Why are there many Turks living in Germany?

The Torrent of Steel is the image that netizens today use to describe Germany’s terrifying combat effectiveness in the two world wars. It was later also cited to the German football team, which was unbeatable on the green field. However, this steel chariot encountered a politically sensitive incident during the 2018 World Cup.

In the summer of that year, two German internationals, Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan, took a photo with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which was exposed by the German media. The controversy about racism in Germany is rampant, and Ozil, the former German striker, has left the German team because of this. In fact, the Ozil incident was more than just an accident.

In today’s Germany, there are already 6 million Turkish people (the total population of Germany is 80 million). How did this huge group come into being in Germany, which is not bordering Turkey?

01 Soldiers from the Ottomans

Looking at today’s map, Turkey and Germany are far apart. One is located in Asia and the other is located in central and western Europe. They seem to be incompatible with each other. Two unrelated countries. But in history, the two nations of Germany and Turkey did have territorial borders, and the two sides once had close interactions.

In the mid-16th century, the Ottoman Turkish Empire swept across the Balkan Peninsula, from Constantinople to the Danube River Basin. After destroying the Kingdom of Hungary, the Ottoman Empire began to compete with those under the rule of the Habsburg Dynasty at that time. Bordering Germany, it even besieged the city of Vienna several times.

In the months and years of fighting, both armies have captured a large number of the other side's soldiers. From the mid-16th century to the late 17th century AD, some Turks who were captured by the Germans during the war came to Germany and began to settle there. Of course, these Turks were naturally unpopular among the surrounding Christian groups, but their value was discovered by Prussia, the Austrian rival at the time.

At that time, Frederick the Great (1740-1786) vigorously developed Prussia's modern military system, so he was in urgent need of physically strong soldiers. The Turkish prisoners of war who fell into Germany at that time naturally became a sought-after combat force. The Prussian Emperor at that time pursued a pragmatic policy and did not treat these soldiers differently because of their religious attributes. He even believed that the enemy of his enemy was his friend. He recruited Turks to come to Prussia to serve as mercenaries at the right time and established an establishment for the Turks who were willing to stay in Prussia. The mosque welcomes their settlement. These Turks who appeared as mercenaries and prisoners of war were the earliest Turkish ancestors of Germany.

Picture/There are many Turkish soldiers in the Prussian regiment

02 Good German-Turkish relations

Since the German Empire established by Prussia as the main body does not border on Ottoman Turkey . Therefore, in the days after the Second Reich, the Germans and Turkey no longer had the previous geo-territorial conflicts. According to the traditional geostrategic principle of distant relations and close attacks, the Germans believe that this Muslim country across Austria can become an important helper for them to contain the Austrians and deal with the Russians on the Balkan Peninsula, while the Turks have confidence in this rapidly rising European military power. add.

Therefore, Turkey and Germany stood in the same queue during World War I and have always maintained a relatively close relationship. Even during World War II, a large number of Turks participated in the Foreign Legion of the Nazi SS. It can be seen that the relationship between the two parties has always been maintained at a relatively friendly level, which provided the basis for the subsequent influx of Turks.

03 Post-war labor force

Although Western European countries suffered heavy losses after World War II, high-quality citizens and good industrial knowledge systems still provide unlimited possibilities for economic recovery. Coupled with Uncle Sam's full set of Marshall Plan, the economies of France and Germany at that time quickly entered the fast track of development. However, due to the loss of population during World War II, France and Germany, the two engines of the European economy, faced an important problem-labor shortage.

Faced with this problem, the French naturally thought of their simple black brothers in their vast West African land, while the Germans thought of their old friends, the Turks.

Picture/France’s Afrika Korps

The reason why Turks were chosen is, firstly, because Turkey, a Muslim society, has a large population base and a high population growth rate, and secondly, Turkey’s own economy Development was relatively slow after World War II, and there were a huge number of Turks who needed to go out to work. As a result, by the late 1960s and early 1970s, Turks had become Germany's largest source of labor. When these later Turks came to Germany, they not only enjoyed good wages and benefits, but also saw some faces and scenery related to their hometown. Such experience naturally made domestic Turks flock to Germany even more, inviting friends and companions to come to Germany to seek employment. Survive and make a home.

Picture/Turkish workers in Germany

However, there are also certain problems when Turks come to Germany. First, the rapid influx of Turks enabled this ethnic group to form its own large-scale communities, thus creating groups and social circles. In addition, the religious beliefs of the Turks are incompatible with Christianity after all.

Therefore, over time, the Turks formed a relatively independent and closed inner-ring small society in Germany, and became immune and resistant to Germany's own cultural assimilation ability.

Not only that, they also continue to fight for their political and economic rights, and even ask the local government to respect their cultural habits while demanding social welfare.

While white Europeans' desire to have children continues to decline, the fertility rate of Turks remains high. In the population comparison of one and the other, "Germanistan" may not be completely imaginary...