German Turks
Encyclopedia
Turks in Germany are people of Turkish
ethnicity living in Germany
who form the largest ethnic group after Germans. In 2010 the German Embassy stated that there was an estimated 3.5 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany, although other estimates suggest that there are now more than 4 million Turks and German citizens with part or full Turkish ancestry in Germany.
attempted to expand their territories beyond the north Balkan territories. Two sieges were held in Vienna in 1529 and 1683
. It was the latter incident that, after the retreat of the Ottoman army, left behind many Muslim Turks who first became permanent residents in Germany. The relief of Vienna
and the Ottoman retreat left behind large numbers of Ottoman soldiers and camp followers, either as stragglers or prisoners.
A new phase commenced with the expansion of Prussia
in the mid-eighteenth century. In 1731, the Duke of Kurland presented twenty Turkish guardsmen to King Frederick William I
, and at one time, about 1,000 Muslim soldiers are said to have served in the Prussian cavalry
. The Prussian king’s fascination with the enlightenment was reflected in their consideration for the religious concerns of their Muslim troops.
In 1740 Frederick The Great stated (in the context of affirming the toleration of Catholic
s) that "All religions are just as good as each other, as long as the people who practice them are honest, and even if Turks and heathens came and wanted to populate this country, then we would build mosques and temples for them".
In practice, already the first contingent of Turkish guardsmen had been given the use of a prayer room on Sundays. It soon became necessary to establish a Turkish/Muslim cemetery in Berlin
, in which a mosque was finally built in 1866.
Diplomatic relations were established between Berlin
and Istanbul
in the 18th century, and by the 19th century trading treaties were set up between the two cities. These developments encouraged the crossover of citizens between the Ottoman and German states. As a consequence to these developments, the Turkish community in Germany, and particularly in Berlin, grew significantly in the years before the First World War.
, like other Western European nations, began to experience a labour shortage by the mid-1950s. Recruitment of workers from Mediterranean countries was one easy solution to this problem. In 1961, the construction of the Berlin Wall
exacerbated West Germany’s labour crisis by restricting the flow of immigrants from East Germany. Turkey at the same time experienced unemployment. The Turkish government asked Germany to recruit Turkish guest workers. Theodor Blank
, Secretary of State for Employment, was opposed to such agreements, believing that the cultural gap between Germany and Turkey would be too large. He also argued that Germany needed no additional foreign laborers, because there were enough unemployed people living in the poorer regions of Germany who could take these jobs. The United States
however, put some political pressure on Germany, as it wanted to stabilize Turkey. The German Department of Foreign Affairs carried on negotiations after this and in 1961 an agreement was reached. Pressure from German employers in 1962 and 1963 played a key role in ending the two-year limit on the period for which Turkish workers were permitted to stay in West Germany.
In 1961, a total of 7,116 Turks migrated to Germany as guest workers. The recruitment treaty in 1961 made Germany the prime host country for Turkish guest workers and by 1973, some 80% of the Turks in Western Europe
lived in Germany, and although this share had decreased to 70% by 1990, Germany remained by far the most important country of settlement for Turkish immigrants. Most Turks were convinced that they would only stay in Germany temporarily and would one day return to Turkey to build a new life for themselves with the money they had earned. During the recession
of 1966-1967, the number of Turks leaving Germany rapidly increased; and the 1973 oil crisis
also marked a period of departure. The last increase in departures in 1981-1984 was caused by mass unemployment in Germany and the policy of giving remigration bonuses to Turks who were willing to return to their homeland for good. Ultimately, however, the number of migrants who returned to Turkey remained relatively small and did not stop the rapid increase of the Turkish population in Germany.
to have their families join them in Germany. As a result, between 1974–1988, the number of Turks in Germany nearly doubled, acquiring a normalised sex ratio
and a much younger age profile than the German population because of the larger numbers of children per family. By 1987, 21% of ethnic Germans
were under the age of 21, compared to 42% of the Turks in Germany. As the recession of 1967 temporarily stopped the progress of worker recruitment, when it resumed, the targeted employees had changed as the BfA (Bundesversicherungsanstalt für Angestellte) granted most work visas to women. This was in part because labour shortages continued in low paying, low-status service jobs such as electronics, textiles, and garment work; and in part to further the goal of family reunification. Family reunification was a solution to the perceived social threat the foreign workers posed, single men living in worker hostels or dormitories, with extra money in their pockets. Many wives did join their husbands in Germany, but women also came hoping to bring their husbands and children to Germany in the future. Moreover, Turkish workers in Germany were able to save enough money to return home to marry and bring their brides back to Germany when the 1974 Unification of Families Law made this easier. By 1976, 27% of Turks in West Germany were women.
