How many left Wales between 1921 and 1938?

How many left Wales between 1921 and 1938?

• A. 440,000
• B. 100,000
• C. 2,000
• D. 1,200,000

Answer: (A)

The period saw a very large outflow from Wales as the coal industry contracted and unemployment rose during the interwar years. Many people moved in search of work, mainly to England and sometimes abroad, so the scale of migration was substantial relative to the country’s population at the time. That level of departure fits the historical picture of a major economic push factor driving people to leave, making the option that describes a large exodus the most plausible fit. The other figures would imply either only a tiny shift or an unrealistically huge collapse of the population, which historical records do not support for this period.

The period saw a very large outflow from Wales as the coal industry contracted and unemployment rose during the interwar years. Many people moved in search of work, mainly to England and sometimes abroad, so the scale of migration was substantial relative to the country’s population at the time. That level of departure fits the historical picture of a major economic push factor driving people to leave, making the option that describes a large exodus the most plausible fit. The other figures would imply either only a tiny shift or an unrealistically huge collapse of the population, which historical records do not support for this period.