Ethnic minorities, 1945-89 Flashcards
(10 cards)
How many guest workers were there in 1959 and 1966?
1959 – 150,000
1966 – 1.2 million
What was the intention behind guest workers?
They were guest workers, meaning they would fulfil a contract to work for some time, leave, and then other workers would come and do the same. There was no intention of giving them citizenship. The Basic Law stated that citizenship was based on blood, not on the amount of time you lived in Germany.
FRG-Turkey Labour Agreement
30th October 1961
Status of guest workers
- Many had lived in the FRG for many years due to renewing their contracts as opportunities were plentiful.
- DM50 million had been allocated to extended family accommodation for guest workers and dependents.
Therefore, while they were not technically FRG citizens, their presence was felt and appreciated, as by October 1964, they had welcomed their 1 millionth guest worker.
Critical attitudes to guest workers
Far right groups did not appreciate the presence of guest workers. They were accused of taking jobs away from ethnic Germans and accused of being a burden to the state.
Impact of the economic downturn of the 70s on legislation and attitudes
After the 1973 oil crises, the government banned further recruitment of foreign workers in November 1973
In 1975, states began to incentivise foreign workers to leave to their home country.
This aroused resentment among guest workers, as they realised their lack of status and that their time in Germany was temporary, as a means for rebuilding.
Families of guest workers
Children
- Most children of guest workers were likely to have been born in Germany, raised in German schools and spoke German. However, they were expected to be deported by age 18 to a country whose culture they know little about.
Wives
- 80% were illiterate an isolated from all but family contact.
- It was found that when groups were set up for German language and literacy classes, while many women wanted to join, their husbands forbade them, rather that they were ignorant and in servitude.
Impact of policies on guest worker children
The result to the policy of deportation at 18 caused resentment among many young men. Many joined gangs, and the crime rate for children of 14-18 years old was higher than the rest of the population. Reasons for this include:
- 70% of guest worker children failed to gain the Abitur (degree) at the end of their education. Possibly due to the schools having little resources to cater for them, such as language classes or assistance programmes
- Unemployment. More than 50% of teenagers were unemployed, and due to the lack of educational attainments, they could not achieve further education or apprenticeships. From 1977, guest worker children were not allowed to work in paid employment.
Views of the far-right
Between October 1979-80, there were at least 6 bombings at Jewish memorial sites and guest worker accommodations. 2 Vietnamese refugees were killed in an attack in Hamburg in an arson attack, after around 1,300 fled the Vietnam War in 1975.
What was the overall feeling about guest workers?
They had provided a huge amount of aid to the restoration of the FRG economy after the war, and this was appreciated by the government, creating govt departments to help workers. However, this was undercut by the fact that they were simply not German, and many nationalists felt the same way and acted out in their ideas.
