This is a such big question and the sources that exist are so scarce that I’m not totally sure where to start. First, it is important to note that it is challenging to nail down exactly who counts as “German” before Germany existed. Are we talking about the lands that would one day become Germany? Or are we talking about German language? Or are we talking about those who affiliated themselves with diverse German cultures? For the purposes of answering your question, I’ll refer to Germans as someone from the areas that would one day become Germany to talk briefly about the reasons for German immigration to Argentina.

I am not an expert on Central Europe in the 1860s and 1870s, so I cannot provide much nuance when describing the nature of German society. Suffice to say that starting during this period, a massive number of people from Central Europe left for the Western Hemisphere, driven by the unsettled nature of political realities in preunified Germany, harsh realities in urban and industrializing centers, and land scarcity. Of those emigrants, most went to the United States. A much, much smaller percentage of Germans headed to Latin America, where immigration first focused on Brazil, then later Argentina. Brazil brought over large numbers of mercenaries to engage in regional conflicts and used immigrants to settle Rio Grande do Sul south towards the land that would eventually become Uruguay. Immigration officials offered free land and subsidies for immigration to Brazil. They depicted an ideal land, fertile and bountiful, in want of cultivation. Unfortunately for many, these descriptions were often greatly exaggerated to attract more immigrants. Nevertheless, Brazil attracted large numbers of German immigrants, mostly poorer farmers, craftsmen, and merchants throughout the early and middle nineteenth century.

Seeing the success of Brazilian recruiters, Argentina copied many of these practices, but this occurred later in Argentina due to the instability that beset the region following independence. Once a more stable nation with developed political institutions coalesced, German immigrants began trickling in in greater numbers. They too were attracted by the opportunities for cheap or free land and an immigration policy that favored Northern Europeans (as discussed below). Labor scarcity in Argentina kept demand and wages for workers high, which led to a fair amount of social mobility in the 1870s. Immigrants usually settled around existing cities on small family farms, which they either purchased outright or rented from larger estates. Many immigrants farmed when crops were in season and assisted as ranch hands during the off months. Some immigrant groups also founded small ethnic communities on the frontier or in the province of Misiones.

However, the vast majority of German migration to Argentina occurred after the 1870s. This was driven by new Argentine leaders who believed Northern European immigration was the means to solve Argentina’s developmental problems. Their ideology was encapsulated by Juan Bautista Alberdi’s famous quote: “To govern is to populate.” He also famously argued: “Do we want to sow and cultivate in America English liberty, French culture, and the diligence of men from Europe and the United States? Let us bring living pieces of these qualities...and let us plant them here.” Likewise, Domingo Sarmiento, who traveled to Europe and the United States, believed that Northern Europeans could help Argentines overcome their “civilization vs. barbarity complex” bequeathed by their “dark” heritage as offspring of indigenous people and Spaniards. As president, he advocated for subsidies for immigrants, discounted or free land and agricultural necessities, recruitment in Europe, and education to assimilate foreign cultures. By bringing Western and Northern Europeans, many elite Argentines believed that they could raise Argentina’s the level of civilization.

Immigrants continued to trickle in throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century. By the end of the nineteenth century, according to Jonathan C. Brown, approximately 25,000 Germans had immigrated to Argentina. Some continued to settle as farmers, but more came as craftsmen, traders, and urban workers who remained in cities seeking opportunities to work in factories. Most came seeking a better life and economic opportunity, being aware of the generally immigrant-friendly land, high demand for labor, and cheap Atlantic passage.

Unfortunately for positivists like Alberdi and Sarmiento who saw immigration in terms of racial superiority and linear progressions of civilization, their immigration policies attracted mostly Spanish and Italian immigrants (considered to be less “civilized” than their “industrious” neighbors to the north and west), who represented more than 70% of the immigrants to Argentina. The small numbers of Germans, while influential in certain areas, was dwarfed by this massive flow. Most immigrants came without the agricultural experience that Argentine leaders expected, settled in urban areas, and brought with them new, dangerous ideas like anarchism and socialism. But this is getting away from your original question. I hope this brief summary can provide some background into German immigration.