was followed by intense public debate around the articulations of national identity and citizenship, including the place of Germany’s Turkish minority in the future of a united Germany. These debates about citizenship were all accompanied by expressions of xenophobia
and ethnic violence that targeted the Turkish population
. Anti-immigrant sentiment was especially strong in the former eastern states of Germany, which underwent profound social and economic transformations during the reunification process. Turkish communities experienced considerable fear for their safety throughout Germany, with some 1,500 reported cases of right wing violence, and 2,200 cases the year after. The political rhetoric calling for foreigner-free zones (Ausländer-freie Zonen) and the rise of neo-Nazi groups sharpened public awareness of integration issues and generated intensified support among liberal Germans for the competing idea of Germany as a ‘multicultural’ society. Citizenship laws that established eligibility according to place of birth rather than according to descent have been slow in coming and restrictions on dual citizenship are still onerous. However, increasing numbers of second-generation Turks have opted for German citizenship and are becoming more involved in the political process. Celebrations by Turkish residents following the September 11 attacks caused concern among Germans about the Turkish presence.
Turkish Citizens in Germany:>
Year
Population
Year
Population
1961
7,116
1986
1,425,721
1962
15,300
1987
1,481,369
1963
27,100
1988
1,523,678
1964
85,200
1989
1,612,632
1965
132,800
1990
1,694,649
1966
161,000
1991
1,779,586
1967
172,400
1992
1,854,945
1968
205,400
1993
1,918,395
1969
322,400
1994
1,965,577
1970
469,200
1995
2,014,320
1971
652,800
1996
2,049,060
1972
712,300
1997
2,107,426
1973
910,500
1998
2,110,223
1974
910,500
1999
2,053,564
1975
1,077,100
2000
1,998,536
1976
1,079,300
2001
1,998,534
1977
1,118,000
2004
1,764,318
1978
1,165,100
2006
1,738,831
1979
1,268,300
2007
1,713,551
1980
1,462,400
2008
1,688,370
1981
1,546,300
2009
1,658,083
1982
1,580,700
2010
1,629,480
1983
1,552,300
1984
1,425,800
1985
1,400,400
In 2008, there were 1,688,370 Turkish citizens (889,003 males and 799,367 females) in Germany which accounted for 25.1% of Germany's foreign population and thus the largest ethnic minority. The official number of Turks with Turkish citizenship in Germany is falling, partly because about 30-70,000 are taking on German citizenship per year (with a downward trend, however), and since the year 2000, children born in Germany are entitled to adopt German citizenship if at least one parent has lived for eight years in Germany and has a perpetual residence permit.
In 2005, there were 840,000 German citizens of Turkish origin. Overall, the number of German residents with origins in Turkey was approximately 2,812,000 or approximately 3.4% of Germany's population. In 2010, the Embassy of Germany said that there are 3.5 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany and that a further 3 million Turks have spent part of their lives in Germany. Other estimates suggest that there are now over 4 million people of Turkish descent living in Germany.
centers. Currently, about 60% of Turkish immigrants live in cities whilst at least a quarter of Turks live in smaller towns. The vast majority are found in the former West Germany
. The majority live in industrial regions such as the states of North Rhine-Westphalia
, and Baden-Württemberg
and the working neighbourhoods of cities like Berlin
(especially in Kreuzberg
which is known as Little Istanbul and Neukölln
), Cologne
, Duisburg
, Düsseldorf
, Frankfurt
, Mannheim
, Mainz
, Munich
, and Stuttgart
.
The proportion of men and women who reside in Germany has balanced out since the 1960s. 54.2% of Turks in Germany are male and 45.8% are female. Of the population, 50.5% are between 14 and 29 years old, whereas among Germans the comparable proportion is only 25%. In the Turkish population, 33.8% are between 39 and 49 years old, while 32% of Germans are within this age group. Only 15.7% of Turks are age fifty and above, while this is true of 43% of Germans. Overall, Turks in Germany make up a younger population than do Germans.
as being of Turkish national origin. This has the consequence of ethnic minorities from Turkey
living in Germany being referred to as "Turks". However, about one-fourth to one-fifth of Turkish nationals are ethnic Kurds (amounting to some 350,000). Furthermore, the number of ethnic Turks who have immigrated to Germany from Bulgaria
, Cyprus
, Greece
, the Republic of Macedonia
, Romania
and other traditional areas of Turkish settlement which were once part of the Ottoman territories in Europe are unknown as these Turkish minorities are categorised by their citizenship rather than their Turkish ethnicity.
. In Germany, there are ethnic Turkish people
such as Turks from Bulgaria
, Turks from Cyprus
, Turks from Greece (Crete
Dodecanese
Western Thrace
), Turks from Romania and Yugoslavia
. These populations, which have different nationalities, share the same ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious origins as Turkish nationals.
for the first time in their social history. Migration to Germany, in particular, was initiated by those Bulgarian Turks who, for various reasons, were unable to join the first massive migration wave to Turkey in 1989 or who were part of the subsequent return wave which was dissatisfied with the conditions of life or the social adjustment prospects there. The majority of Turks from Bulgaria migrated to Germany in the 1990s asylum
regime, which provided generous social benefits.
