Overview: German Policy for Migrants and Families in 20th century Europe

This is commenting on “Family Policy and Labor Migration in East and West Germany” by Paul Adams in 1989. After World War II there was a great influx of migration in Europe and the Soviet Union. This was particularly concentrated in Germany, which was split between the democratic west (Federal Republic of Germany), and the communist east (Democratic Republic of Germany). Both countries had a common heritage of language and culture. The Federal Republic of Germany was greatly influenced from the west and based its economy on capitalism. The Democratic Republic of Germany was influenced by the east as it was part of the Warsaw pact. This greatly closed the eastern German economy from the west and relied on a communisitic approach.

In 1961 the Berlin wall was built, and split the Berlin east and west. It was seen in the next years that the west capitalist Germany had a higher standard of living and industry than their eastern counterpart. The West created new housing as a resettlement scheme,this was especially tempting for immigrants from Turkey and Spain. The west welcomed migrants, although many migrants were blamed for economic hardships that both economies faced. The migrants did make up for the low birth rate in both countries. As many had family migration and brought their families. The Age of Migration studies migration reasons and causes. The author believes “Family migration is often popular as it is hard to deny in a real democracy based on legal or humanitarian reasons (De Haas p.31). The idea of migration plays a huge role in both german economies, as many migrants are looking for work and both countries need a labor force. Unfortunately many of these immigrants did not receive the benefits as a citizen, although many have only lived in Germany, as their parents were immigrants. There is also a German social hierarchy against many of the migrants. Many migrants were still looked down upon for taking lower class jobs although they had assimilated into German society.

Although there were major advantages to living in Western Germany, the East did have some. The east did reward women for having children, with the baby year(babyjahr). Women who had kids were able to take a paid leave for close to a year. The women in east germany worked more outside the house. There was a difference as there was less incentive for west german women to have a child, which stagnated the population. Although much of the loss was compensated with migrants and their families working and living in West Germany. Both countries had a family allowance (kindergeld). In 1990, both German republics re-unified into one country. Since then, the German economy has grown enormously, and is one of the strongest in Europe and in the world. Today, many migrants from less economically developed countries in Europe. This creates a big problem as German economy grows stronger the economies around it grow weaker. Many youths travel to Germany in search of work, leading to a decline in population, less skilled workers, and a weaker economy in their home country. Despite this problem Germany has a ton of migrants from Europe and the Middle East in search of a better life. Unfortunately, many migrants from the Middle East face discrimination in Germany. The situation of a strong German country has been solved, but the hardships from migrants in German is still a major problem, as it was in the 20th century.

Bibliography

Adams, Paul. “Family Policy and Labor Migration in East and West Germany,” SocialService Review 1989, 63 (2): 245-263 (Fampol198Fampol198.pdf

De Haas, Hein. “The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World, Sixth Edition”. 2013

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