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Czechoslovakia Emigration
Historically, emigration has always been an option for Czechs
and Slovaks dissatisfied with the situation at home. Each wave of
emigration had its own impetus. In the nineteenth century, the
reasons were primarily economic. In the twentieth century,
emigration has largely been prompted by political turmoil, though
economic factors still play a role. The first major wave of
emigration in this century came after the communists came to
power, and the next wave began after the Prague Spring movement
was crushed.
In the 1980s the most popular way to emigrate to the West was
to travel to Yugoslavia by automobile and, once there, take a
detour to Greece, Austria, or Italy (Yugoslav border restrictions
were not as strict as those of the Warsaw Pact nations). Only a
small percentage of those who applied to emigrate legally could
do so. The exact details of the process have never been
published, but a reasonably clear picture can be gleaned from
those who have succeeded. It is a lengthy and costly process.
Those applicants allowed to even consider emigration have been
required to repay the state for their education, depending on
their level of education and salary, at a rate ranging from
Kcs4,000 to Kcs10,000. (The average yearly wage was about
Kcs33,600 in 1984.) The applicant was likely to lose his job and
be socially ostracized. Technically, at least, such emigres would
be allowed to return for visits. Those who had been politically
active, such as Charter 77 signatories found it somewhat easier
to emigrate, but they have not been allowed to return and
reportedly have had to pay the state exhorbitant fees--Kcs23,000
to as much as Kcs80,000 --if they had graduated from a university
(see Popular Political Expression
, ch. 4).
Old-age pensioners had no problem visiting or emigrating to
the West. The reasons for this were purely economic; if they
decided to stay in the West, the state no longer had to pay their
pension.
Official statistics for the early 1980s show that, on the
average, 3,500 people emigrated legally each year. From 1965 to
1983, a total of 33,000 people emigrated legally. This figure
undoubtedly included a large number of ethnic Germans resettled
in East Germany. The largest emigre communities are located in
Austria, West Germany, the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Data as of August 1987
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