Bulgarian Turks are to be found predominantly in the less protected sectors of the German labour market associated with ethnic businesses that require higher flexibility and tougher working conditions. They appear to rely for employment predominantly on co-ethnic networks established by German Turks. The majority of this group of Turks are relatively new in Germany which now consists of regular migrants who legalised their status largely through marriages of convenience to German citizens. Some members of this group have managed to bring their children to Germany whilst there are also a smaller number of people who have given birth in Germany.
isolated Northern Cyprus which made large groups of the population leave the island, thousands of which moved to Germany.
community among the some 350,000 Greeks living in Germany
who are Turkish-speaking or who espouse a Turkish identity. The majority of Turks come from Western Thrace
. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Thracian tobacco industry was affected by a severe crisis and many tobacco growers lost their income. This resulted in many Turks leaving their homes and immigrating to Germany
with estimates suggesting that today there are now between 12,000 and 25,000 residing in Germany.
and headed for Lebanon
because of the economic crises and unemployment in Turkey
. Though the first Turks who left for Lebanon were originally just going to make money, they started to plan the rest of their lives there (mainly in Beirut
). However, most of these Turks then migrated to European countries due to the war between the Arabs and the Israelis. When the Israeli attack on Lebanon took place in 2006, more than 20,000 Turks fled Lebanon, forced to take refuge in Germany
and various other European countries.
Due to the geographic proximity of Germany
and Turkey
, cultural transfer and influence from the country of origin has remained considerable among the Turkish minority. Furthermore, the majority of second-generation Turks appear to have developed emotional and cultural ties to their parent’s country and also to the country which they live in and intend to remain. Most Turks live in two conflicting cultures with contrasting behaviour codes and patterns of belonging. At work or school, German culture
tends to dominate, while during leisure time social networks divide along ethnic lines of the Turkish culture. In the first generation of migrants, social networks were almost exclusively Turkish, and now in the second and third generations this segregation line remains just as effective as ever.
is Germany’s main immigrant language. The second and third generation Turks often speak Turkish with a German accent or even modelled on a German dialect. Some modify their Turkish by adding German grammatical and syntactical structures. The majority learn Turkish in their home, neighbourhood and community. Some attend Turkish classes offered at their local school whilst others study Turkish as a foreign language
, a subject now offered in many German schools. In some states of Germany, Turkish has even been approved as a subject to be studied for the Abitur
.
Turkish in Germany is often used not only by members of its own community but also by people with a non-Turkish background. Especially in urban areas, it functions as a peer group vernacular for children and adolescents.
in Germany was synonymous with Muslim
. Today, Turks make up 63.2% of Germany’s Muslim population. Thus, Islam in Germany
has a largely Turkish character. Religion has proven to be of particular importance for Turks in Germany for reasons more to do with ethnic reassurance rather than faith. More than any other manifestation of their cultural values, Islam
is regarded as the one feature that most strongly differentiates them in terms of identity from the majority of the German population.
Naturalisation of Turkish citizens: >
Year
Population
Year
Population
1982
580
1996
46,294
1983
853
1997
42,420
1984
1,053
1998
59,664
1985
1,310
1999
103,900
1986
1,492
2000
82,861
1987
1,184
2001
76,573
1988
1,243
2002
64,631
1989
1,713
2003
56,244
1990
2,034
2004
44,465
1991
3,529
2005
32,661
1992
7,377
2006
33,388
1993
12,915
2007
28,861
1994
19,590
2008
25,230
1995
31,578
2009
24,647
Turkish immigrants from the onset were regarded as temporary settlers, hence the name guest workers. Consequently, Germany did not put into place structures that would facilitate the integration of the Turks in the new society, and neither did the Turks themselves work toward becoming integrated into the new society.
Furthermore, Turks are perceived as the 'most foreign' group in Germany. As a result, the negative term foreigners (or Ausländer) was mainly reserved for the Turkish population. This was in part because Turkish culture and religion was perceived as completely alien.
maintain disadvantages of low economic and social status, whilst also restraining social advancement. Despite their long-term residency, Turks continue to face hostility
, which has intensified since the mid 1970s. In Germany today, there is an undercurrent of xenophobia
in public opinion and an open emphasis on xenophobia in right-wing and neo-Nazi organisations. The wave of xenophobic violence that saw offences treble between 1991 and 1993, claimed several Turkish lives and revealed how excluded and vulnerable non-Germans have remained in German society.
The number of violent acts by right-wing extremists in Germany increased dramatically between 1990 and 1992. On November 25, 1992, three Turkish residents were killed in a firebombing
in Mölln
(Western Germany). The attack prompted even further perplexity since the victims were neither refugees nor lived in a hostel.
