The Nineteenth Century, The German And Irish Immigrants Compared

Among the immigrants who arrived in the United States in the 19th century, the Deutsch and the Irish were the largest two groups. Under the influence of their respective traditions and temporary conditons, they made different contributions to the development of economics, had separate effects on the evolution of politics, and showed distinct patterns in the course of acculturation. Restricted by the paths of ocean commerce and lack of money, most of the Irish crowded into the north ?eastern cities, while the Deutsch went to the mid ?western frontiers. The Irish in the north ?eastern citi~,where the industrial revolution took place first, satisfied the need of factories for cheaper labors, which smoothed the way for American industrialization. The Deutsch on the frontiers became the main forces in the exploitation of the Mid ?west, and the great pains they took were the most important factor in the making of it into a big granary. In the 19th century, political alignments, Civil War and labor movements were the most important aspects in America抯 political life,and they could also reflect the differences between the Deutsch and the Irish immigrants. The Irish were faithful followers of the Democratic Party, but nearly all of the Deutsch were repuplicans since the 1850s; In the Civil War, the Deutsch aimed to ?? contain the expansion of s1ave~,but the Irish only care about the integration of the Union; The Deutsch labors believed in Maxism, Lassallism and anarchism, while the Irish were practioners of reformism. Politics was the only field in which the Irish achievement exceeded that of the Deutsch in the course of acculturation. In ~ngr~,they outnumbered more than two to one all other foreign ?born representatives, and since the 1870s they virtually monopolized political leadership in the cities. The Deustch advanced faster in improving economic status, and they also got a better treatment when contacting the primary groups of the WASP, although both they and the Irish had confronted much resistance. Considering the number of the Deutsch and the Irish immigrants, it is resonable to say that their differences must be one of the determinant factors in the course of the history of the United States, so the study of them should be taken seriously.