Slovaks live around the world. The largest communities of Slovak emigrants are found in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Czech Republic. They continue to develop their cultural traditions and language through various organizations and societies, such as the Slovak Catholic Sokol, active in the USA.
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