The same was true for the incident in a Westphalia
n town on May 29, 1993; where another arson attack took place in Solingen
on a Turkish family that had resided in Germany for twenty-three years, five of whom were burnt to death. Several neighbours heard someone shout Heil Hitler! before dousing the front porch and door with gasoline and setting the fire to the home. However, most Germans condemned these attacks on foreigners and many marched in candlelight processions.
Author Greg Nees, writing in 2000, stated that "Because Turks are both darker-skinned and Muslim, conservative Germans are largely against granting them citizenship."
by birth. This was modified in 1991 and in 2012 when German citizenship law recognised jus soli
whereby people born in Germany were now automatically awarded citizenship. In 2000, legislation was passed which conferred German citizenship on the German-born children of foreigners (born after 1990), and the naturalisation process was made easier, although dual citizenship is only permitted to citizens of the EU and Switzerland and any other national possessing it (including citizens of Turkey) by virtue of birth must choose between the ages of 18 and 23 which citizenship she or he wishes to retain, and renounce their other passport. If one parent is German, a dual citizen is not required to give up the German citizenship if they keep the other citizenship. These strict limits on dual citizenship are criticised by liberal parties in Germany and institutions which promote German-Turkish relations.
(SPD). A survey following the 2005 Federal election
revealed close to 90 percent voted for Gerhard Schröder
's SPD/Green
alliance. There are now many parliamentarians — both at state and federal level — with family origins in Turkey. In 2008 German-born second generation Turk Cem Özdemir
became leader of the German Green Party.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
ethnicity living in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
who form the largest ethnic group after Germans. In 2010 the German Embassy stated that there was an estimated 3.5 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany, although other estimates suggest that there are now more than 4 million Turks and German citizens with part or full Turkish ancestry in Germany.
Early settlement
The Germanic states have been in contact with Turks since the 17th and 18th centuries when the Ottoman TurksOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
attempted to expand their territories beyond the north Balkan territories. Two sieges were held in Vienna in 1529 and 1683
Siege of Vienna
The Siege of Vienna in 1529 was the first attempt by the Ottoman Empire, led by Suleiman the Magnificent, to capture the city of Vienna, Austria. The siege signalled the pinnacle of the Ottoman Empire's power, the maximum extent of Ottoman expansion in central Europe, and was the result of a...
. It was the latter incident that, after the retreat of the Ottoman army, left behind many Muslim Turks who first became permanent residents in Germany. The relief of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and the Ottoman retreat left behind large numbers of Ottoman soldiers and camp followers, either as stragglers or prisoners.
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in the mid-eighteenth century. In 1731, the Duke of Kurland presented twenty Turkish guardsmen to King Frederick William I
Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of the House of Hohenzollern, was the King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death...
, and at one time, about 1,000 Muslim soldiers are said to have served in the Prussian cavalry
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
. The Prussian king’s fascination with the enlightenment was reflected in their consideration for the religious concerns of their Muslim troops.
In 1740 Frederick The Great stated (in the context of affirming the toleration of Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s) that "All religions are just as good as each other, as long as the people who practice them are honest, and even if Turks and heathens came and wanted to populate this country, then we would build mosques and temples for them".
In practice, already the first contingent of Turkish guardsmen had been given the use of a prayer room on Sundays. It soon became necessary to establish a Turkish/Muslim cemetery in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, in which a mosque was finally built in 1866.
Diplomatic relations were established between Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in the 18th century, and by the 19th century trading treaties were set up between the two cities. These developments encouraged the crossover of citizens between the Ottoman and German states. As a consequence to these developments, the Turkish community in Germany, and particularly in Berlin, grew significantly in the years before the First World War.
| Year | 1878 | 1893 | 1917 | 1925 | 1933 | 1938 | 1945 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons | 41 | 198 | 2,046 | 1,164 | 585 | 3,310 | 79 |
Immigration to Germany
The large-scale of immigration of Turkish workers from the beginning of the 1960s was on the one hand, due to the high population growth and mass unemployment within Turkey, and on the other, due to the demand for labour in north-west Europe. West GermanyWest Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, like other Western European nations, began to experience a labour shortage by the mid-1950s. Recruitment of workers from Mediterranean countries was one easy solution to this problem. In 1961, the construction of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
exacerbated West Germany’s labour crisis by restricting the flow of immigrants from East Germany. Turkey at the same time experienced unemployment. The Turkish government asked Germany to recruit Turkish guest workers. Theodor Blank
Theodor Blank
Theodor Anton Blank was a German politician of the CDU. He was one of the founders of the CDU in 1945....
