Migration from Turkey to
Germany
Why Germany needed
migration?
• After 2nd World War – Germany had a
labour shortage – for factories e.g
Volkswagen, BMW, Grundig
• Working conditions were amongst the best
in Europe
Why Turkish workers
migrated?
• Turkish people saw the opportunities in Germany
• Turkey was relatively poor, little social services ,
job opportunities.
• They worked in Construction (building), Car
manufacturing, Manufacturing electrical goods
• They mainly moved in the 1970’s
Who moved?
• The Germans needed manual labourers – people
to do jobs they did not want to do
• It was mostly young skilled men (aged 20 – 40)
who moved
• They lived in hostels and sent money back to
their families at home
• Sometimes the family would join the workers in
Germany
Effects on Germany
Economic
• Money was leaving the country as Turks sent home
(between 1975 – 1980 - $900 million was sent
home)
• The Germans needed the Turks after the war but
recessions in the 70’s and early 90’s led to high
unemployment. This cost the country a lot in
benefits etc
Effects on Germany
Political
• The government had to make stricter immigration
controls
• Peoples worry about immigration led to the growth
of Right wing and racist groups (e.g neo Nazis)
Effects on Germany
Social
• Racist groups started hate attacks on immigrants
• The Turkish workers (gastabeiter) cannot become
German citizens and therefore do not have equal
rights. Even if they have lived for 20yrs in
Germany they are still seen as outsiders.
Effects on Turkey
• Less unemployment in Turkey
• Money sent home from Germany = more than what
Turks normally earn at home = good for Turkish
economy
• Many males leaving = broken families,
• Less workers in Turkey especially in farming
• Most able = leave for Germany; only the bad
workers stay!
• Less men will causes problems in Turkey
Facts and figures
• In 2000 the number of
foreigners in
Germany was 7.3
million which was
8.9% of the total
population
• 2 million of these
came from Turkey!
• This includes 750,000
turkish who were born
in Germany!
• Another ½ million
Turks have become
German citizens since
1972