Israel is an immigrant state. Since the end of the 19th century, large-scale immigration, called Aliyah, has come to the region. Indeed, the world’s major international migration movements have primarily been the result of either economic or political/cultural/religious pressures. Yet the Israeli example is unique because, while these factors have been relevant for the immigrants to some degree, especially during the late 19th century, with the emergence of Political Zionism, ideology has become the main driving force for immigration to the land of Palestine.
 
It is hard to call Zionism a monolithic ideological movement. It incorporates ideologies, such as socialism, nationalism and liberalism, as well as various religious stances. Socialist Zionism/Labor Zionism as a political movement formed during the Second and the Third Aliyahs: it became the main ideological backbone of the country before and after independence; it was behind the creation of the myths, symbols and discourse of the new secular Jewish community. It also informed many of the key institutions established by the State of Israel that shaped the democratic structure of the country, such as the Poale Zion (Workers of Zion) and Hapoel HaTzair (Young Worker). These groups founded the Mapai, or Workers’ Party of the Land of Israel, in 1930.