Publisher's Synopsis
Since the opening of the Iron Curtain, migration has become a major cause for concern in many European countries. However, migrations to, from and within Europe are nothing new, as Klaus J. Bade reminds us in this timely book. Bade presents a history of European migration over a range of eras, countries and migration types, examining the driving forces and currents of migration as well as their effects on the cultures of both migrants and host countries. He focuses mainly on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, paying particular attention to the period from the end of the Second World War to the present day, and includes public perceptions of migration as well as migration policies. This emphasis on recent history enables the author to illuminate the problems that Europe is presently experiencing. The book touches on one of the most controversial areas of current European politics, demonstrating that the reactions of today's host populations are often alarmist, and reminding us that many Europeans are themselves descendants of earlier migrants.
