Why anyone would leave Austria?

a lot was happening in 1870s. I'm sure Walter or Setanta will pop in with more, but just from what i remember, the financial market crashed in 1870s, so there was a period of poverty. there was also internal chaos - with Italy uprising in efforts to unite - Austria deployed army to try to contain some of the opposition. Germany united and fought France at the same time.
In 1868 Austria became Austria-Hungary, a federative system, which introduced harsher policies of germanization and magyarization in the empire. Non-german and non-hungarian minorities were often oppressed and forbidden from using their own languages in public use, there was increasing crackdown on their political and cultural life.
I'm sure there's plenty more. But a Pole would have many reasons to choose from to leave. Especially if he also happened to be Jewish.

It is possible that someone leaving Austria in 1870 might have done so as a consequence of a perception of living in an oppressive state. In 1848, there were Socialist uprisings in Europe--they were general right across the continent. In France, a commune was established in Paris, which fought the government of Louis Philippe, eventually bringing it down. But in the lands controlled by the "Holy Alliance"--a reactionary alliance of Russia, Prussia and Austria--there was a swift and brutal crushing of the uprising.

Yes, at that time, America was seen as a refuge for the politically oppressed and an economic opportunituy. It would impossible to say what lead any particular individual to emmigrate in 1870. Political or economic reasons seem most likely, but there could have been other reasons. In 1875, Europe fell into a profound economic slump which was to last for 18 years. In 1870, things were already getting bad, and could have had a negative impact on the people of whom you speak.

Austria was a big place in 1870--vast in comparison to the present day state. The hereditary lands of the Habsburgs were Upper and Lower Austria, Inner and Further Austria, the Tyrol, Carinthia, Carniola, Styria, Slovenia, Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, most of northern Italy, and a few smaller holdings elsewhere. Without more specific information, such as where in the Austrian empire the people in question were, and what their social class was, it is hard to make even a good guess.

Dag makes some good points--in replying so quickly i ignored some points. Italians had successfully driven out the Austrians, although they retained control of the Tyrol. Poland was "partitioned" (a polite term for stealing another country's land) by Austria, Prussia and Russia three times, until it completely disappeared. Austria got control of a huge province, Galicia, which was largely former Polish territory, combined with the old duchy of Moravia. Dag's point about central and eastern Europe being a less than congenial locale for Jews is also very pertinent.

welcome, popickancestor !
i assume that your ancestors lived in what is now poland and much of which was part of the austrian-hungarian monarchy prior to world war I. while many europeans left europe around 1870, people of polish origin were paricularly happy to leave the continent behind (our next door neighbours great-grandfather came to canada around that time from carpathia). look for some books dealing with european history in your library. you'll quickly learn that many people living in the eastern parts of europe were living under very difficult conditions. perhaps you could compare their plight with that of the irish. i'm not aware of any actual famine in eastern europe at that time, but living conditions were certainly grim for many families. hbg

Around 1870 there was a depression, many parts of Austria were poor.
Burgenland was extremly poor so many left.
It is interesting that there were "agents" from ship companies travelling around to "advertise" emigration. The State officials warned:

,,Man ist in neuerer Zeit in einem Theile der Monarchie auf die Spur von Umtrieben zur Anregung der Auswanderungslust nach Amerika gekommen. Diese Agitationen gehen von einem Komitee aus, welches durch Agenten und verlockende Druckschriften die Lust zur Auswanderung zu befördern abzielt. Zufolge Erlasses der k.k. Distriktsregierung vom 3.9. Zahl 7912 beauftrage ich demnach die nöthigen Einleitungen zu treffen, damit die Thätigkeit von Auswanderungsagenten sowie die Verbreitung von Druckschriften, welche dahin abzielen, zur Auswanderung durch falsche Vorspiegelungen anzuregen, strengstens überwacht und einem sogenannten Treiben ernstlich gesteuert werde."
Source


....In the 19th century, the countries of the monarchy were the most significant sources of emigration in Europe after Italy and Russia. Under the Staatsgrundgesetz (Fundamental Laws) of 1867, emigration was only restricted by compulsory military service. The predominantly political reasons behind emigration were followed by economic motives after 1949. In addition to seasonal migration, in which many people returned home, there were also great waves of overseas emigration. From 1876 to 1910, 4.3 m people emigrated from Austria-Hungary, 2.9 m of them from the western part of the empire. The primary destination was the USA (over 50 % of all emigrants). Emigration affected all of the provinces, especially southern Burgenland, where in some towns more than 20% of the residents left their home. Until 1900, fewer than 50,000 people emigrated yearly; by 1907 this figure had risen to 170,000. About half of the emigrants worked in agriculture, and a considerable number worked in trades. Around 11 % belonged to the German-speaking population, 7% to the Jewish population. Emigration was later partly counteracted by a large number of emigrants returning to Austria (1911: 86,000 people, 1912: 88,000)....

Source

ul wrote :
"It is interesting that there were "agents" from ship companies travelling around to "advertise" emigration."
those agents were in the employ of such shipping companies as : norddeutscher lloyd and HAPAG (hamburg-amerikanische packetfahrt a.g. , now part of HAPAG-LLOYD) and they were paid "kopfgeld', a sort of bounty for each traveller signed up. hbg