economic insecurity, ethnic hatred and the international political context that led to the iron curtain resulted in about 350,000 people, mostly italians, choosing to leave the region. the london memorandum of 1954 gave to the ethnic italians the choice of either opting to leave (the so-called "optants") or staying. these exiles were to be given compensation for their loss of property and other indemnity by the italian state under the terms of the peace treaties. following the exodus, the areas were settled with yugoslav people.