The legacy did arab and jewish immigrants leave to the colombian caribbean coast economic development and the formation of its entrepreneurship between 1850 and 2000

Abstract

AbstractArab and Jewish people played an important role in the economic development of the Colombian Caribbean Coast between 1850 and 2000. To understand their influence, it is necessary to know their origin, the conditions that generated the migration from their hometowns and the main obstacles they found in this new land. Also, who their leaders were, how their social status climbing occured and to establish the main contributions they made to entrepreneurship, politics, and social and cultural development.This historic and regional study, allowed us to see their entrepreneurial intention, aimed to the “help chains”, wide knowledge of international markets and unique ability for bargaining which attracted business people from overseas, such commerce tradition contributed to the industrialization process that the Caribbean Coast witnessed during the XX century; Arabs and Jews ventured in a variety of economic activities in the communities where they established: wholesale and retail, industrial activities, fridges, cattle, cinematography, journalism, culture and politics, which also explains the need they expressed to acquire social status, political connections, capacity to establish relationships with the rest of the society and to promote the right environment for entrepreneurial leadership capable of influencing political decisions regionally and nationwide.