The
reasons for the Hungarian presence in Alberta is similar to all
settlers that have traveled to Canada from Eastern Europe and the
regions of the Former Soviet Socialist Republic. Most Eastern
Europeans left their homelands to find political and religious
freedoms disallowed them under the Imperial and then the Soviet
regimes. However, while the reasons for their seeking a homeland
are similar with their fellow Eastern European neighbours, their
settlement patterns are quite unique. While many Eastern European
settlers, particularly the Ukrainians, chose to set up rural bloc
settlements in the central and northern parts of the province,
the Hungarians spread themselves across the province, but
particularly the south and within urban centres, mainly in
Calgary.
The Hungarian experience witnessed four successive waves
of immigration to the province beginning in the 1870s. At the
time, much as in the case of the Estonians, Ukrainians, Latvians
and other Eastern Europeans under the realm of Imperial Russia,
peasant landholdings under the Imperial regime had been subdivided
so minutely that many Hungarian peasants no longer possessed
enough farmland to cultivate and support their families. With a
declining economy and the mechanization of
the agricultural industry putting many farmers out of work, many
Hungarians were forced to look elsewhere for work in order to
survive. Many traveled west, ending up in the coal mines of
Pennsylvania prior to moving up to Canada and west to Alberta. It
was this first wave of Hungarian settlement that saw the largest
movement out of Hungary but, out of the 640, 000 that left their
homeland at this time, only 5000 made it to Canada, and
significantly fewer to Alberta. However, even though only a
handful of these immigrants made it as far west as Alberta, they
laid the foundation for those who would follow decades later.
The first Hungarians to arrive in Alberta did so with the
tremendous efforts of Paul Esterhazy. Mr. Esterhazy spearheaded
the campaign to get the Hungarians out of their unhealthy
occupations in the Pennsylvania coal mines into a more beneficial
life of farming the lands in the great open west. In October 1886,
130 men arrived in what was then the Northwest Territories to
bolster the numbers at the Esterhaz settlement however, a tragic
fire levelled the settlement and Esterhazy ended up having to
arrange for work for these newly arrived men in the coal mines of
Lethbridge. Of the men that went to work in the Lethbridge mine,
very few stayed as, starved and mistreated by their employers,
they opted to return to Pennsylvania. However it was to be these
events which, ironically, would bring larger numbers of Hungarian
people to Alberta.
The mine owners were
happy to have the Hungarian
immigrants as they were hard workers and provided cheap labour. The Hungarians
that remained at the mine in Lethbridge settled there, and eventually grew in
numbers. They formed several societies such as the Hungarian
Sick Benefit Society which provided insurance for the Hungarian
miners and served as a central gathering
location for all Hungarians in Alberta.
World War I created much hardship for the Hungarian people
in Alberta. They suffered internment, loss of their right to vote and
general prejudice. However, once the war had ended thousands of
Hungarians began to arrive at the Canadian border, in an attempt
to escape the post-war chaos and earn money enough to survive.
After World War I the American government tightened its
immigration policies, making it particularly difficult for all
people from Eastern Europe to enter. As a result, Eastern
Europeans then shifted their focus to Canada. It is no surprise
then that it was during the interwar period that Alberta
experienced its largest influx of Hungarians. Again,
the new arrivals were generally farmers and labourers, young men looking
to make enough money to afford their passage home and bring their
families a better life in the homeland. The Depression of the 1930s
crushed many of those dreams. It was a difficult time
for all Albertans, but particularly so for those new to Canada who
did not have a good command of the English language or many possessions.
The result was that most of these men remained in Canada, setting
up Hungarian enclaves at places like Warburg and Brooks.
The
advent of World War II put immense pressure on the Hungarian
populations across Canada. Although Hungary declared itself to be
a neutral at the onset of war, when the Hungarian government
announced its allegiance to the Axis, Hungarians across Canada who
had not taken out Canadian citizenship began to feel the effects.
Many were put under surveillance, fingerprinted and treated as
enemy aliens. The effects of World War II were lasting on the
Hungarian population in Alberta. Many felt intense pressure to
assimilate as much as possible into Canadian society, giving up
their traditions, language and aspects of their culture -- in some
cases even going as far as to change their surnames to more anglo-sounding
versions.
The end of World War II ushered in another era of Hungarian
immigration. Many of these new immigrants were displaced persons fleeing their country
and attempting to escape Russian oppression.
This wave of immigration was markedly different due to the fact
that many of these Hungarians were from the middle classes,
possessed of higher education and could provide skilled labour,
and therefore settled in urban areas such as Calgary and Edmonton.
The fourth wave of immigration was borne out of the turbulent post-war atmosphere in Hungary.
After several years of harsh communist rule, Hungarians rose up
against the harsh policies administered in their country by the
communist party. The Revolution came to a violent end which caused
the collapse of the communist government and the installation of
an oppressive Soviet military occupation. Thousands fled from
Hungary and made their way to North America. The Canadian
government greatly facilitated their arrival, removing almost all
restrictions where Hungarians were concerned. This wave of
refugees consisted of primarily young, well-educated people. Upon
arrival in Alberta many took professional positions which helped
to bolster the position of Hungarians in Canadian society. They
started numerous social and cultural groups, and were instrumental
in ensuring the elevation of their people's standing within
Canadian society.
The
history of the Hungarian people in Alberta is not without struggle
and perseverance. Although today the Hungarian people are not
highly visible, they remain culturally strong and identifiable in
their dance, music, cuisine, arts and contributions to Alberta as
a society.
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This digital collection was
produced with financial assistance from Canada's Digital
Collections initiative, Industry Canada.