Germany’s New Faces – OpEd

In the 1960s, Germany sought to replenish its post-WWII labor force by recruiting workers from countries like Turkey, Italy, Greece, and former Yugoslav republics.

Many Turkish workers came from rural villages or were recent migrants from city outskirts. After passing health checks, they began work in coal mines and factories. Most struggled with German, and those who learned it spoke only basic, broken phrases. Over time, they brought their families, and their children attended German schools, with many adopting German as a first language. However, few of these second and third-generation children entered universities, and even those who integrated maintained rural habits.

The German public viewed these early Turkish workers as uneducated, opportunistic, and reliant on unemployment benefits, often working in low-wage jobs. Despite being granted residency or citizenship—around 3 million today—they remained a marginalized and conservative group, holding onto their cultural norms.

By the 2000s, a new wave of Turkish migrants arrived—urban, well-educated, secular, and fluent in foreign languages, fleeing an increasingly authoritarian Turkey. This group embraced arts, culture, and music, forming a distinct profile of Turks in Germany, estimated at 300-400 thousand. Unlike their predecessors, they integrated seamlessly, participating in society and gaining acceptance.

Similar patterns have emerged among migrants from other countries. Educated refugees integrate quickly, while others face difficulties and may be deported. Among the most successful migrant groups in Germany today are Iranians, who are often highly educated and politically opposed to their home regime.

These two distinct Turkish profiles now coexist in Germany—one conservative, nationalist, and undereducated; the other, a modern, professional class. How these two groups will integrate remains an open question.