"A Paragon of Wickedness": Newlanders and Agents in Eighteenth-Century German Migration

William T. O'Reilly

This paper is taken from my forthcoming doctoral dissertation, which is concerned with the role of returning migrants and government and private agents in eighteenth-century German-speaking migration. As Germans are unique in the eighteenth century, both in their broad choice of destinations for relocation and in their dependence on the invitations of other European (colonial) powers to settle in their territories, eighteenth-century German migration can be seen as a template for later European mass movements. This paper introduces the reader to the concept of the immigrant agent, an individual who manipulated his experience and acquired knowledge for economic and social advantage. Though this paper concentrates on the role of agents in the westward migration, similarities and dissimilarities with the eastward journey are suggested.

[WP #96025]