Lietuva Brazilijoje : vizija ir realybė

Abstract

Emigration from the Republic of Lithuania in the period from 1918 to 1940 was influenced by many social factors. Lithuanians began to stream to South America after the First World War, mostly in the 3rd decade of the 20th c., when the USA had established quotas for emigrants. Lithuanians in Brazil formed one of the biggest communities in South America, comparable to those in North America. The Lithuanian government contemplated plans to create “another Lithuania” in Brazil. Professor Kazys Pakštas was the first person to champion the idea of colonization, and he had a vision of “another Lithuania”. Life for Lithuanian emigrants in Brazil was hard enough. Deceptive practices of emigration bureaus and the politics of the government of Brazil attracted the biggest number of Lithuanian emigrants from 1926 to 1930. They had to adjust to an unusual climate, do very hard work, and they had no rights whatsoever. Although their life in Brazil was complicated, they still managed to establish various organizations, societies, schools, and libraries for their children, with some support from the Lithuanian government.