, Secretary of State for Employment, was opposed to such agreements, believing that the cultural gap between Germany and Turkey would be too large. He also argued that Germany needed no additional foreign laborers, because there were enough unemployed people living in the poorer regions of Germany who could take these jobs. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
however, put some political pressure on Germany, as it wanted to stabilize Turkey. The German Department of Foreign Affairs carried on negotiations after this and in 1961 an agreement was reached. Pressure from German employers in 1962 and 1963 played a key role in ending the two-year limit on the period for which Turkish workers were permitted to stay in West Germany.
In 1961, a total of 7,116 Turks migrated to Germany as guest workers. The recruitment treaty in 1961 made Germany the prime host country for Turkish guest workers and by 1973, some 80% of the Turks in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
lived in Germany, and although this share had decreased to 70% by 1990, Germany remained by far the most important country of settlement for Turkish immigrants. Most Turks were convinced that they would only stay in Germany temporarily and would one day return to Turkey to build a new life for themselves with the money they had earned. During the recession
Recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction, a general slowdown in economic activity. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
of 1966-1967, the number of Turks leaving Germany rapidly increased; and the 1973 oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
also marked a period of departure. The last increase in departures in 1981-1984 was caused by mass unemployment in Germany and the policy of giving remigration bonuses to Turks who were willing to return to their homeland for good. Ultimately, however, the number of migrants who returned to Turkey remained relatively small and did not stop the rapid increase of the Turkish population in Germany.
Family reunification
In the 1970s, some 400,000 Turkish workers returned to Turkey, but others took advantage of the right of family reunificationFamily reunification
Family reunification is a recognized reason for immigration in many countries. The presence of one or more family members in a certain country, therefore, enables the rest of the family to immigrate to that country as well....
to have their families join them in Germany. As a result, between 1974–1988, the number of Turks in Germany nearly doubled, acquiring a normalised sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....
and a much younger age profile than the German population because of the larger numbers of children per family. By 1987, 21% of ethnic Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
were under the age of 21, compared to 42% of the Turks in Germany. As the recession of 1967 temporarily stopped the progress of worker recruitment, when it resumed, the targeted employees had changed as the BfA (Bundesversicherungsanstalt für Angestellte) granted most work visas to women. This was in part because labour shortages continued in low paying, low-status service jobs such as electronics, textiles, and garment work; and in part to further the goal of family reunification. Family reunification was a solution to the perceived social threat the foreign workers posed, single men living in worker hostels or dormitories, with extra money in their pockets. Many wives did join their husbands in Germany, but women also came hoping to bring their husbands and children to Germany in the future. Moreover, Turkish workers in Germany were able to save enough money to return home to marry and bring their brides back to Germany when the 1974 Unification of Families Law made this easier. By 1976, 27% of Turks in West Germany were women.
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reunification of East and West GermanyWest Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
was followed by intense public debate around the articulations of national identity and citizenship, including the place of Germany’s Turkish minority in the future of a united Germany. These debates about citizenship were all accompanied by expressions of xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
and ethnic violence that targeted the Turkish population
Turkish population
-Traditional areas of Turkish settlement:-Other countries:- Bibliography :...
. Anti-immigrant sentiment was especially strong in the former eastern states of Germany, which underwent profound social and economic transformations during the reunification process. Turkish communities experienced considerable fear for their safety throughout Germany, with some 1,500 reported cases of right wing violence, and 2,200 cases the year after. The political rhetoric calling for foreigner-free zones (Ausländer-freie Zonen) and the rise of neo-Nazi groups sharpened public awareness of integration issues and generated intensified support among liberal Germans for the competing idea of Germany as a ‘multicultural’ society. Citizenship laws that established eligibility according to place of birth rather than according to descent have been slow in coming and restrictions on dual citizenship are still onerous. However, increasing numbers of second-generation Turks have opted for German citizenship and are becoming more involved in the political process. Celebrations by Turkish residents following the September 11 attacks caused concern among Germans about the Turkish presence.
Demographics
In 2008, there were 1,688,370 Turkish citizens (889,003 males and 799,367 females) in Germany which accounted for 25.1% of Germany's foreign population and thus the largest ethnic minority. The official number of Turks with Turkish citizenship in Germany is falling, partly because about 30-70,000 are taking on German citizenship per year (with a downward trend, however), and since the year 2000, children born in Germany are entitled to adopt German citizenship if at least one parent has lived for eight years in Germany and has a perpetual residence permit.
In 2005, there were 840,000 German citizens of Turkish origin. Overall, the number of German residents with origins in Turkey was approximately 2,812,000 or approximately 3.4% of Germany's population. In 2010, the Embassy of Germany said that there are 3.5 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany and that a further 3 million Turks have spent part of their lives in Germany. Other estimates suggest that there are now over 4 million people of Turkish descent living in Germany.
Population distribution
Turks in Germany are concentrated predominantly in urbanUrban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
centers. Currently, about 60% of Turkish immigrants live in cities whilst at least a quarter of Turks live in smaller towns. The vast majority are found in the former West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. The majority live in industrial regions such as the states of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, and Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
and the working neighbourhoods of cities like Berlin
Turks in Berlin
Turks in Berlin are people of Turkish ethnicity living in Berlin, where they form the largest ethnic minority group with a population of around 250,000 - 300,000 , making it the largest Turkish settlement outside of Turkey...
