Perspective: Ukrainian Immigrants

Text Historians traditionally described Ukrainian immigrants as impoverished peasants, pushed from their region by economic difficulties and political and religious persecution. Recent studies, however, suggest that Ukrainian peasants were moving from regions significantly affected by social and economic changes, many of them positive. Railway lines in central Europe were offering new markets for agricultural products. Transportation opportunities raised the income and possibly contributed to the lengthened life expectancy of farm peasants. Railways also brought news and information to even the smallest communities.

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