Why Few Refugees Fled Europe Before WWII

The premise is partially inaccurate: ~300,000–400,000 Jewish refugees did leave Germany/Austria/Czechoslovakia between 1933–1939. However, barriers were immense:

1. Immigration Quotas: US (1924 Act), UK, Canada, Australia had strict numerical limits; unused quotas went unfilled due to bureaucratic hurdles.
2. Visa Requirements: Affidavits of support, financial guarantees, police certificates, medical exams—hard to obtain from Nazi authorities.
3. Exit Restrictions: Nazi regime progressively stripped Jews of assets (Reich Flight Tax, blocked accounts), making emigration financially impossible for many.
4. Global Depression: High unemployment fueled nativism; countries reluctant to accept refugees.
5. Evian Conference (1938): 32 nations met; only Dominican Republic offered substantial refuge.
6. St. Louis (1939): 900+ Jewish refugees denied entry to Cuba, US, Canada—returned to Europe; many perished.
7. War Onset: After Sept 1939, legal emigration nearly ceased; borders closed.

It was not lack of desire to flee, but a "paper wall" of restrictive policies, Nazi expropriation, and global indifference that trapped millions.