(especially in Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg, a part of the combined Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte since 2001, is one of the best-known areas of Berlin...
which is known as Little Istanbul and Neukölln
Neukölln (locality)
Neukölln is an inner-city locality of Berlin in the homonymous borough of Neukölln, including the historic village of Rixdorf and numerous Gründerzeit apartment blocks. The Ortsteil is densely settled a with a population of 154,127 inhabitants and is the most populated one of Berlin...
), Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
.
Structure
The age structure of the Turkish population in Germany is dramatically different from that of the German population as a whole. A quarter of the mainstream German population is older than 60 years, compared to only 5% of the Turkish population. The year 1973 is a milestone with regard to the historical development and changes which have occurred in the social structure of Turkish migrants. This is mainly due to the reunification of families. Around 53% of migrants came to Germany through family reunification and already around 17% of Turks who live in Germany were born in the country.The proportion of men and women who reside in Germany has balanced out since the 1960s. 54.2% of Turks in Germany are male and 45.8% are female. Of the population, 50.5% are between 14 and 29 years old, whereas among Germans the comparable proportion is only 25%. In the Turkish population, 33.8% are between 39 and 49 years old, while 32% of Germans are within this age group. Only 15.7% of Turks are age fifty and above, while this is true of 43% of Germans. Overall, Turks in Germany make up a younger population than do Germans.
Characteristics
The German state does not keep statistics on ethnicity but, subsequently, categorizes ethnic groups originating from TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
as being of Turkish national origin. This has the consequence of ethnic minorities from Turkey
Demographics of Turkey
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Turkey, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
living in Germany being referred to as "Turks". However, about one-fourth to one-fifth of Turkish nationals are ethnic Kurds (amounting to some 350,000). Furthermore, the number of ethnic Turks who have immigrated to Germany from Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and other traditional areas of Turkish settlement which were once part of the Ottoman territories in Europe are unknown as these Turkish minorities are categorised by their citizenship rather than their Turkish ethnicity.
Other Turkish communities
The official estimates of the Turkish immigrant population in Germany does not include the Turks whose origins go back to the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. In Germany, there are ethnic Turkish people
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
such as Turks from Bulgaria
Turks in Bulgaria
The Turks in Bulgaria number 588,318 people and constitute 8.8% of those who declared their ethnic group and 8.0% of the total population according to the 2011 Bulgarian census. 605,802 persons or 9.1% of the population pointed Turkish language as their mother tongue. They are also the largest...
, Turks from Cyprus
Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots are the ethnic Turks and members of the Turkish-speaking ethnolinguistic community of the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The term is used to refer explicitly to the indigenous Turkish Cypriots, whose Ottoman Turkish forbears colonised the island in 1571...
, Turks from Greece (Crete
Cretan Turks
The Cretan Turks, Turco-Cretans , or Cretan Muslims were the Muslim inhabitants of Crete and now their descendants, who settled principally in Turkey, the Levant, and Egypt as well as in the larger Turkish diaspora.After the Ottoman conquest of Crete...
Dodecanese
Turks of the Dodecanese
The Turks of the Dodecanese form a 5,000-strong community of ethnic Turks inhabiting the Dodecanese islands of Rhodes and Kos who were not affected by the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey since the islands were under the rule of the Kingdom of Italy at the time and who became...
Western Thrace
Turks of Western Thrace
Turks of Western Thrace are ethnic Turks who live in Western Thrace, in the north-eastern part of Greece.According to the Greek census of 1991, there were approximately 50,000 Turks in Western Thrace, out of the approximately 98,000 strong Muslim minority of Greece...
), Turks from Romania and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. These populations, which have different nationalities, share the same ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious origins as Turkish nationals.
Bulgaria
From the early 1990s Western Europe began to attract Turks from BulgariaTurks in Bulgaria
The Turks in Bulgaria number 588,318 people and constitute 8.8% of those who declared their ethnic group and 8.0% of the total population according to the 2011 Bulgarian census. 605,802 persons or 9.1% of the population pointed Turkish language as their mother tongue. They are also the largest...
for the first time in their social history. Migration to Germany, in particular, was initiated by those Bulgarian Turks who, for various reasons, were unable to join the first massive migration wave to Turkey in 1989 or who were part of the subsequent return wave which was dissatisfied with the conditions of life or the social adjustment prospects there. The majority of Turks from Bulgaria migrated to Germany in the 1990s asylum
Right of asylum
Right of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...
regime, which provided generous social benefits.
