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Series: "Home Away from Home - The 50th Anniversary of the Turkish-German Guest Worker Treaty"

Michael BärSeptember 23, 2011

The West German economy boomed after the Second World War and workers were in short supply. Then Chancellor Konrad Adenauer decided to invite "guest workers" and signed a recruitment treaty with Turkey. Many of those workers became permanent residents; they and their descendants are now an integral part of German society. We examine the case of one man and his story which reflects the development and legacy of the treaty over the decades.

https://p.dw.com/p/RnG5
The West German economy boomed after the Second World War and workers were in short supply. Then Chancellor Konrad Adenauer decided to invite "guest workers" and signed a recruitment treaty with Turkey. Many of those workers became permanent residents; they and their descendants are now an integral part of German society. We examine the case of one man and his story which reflects the development and legacy of the treaty over the decades.