User:Shaywah/sandbox

Immigration to Berlin, Germany

Germany wasn't always an immigration destination. Immigration is considered one of its two most discussed topics in the country, as it puts strain on many social and governmental aspects of a country, such as its "...social services, local schools, property taxes, language standards, etc.," Many immigrants strive to meet these basic requirements to be considered successfully integrated. It wasn't until January 1, 2010 when the German government signed a contract, making Germany more open for immigrants to have 'rights to the land' or 'ius soli' Latin Six months later, immigrants accounted for 12% of Berlin's population. According to one academic article, these are the three most common types of immigrants: “German refugees, labour migration and asylum seekers”. Many immigrants came in the mid-twentieth century due to programs that Germany had created to entice "Ausländer" or "foreigners" to study in Germany, many of whom were medical or engineering students. This was one of their attempts to restore an economic balance to Germany, along with instituting the two-year gastarbeiter, or two year guest worker program after World War II. Germany drew in many immigrants in the twentieth century as result of this program, especially around 1961 once the city split into West Berlin and East Berlin. Three years later, 1 million immigrants accounted for the work force. Most of these incoming workers were Turkish, according to a 2010 article on Berlin, who also says that the Turks are considered the most difficult ethnic group to integrate, as many still have undying ties with Turkey. Germany's program was not foolproof, as many of these immigrants stayed instead of returning to their native countries. Another group of immigrants that came during the twentieth century were the Muslims, who found themselves struggling to integrate in society, as they were at first not allowed to build Mosques in the region of Kreuzberg, Berlin, a popular immigration district. In one scenario, a Mosque in Berlin was purchased by the government to turn into a Synagogue, but then turned back into a Mosque years later. Many Muslims after 2015 had moved to Cologne (or Köln) to seek refuge from the Middle East. This was due to the government's change in policy to entice refugees to come and help rebuild the work force, as 1/3 of the population was 65 years old or older.

Living/Integrating

To make a living, many immigrants started running their own small businesses, mainly restaurants. This was primarily due to the fact that first-generation immigrants had little or no education. Once the second and third generations came along, they had better access to education, and thus were more successful and had better jobs. Garment-making was another trade that some immigrants tried their hands at in Berlin and Paris in the twentieth century. However this line of work had already existed prior to their coming, and their success varied, depending on location, experience, demand, and other aspects. It appealed to some housewives, as they could create their product from home amidst other responsibilities. However, it is a dying, if not dead industry, especially after the Berlin Wall was set up in 1961, which forced production from this area to relocate to Eastern Europe.