Bulgarian Turks are to be found predominantly in the less protected sectors of the German labour market associated with ethnic businesses that require higher flexibility and tougher working conditions. They appear to rely for employment predominantly on co-ethnic networks established by German Turks. The majority of this group of Turks are relatively new in Germany which now consists of regular migrants who legalised their status largely through marriages of convenience to German citizens. Some members of this group have managed to bring their children to Germany whilst there are also a smaller number of people who have given birth in Germany.
Cyprus
After the partitioning of the island in 1974, Turkish Cypriots suffered a fragile political and economic situation in the internationallyisolated Northern Cyprus which made large groups of the population leave the island, thousands of which moved to Germany.
Greece
There are some members of the Greek MuslimGreek Muslims
Greek Muslims, also known as Greek-speaking Muslims, are Muslims of Greek ethnic origin, nowadays found mainly in Turkey, although migrations to Lebanon and Syria have been reported. Historically, Greek Orthodoxy has been associated with being Romios, i.e...
community among the some 350,000 Greeks living in Germany
Greeks in Germany
The Greeks in Germany form a significant community with a population of 294,891 people according to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, on December 31, 2007.-History:The first Greeks came during the time of the Roman Empire to Central Europe....
who are Turkish-speaking or who espouse a Turkish identity. The majority of Turks come from Western Thrace
Western Thrace
Western Thrace or simply Thrace is a geographic and historical region of Greece, located between the Nestos and Evros rivers in the northeast of the country. Together with the regions of Macedonia and Epirus, it is often referred to informally as northern Greece...
. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Thracian tobacco industry was affected by a severe crisis and many tobacco growers lost their income. This resulted in many Turks leaving their homes and immigrating to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with estimates suggesting that today there are now between 12,000 and 25,000 residing in Germany.
Lebanon
In 1950, thousands of Turks left the Turkish city of MardinMardin
Mardin is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for its Arabic-like architecture, and for its strategic location on a rocky mountain overlooking the plains of northern Syria.-History:...
and headed for Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
because of the economic crises and unemployment in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Though the first Turks who left for Lebanon were originally just going to make money, they started to plan the rest of their lives there (mainly in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
). However, most of these Turks then migrated to European countries due to the war between the Arabs and the Israelis. When the Israeli attack on Lebanon took place in 2006, more than 20,000 Turks fled Lebanon, forced to take refuge in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and various other European countries.
Culture
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, cultural transfer and influence from the country of origin has remained considerable among the Turkish minority. Furthermore, the majority of second-generation Turks appear to have developed emotional and cultural ties to their parent’s country and also to the country which they live in and intend to remain. Most Turks live in two conflicting cultures with contrasting behaviour codes and patterns of belonging. At work or school, German culture
Culture of Germany
German culture began long before the rise of Germany as a nation-state and spanned the entire German-speaking world. From its roots, culture in Germany has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular...
tends to dominate, while during leisure time social networks divide along ethnic lines of the Turkish culture. In the first generation of migrants, social networks were almost exclusively Turkish, and now in the second and third generations this segregation line remains just as effective as ever.
Language
The Turkish languageTurkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
is Germany’s main immigrant language. The second and third generation Turks often speak Turkish with a German accent or even modelled on a German dialect. Some modify their Turkish by adding German grammatical and syntactical structures. The majority learn Turkish in their home, neighbourhood and community. Some attend Turkish classes offered at their local school whilst others study Turkish as a foreign language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
, a subject now offered in many German schools. In some states of Germany, Turkish has even been approved as a subject to be studied for the Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
.
Turkish in Germany is often used not only by members of its own community but also by people with a non-Turkish background. Especially in urban areas, it functions as a peer group vernacular for children and adolescents.
Religion
Turks are the predominant Muslim ethnic group in Germany. In fact, by the 1960s, the label TurkTurkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
in Germany was synonymous with Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. Today, Turks make up 63.2% of Germany’s Muslim population. Thus, Islam in Germany
Islam in Germany
Owing to labour migration in the 1960s and several waves of political refugees since the 1970s, Islam has become a visible religion in Germany., there are 4.3 million Muslims .Of these, 1.9 million are German citizens...
has a largely Turkish character. Religion has proven to be of particular importance for Turks in Germany for reasons more to do with ethnic reassurance rather than faith. More than any other manifestation of their cultural values, Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
is regarded as the one feature that most strongly differentiates them in terms of identity from the majority of the German population.
Integration
Furthermore, Turks are perceived as the 'most foreign' group in Germany. As a result, the negative term foreigners (or Ausländer) was mainly reserved for the Turkish population. This was in part because Turkish culture and religion was perceived as completely alien.
Discrimination
For Turks in German society, patterns of discriminationDiscrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
maintain disadvantages of low economic and social status, whilst also restraining social advancement. Despite their long-term residency, Turks continue to face hostility
Hostility
Hostility is a form of angry internal rejection or denial in psychology. It is a part of personal construct psychology, developed by George Kelly...
