The Ruhr Poles

As a result of the restrictive measures imposed by the Prussian authorities on the acquisition of real estate in parts of the areas of Eastern Prussia where they had originally come from, many Ruhr Poles began to invest their savings in real estate in the Rhineland-Westphalian industrial area, or tried to become self-employed. Around 1911, around 130 Ruhr Poles owned real estate in Bottrop,[34] and 36 in Gladbeck.[35] Shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, Ruhr Poles were said to have owned more than 1,000 properties on the Rhine and Ruhr.[36] At the same time, more than 2,000 Ruhr Poles were involved in commercial activities here: these were mainly craftsmen and traders, but also included butchers, bakers, carpenters, booksellers and printers.[37]

The longer Ruhr Poles stayed in the area the more they tended to integrate. This tendency was strengthened by the birth of children and increasing official and social pressures. Women - usually from their husbands' areas of origin - were often the driving forces behind integration. At first they managed to emancipate themselves on a professional and social level. In addition to running their own household and bringing up their children, they organised the boarding system - there were approximately 35,000 boarders around 1910 - and thus made a considerable contribution to the income of many families. Moreover, around 1912 roughly 19,000 Ruhr Polish women and girls were employed in the Rhine and Ruhr regions, among others as domestic servants and maids, but also in agriculture and the textile trade.[38] Very often wives and adult daughters were also responsible for managing trading and service enterprises, especially the shops that had emerged over time and which were often run in parallel with the husbands' main job in a colliery or other industrial enterprise.[39]