Ethnic Minorities in the FRG

Question 1

What was the state of Germany in terms of diversity after the war?

Answer 1

• Germany was a country w/ million of refugees
• These 10 million refugees were initially seen as an issue that needed housing + food, but later they became a great help to the economy

Question 2

What did Unions fear during the economic boom of 1950’s and 60’s?

Answer 2

• Union feared a fall in working conditions as the Gov tried to employ more foreign labour
• The Gov promised non-German workers the same wages but to also give preference to Germans when hiring

Question 3

What was the Federal Office for Labour Recruitment?

Answer 3

• Set up in Nuremberg to run offices in the countries where West German had labour recruitment treaties
• People who applied were assessed and made to sign a contract for 1 year

Question 4

How did the Foreign Labour Recruitment still exclude foreigners?

Answer 4

• Employers provided basic accommodation in dorms near factories (good treatment)
• But this cut them out of communities and did not allow them to integrate
• The programme was stepped up after 1961 and the Berlin Wall was built
• Those foreign workers who were there illegally were given the most intensive work in the worst condition w/out accommodation

Question 5

Give examples of Germans leaving the less desirable work for the foreign workers?

Answer 5

• 1961-71 870,000 Germans left jobs in mining and were replaced by 1.1 million guest workers
• 1961-73, 3 million German workers switched from industry/agriculture to white-collar jobs

Question 6

What did the name ‘guest workers’ suggest about German attitudes?

Answer 6

• Only viewed them as temporary and they did not have German citizen rights as they were renewed yearly
• Only 25% had been there for over 3 year
• Unions helped with the actual work aspect but not with integration, no motive to turn them into Germans

Question 7

What Catholic Organisations tried to help the guest workers integrate to Germany?

Answer 7

Caritas and Diakonisches

Question 8

How did the 1966 Recession change attitudes to guest workers?

Answer 8

• Led to hostility towards them and those who did not integrate
• Landlords refused to take them as tenants and confined them to the poorest areas with other guest workers
• Guest workers even began to organise and demonstrate for better conditions, thus gaining hostility from right wing groups

Question 9

What effects did the 1970’s oil crisis have?

Answer 9

• High unemployment so guest workers were under pressure to leave jobs and Germany
• Nov 1973 Gov stopped hiring and banned permits for families of workers in the countru
• Less than 2 million guest workers in 1974

Question 10

1975 onwards more leniency towards guest workers, give details

Answer 10

• 1975 Gov gave guest worker children the same benefits as other children due to unemployed guest workers
• 1977 ban on guest workers was lifted and workers started coming in again

Question 11

What was the Federal Commission for Foreign Affairs?

Answer 11

• Est in 1978 under Helmut Schmidt
• Help worked for the rights of foreign workers and their integration
• Clear set of rules laid out for applying for unrestricted residence but NOT citizenship

Question 12

What was the issue of educating guest workers children?

Answer 12

• The Basic Law promised a ‘democratic education’
• Tried to persuade the Länder to provide mixed culture learning groups and books to children in their mother tongue
• 200,000 foreign children in schools by 1983

Question 13

Details of diverse schooling

Answer 13

• 60% of foreign children in schools were muslim
• Most started at 6 w/ no prior education and language help
• Most pre-schools were run by Catholic Schools and therefore many groups set up their own national schools due to children not learning in state schools
• Koran schools attracted lots of hostility