, which has intensified since the mid 1970s. In Germany today, there is an undercurrent of xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
in public opinion and an open emphasis on xenophobia in right-wing and neo-Nazi organisations. The wave of xenophobic violence that saw offences treble between 1991 and 1993, claimed several Turkish lives and revealed how excluded and vulnerable non-Germans have remained in German society.
The number of violent acts by right-wing extremists in Germany increased dramatically between 1990 and 1992. On November 25, 1992, three Turkish residents were killed in a firebombing
Firebombing
Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs....
in Mölln
Molln
Molln is a municipality in the district of Kirchdorf an der Krems in Upper Austria, Austria.-References:...
(Western Germany). The attack prompted even further perplexity since the victims were neither refugees nor lived in a hostel.
The same was true for the incident in a Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
n town on May 29, 1993; where another arson attack took place in Solingen
Solingen
Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and with a 2009 population of 161,366 is the second largest city in the Bergisches Land...
on a Turkish family that had resided in Germany for twenty-three years, five of whom were burnt to death. Several neighbours heard someone shout Heil Hitler! before dousing the front porch and door with gasoline and setting the fire to the home. However, most Germans condemned these attacks on foreigners and many marched in candlelight processions.
Author Greg Nees, writing in 2000, stated that "Because Turks are both darker-skinned and Muslim, conservative Germans are largely against granting them citizenship."
Citizenship
Under previous German law, children born to foreigners in Germany were not entitled to German citizenshipGerman nationality law
German citizenship is based primarily on the principle of jus sanguinis. In other words one usually acquires German citizenship if a parent is a German citizen, irrespective of place of birth....
by birth. This was modified in 1991 and in 2012 when German citizenship law recognised jus soli
Jus soli
Jus soli , also known as birthright citizenship, is a right by which nationality or citizenship can be recognized to any individual born in the territory of the related state...
whereby people born in Germany were now automatically awarded citizenship. In 2000, legislation was passed which conferred German citizenship on the German-born children of foreigners (born after 1990), and the naturalisation process was made easier, although dual citizenship is only permitted to citizens of the EU and Switzerland and any other national possessing it (including citizens of Turkey) by virtue of birth must choose between the ages of 18 and 23 which citizenship she or he wishes to retain, and renounce their other passport. If one parent is German, a dual citizen is not required to give up the German citizenship if they keep the other citizenship. These strict limits on dual citizenship are criticised by liberal parties in Germany and institutions which promote German-Turkish relations.
Political behaviour
Turks have been a somewhat inert force in German politics because the first generation of Turks saw their stay in Germany as temporary. Moreover, few Turks have German citizenship and the attention of many Turks focuses on Turkish rather than German politics. However, in recent years, there has been increasing political participation by Turks in Germany, even those who are not citizens. Because of its supportive stand on immigration and naturalisation, most Turks favour the Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD). A survey following the 2005 Federal election
German federal election, 2005
German federal elections took place on 18 September 2005 to elect the members of the 16th German Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany. They became necessary after a motion of confidence in Chancellor Gerhard Schröder failed on 1 July...
revealed close to 90 percent voted for Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder is a German politician, and was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , he led a coalition government of the SPD and the Greens. Before becoming a full-time politician, he was a lawyer, and before becoming Chancellor...
's SPD/Green
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
alliance. There are now many parliamentarians — both at state and federal level — with family origins in Turkey. In 2008 German-born second generation Turk Cem Özdemir
Cem Özdemir
Cem Özdemir is a German politician. He is co-chairman of the German political party Alliance '90/The Greens, together with Claudia Roth...
became leader of the German Green Party.
See also
- AusländerAusländer- People with surname Auslander or Ausländer :* Joseph Auslander, Poet* Leora Auslander* Louis Auslander, mathematician* Maurice Auslander, mathematician, who introduced:** Auslander algebra** Auslander–Buchsbaum formula** Auslander–Buchsbaum theorem...
- Demographics of GermanyDemographics of GermanyThe Demographics of Germany were determined also by a series of full Census in Germany, with the most recent held in 1987. Since reunification, German authorities rely on a micro census....
- Diyanet İşleri Türk İslam BirliğiDiyanet Isleri Türk Islam BirligiThe Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs , is one of the largest Islamic organisations in Germany. It was founded in 1984 as a branch of the Presidency of Religious Affairs in Ankara. The headquarters are in Cologne-Ehrenfeld....
- German–Turkish relations
- List of Turkish Germans
- Turks in BerlinTurks in BerlinTurks in Berlin are people of Turkish ethnicity living in Berlin, where they form the largest ethnic minority group with a population of around 250,000 - 300,000 , making it the largest Turkish settlement outside of Turkey...
- Turks in EuropeTurks in EuropeThe Turks in Europe refers to Turkish people living in Europe. According to a 2011 academic estimate, there is approximately 9 million Turks living in Europe, excluding those who live in Turkey....