In the aftermath of the war, many states faced problems revolving around their population and the displaced populations from the war. With the influx of refugees many states set up plans to use them as part of their labor force. The picture above shows a ship of migrant workers and displaced persons (DPs) hoping to find new lives in England after having to leave their homes due to the conflict. Several states started programs designed to bring in migrant workers in order to revitalize themselves in the aftermath of the war, bringing in tens of thousands of workers. These practices would continue for years after the war in order to stabilize economies around the world.
England became the most popular destination for displaced immigrants after the war. Their plan for migrant workers was called “Westward Ho!” and brought in, “82,000 Polish, Ukrainian, and Latvian DPs,” (Cohen, 106). It was the most successful migrant worker program in Europe after the war despite the fact that England was not the first state to actively bring in DPs. However, this program was not put in place out of generosity for all DPs as it was geared towards only bringing in certain people. States wanted workers, meaning young single men were pushed through the immigration process much faster than married men and women with families. In their desperate attempt to fix their drop in labor and population in the late 1940s, states like England continued to bring in thousands of people to help get their countries back on track.
Sources:
http://G Cohen, In War’s Wake – Europe’s Displaced Persons in the Postwar Order (2011), Ch 5.PDF
