The Toth Family's Migration: Part II
Historical Background
The main factors that motivated my family to immigrate to the United States of America included political and economic hardships in Yugoslavia from the war. Additionally, my family was against communism and did not want to get stuck in a political atmosphere that threaten their freedom.
After World War II, Europe and its inhabitants were shaken up. Millions of people had perished, cities were destroyed, and about 20 million refugees and displaced persons overwhelmed the countries responsible for cleaning up the mess (“Yugoslav”). For the remainder of the decade, the United States create approximately 341,000 visas for refugees and Canada took about 165,000 people (“World”). Europe focused on rebuilding and generating economies for citizens that remained. Although millions of Europeans fled to Americas, there was also immigration between European countries, such as my family fleeing from Yugoslavia to Austria.
Allied territory suffered a division between the United States and the Soviet Union based off of political ideologies. As the allies were rounding up German military and freeing occupied territory, they were also racing each other through war-torn Europe. It is well known that Germany suffered the most and was the main source of tension during the Cold War. However, my grandfather remembers that his family was worried that communism would take over his country, considering all the poor, desperate people. The Red Scare produced multiple strict immigration acts in the US in the 1950s (“Yugoslav”). Amazingly, my family made it through to the New World before immigration was too restricted.
Comparing with Nuovomondo
The remainder of the Toth family departed from a large harbor in Bremen, Germany in 1956. My grandfather was 23 years old. Each ticket cost $200 per person and the trip would last five days. Just as in Nuovomondo, the things each person could travel with were limited. Each member of the family had one suitcase made up of mostly clothing. Other belongings were left with family members. My grandfather said that the hardest thing he had to leave behind was his motorcycle. The passengers on the ship consisted of Germans and Austrians and the ship was too small to separate the people by class. However, like the film, the genders were separated. The passengers experienced rough seas and my grandfather remembers puke covering every inch of the stairs. They were so slippery that you had to hold the railing with both hands and move slowly. The ship they were on was not like the large one we see in Nuovomondo. It was once a ship that was used to transport German armed forces during the war. In other words, it was not sturdy at all. After five long, seasick filled days the boat stood in front of the Statue of Liberty. My grandfather did not experience any invasive exams such as those we saw in Nuovomondo. He claimed that Ellis Island was merely something they walked through. The island no longer had the same purpose it once did in the early 1900s. The only medical exam he received was in Austria before he bought the tickets. This exam was hardly necessary since they only checked his blood pressure and breathing. As we saw in the movie, Fortunata was unable to enter the US because she did not pass the exams. I asked my grandfather if he witnessed anyone that was barred from the country. He said that no one was sent back once they arrived, however he knew of many friends that had small crimes on their record, like stealing a tool, that were not allowed a ticket to the US. Although we do not know what happens to the passengers after leaving Ellis Island in Nuovomondo, the Toths were sponsored by a Quaker family in Des Moines, Iowa. They were the only immigrant family in their town and eventually moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where more German immigrants lived.Comparing with Christ in Concrete
Everyone in Austria had a trade. My grandfather’s trade was butchering. Opa, Steve, and Nick were shoe cobblers. I asked my grandfather if he felt like he was forced into certain careers in America because of his ethnicity like Italians in Christ in Concrete. On the contrary, my grandfather said there were so many jobs he didn’t notice. What mattered was that the men found places to work that included their trades from Europe. Opa, Steve, and Nick worked ay Weinberg Shoes and my grandfather worked at the packing house in Kohl’s. Oma did various jobs such as helping the men at the shoe store and sewing footballs. Like the characters in Christ in Concrete my grandfather’s main goal was to integrate and become an American as soon as possible. For him, learning English was important. He met my grandmother in Milwaukee at various dances that German immigrants attended. She spoke German and English since her parents were immigrants from Germany. My grandpa told me about how they would stay up at night translating articles or books over the phone. My grandfather’s American Dream was finding a good job and money that would support his family. He believes in the American Dream because he knows that his life became more successful after arriving in America and is very proud to be a citizen. He didn’t have any expectations of what life would be like in America. He knew that he wanted a real house, a car and opportunities. After asking if he had any regrets about immigrating to America, he scoffed and said he has never regretted anything about his immigration to America. He believes that if he would have stayed he would have died much earlier. His reason includes the lack of medical care in Europe at the time and the rise of communism. Unlike Christ in Concrete my grandfather found the freedom he was looking for in America. However, he did once experience harsh resentment from an American. After getting into a car accident, the police officer tried to take away his license and car after he heard his accent. My grandfather said the officer pointed to a bullet wound in his head and told him that his people did this to him. Like the boss in Christ in Concrete, this officer felt that my grandfather was beneath him and didn’t deserve the same freedoms he had.Comparing with Rocco and His Brothers
Like the brothers in Rocco and His Brothers, the Toth brothers had to adapt to American culture. Unlike Rocco and Simone, they all married and two of the boys had children. My grandpa said the largest difference between America and Europe was the technology. TVs and small radios were not ever on his radar in Europe. However, in America everyone had a TV, telephone, and multiple radios. The dress was different in America too. In Europe, my grandfather said that everyone generally wore fancier clothing all the time. Americans dressed very casually in comparison. He said that American culture was different but his family needed something different from Europe and adjusted fast. The only things he missed in Europe were his friends, playing soccer and his motorcycle. He remembers thinking that people in Austria were always nicer than Americans until 1973 when he returned to Austria with his mother as American citizens. At the Frankfurt airport, one worker insulted them in English without knowing they understood her. A maid at the hotel in Austria refused to give them any soap for the bathroom and claimed that it was their problem. He ended up stealing soap from the laundry room. After his trip, he was disappointed with the way Europeans treated him and wondered if he used to be as rude as them. He felt that he had fully integrated as an American at this point because he felt so disconnected from other Austrians.Where are they now?
Karl Toth (Opa) passed away in 1971.Maria Toth (Oma) passed away in 1989.
Steve Toth lives in Arkansas with his wife, Mary.
Nick Toth passed away in 2012.
Slavko Toth lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His wife, Lydia, passed away in June of 2017.
