alex
November 30th, 2006, 05:37 AM
Is the "foreignerization" of Europe a new problem? Does it exist solely in "liberal" systems and states? Where did all those foreigners come from? Why are they here? And how come former "communist" Eastern Europe has so few of them while the capitalist West is full of them?
Questions which which are asked by many and which i will try answering by using the example of Germany. Which is pefectly fitted for this case because of its history.
NS Germany and the foreigners
The war years in particular caused two main processes in the national economy. First was the needed and annual incrase of war production. The front in this ever widening war was in dire need of weapons,tanks,aircrafts etc. The war production had to rise to ever increasing highs.
But at the same time the second process took place: Ever more German workers were drafted into the German Wehrmacht to fight at the front.
While the industry was hungry for ever more labor, the actual labor pool among indigenious German men at least was decreasing.
As a consequence two events took place:
The first was the gradual "emancipation" of the German woman. Increasingly the German woman replaced her drafted husband,son,father etc in the factory.
The second was the dramatic increase in the recruitment of foreign labor, predomantely from areas occupied by the Wehrmacht. So high were the numbers of foreigners in German cities and towns that a NS propaganda film of 1943 called "We live in Germany" openly critisized the situation.
The immediate years after 1945
The foreigners left the destroyed Germany for their homelands, since work in rebuilding Germany was there of course but nobody was willing to pay for it and actually no-one could.
At the same time hundreds of thousends of German soldies were kept in captivity in Allied and Soviet camps.
The "emancipated" German women took it upon themselves and started the rebuilding of Germany. For example cleaning the streets from the rubbles and doing the hard manual work.
West-Germany and the foreigners
As the German soldiers gradually returned from their captivity they overtook the responsibility of the rebuilding of Germany. The German woman returned to the "kitchen" and to her role as a mother and housewive.
The rebuilding of West-German economy and the dramatic increase of industry production again caused a search for new labor, since the indigenious one wasnt enough anymore. The more traditionalist and "religious" West-Germany also did everything to supress the emancipation of the German woman. German mothers for example who did want to work were looked down upon and were "socially ostracized" by society. They were called "bad mothers" for not being at home and "abandoning" their chldren.
At first capitalist West Germany could recruit workers from Eastern Germany who eagerly passed through the border to work in the west. But at the same time the dreadful decision was made by the politicians of the time (after major lobbying and pushing from German capitalists) to recruit "guest-workers" from Southern Europe too. Thus hundreds of thousend of Italians,Spaniards,Portuguese and Greeks came as cheap labor throghout the late 50's and 60's.
Soon enough though two important events took place which would further worsen the situation of West Germany. The Berlin Wall would put an end to the draining of workforce from the East and the economic recovering of Southern Europe which led to ever less Southern Europeans deciding to come to Germany to work for a cheap labor wage.
Thus after major pushing by German capitalist circles who eagerly demanded ever more "guest-workers" to increase their profits, the dreadful decision was made to recruit "guest-workers" from Turkey. The rest is history and known.
East-Germany and the foreigners
What saved East-Germany from the "foreignerization"?
Two events were most crucial to that effect.
First and foremost was the erection of the Berlin Wall. The draining of East-German workforce by the capitalist West was halted and stopped.
The second was the promoting of "emancipation" among East German women.Being a mother and at the same time a worker was not seen as something abhorrent.
Thus East Germany could recruit not only its male but also vast portions of its female workforce for the ever increasing production rate.
Nevertheless even in East Germany production at some timne around/at the end of the 70's reached such highs that the local workforce was not enough anymore. The decision was made to recruit Vietnameese workers.
Of course foreigners in East Germany never reached the high numbers of those in the West (even today East Germany has only 2% foreigners). The splendid foreigner policy of the GDR was of course an important reason to that effect. ( I've written about it here: http://www.vnnforum.com/showthread.php?t=39313 )
Questions which which are asked by many and which i will try answering by using the example of Germany. Which is pefectly fitted for this case because of its history.
NS Germany and the foreigners
The war years in particular caused two main processes in the national economy. First was the needed and annual incrase of war production. The front in this ever widening war was in dire need of weapons,tanks,aircrafts etc. The war production had to rise to ever increasing highs.
But at the same time the second process took place: Ever more German workers were drafted into the German Wehrmacht to fight at the front.
While the industry was hungry for ever more labor, the actual labor pool among indigenious German men at least was decreasing.
As a consequence two events took place:
The first was the gradual "emancipation" of the German woman. Increasingly the German woman replaced her drafted husband,son,father etc in the factory.
The second was the dramatic increase in the recruitment of foreign labor, predomantely from areas occupied by the Wehrmacht. So high were the numbers of foreigners in German cities and towns that a NS propaganda film of 1943 called "We live in Germany" openly critisized the situation.
The immediate years after 1945
The foreigners left the destroyed Germany for their homelands, since work in rebuilding Germany was there of course but nobody was willing to pay for it and actually no-one could.
At the same time hundreds of thousends of German soldies were kept in captivity in Allied and Soviet camps.
The "emancipated" German women took it upon themselves and started the rebuilding of Germany. For example cleaning the streets from the rubbles and doing the hard manual work.
West-Germany and the foreigners
As the German soldiers gradually returned from their captivity they overtook the responsibility of the rebuilding of Germany. The German woman returned to the "kitchen" and to her role as a mother and housewive.
The rebuilding of West-German economy and the dramatic increase of industry production again caused a search for new labor, since the indigenious one wasnt enough anymore. The more traditionalist and "religious" West-Germany also did everything to supress the emancipation of the German woman. German mothers for example who did want to work were looked down upon and were "socially ostracized" by society. They were called "bad mothers" for not being at home and "abandoning" their chldren.
At first capitalist West Germany could recruit workers from Eastern Germany who eagerly passed through the border to work in the west. But at the same time the dreadful decision was made by the politicians of the time (after major lobbying and pushing from German capitalists) to recruit "guest-workers" from Southern Europe too. Thus hundreds of thousend of Italians,Spaniards,Portuguese and Greeks came as cheap labor throghout the late 50's and 60's.
Soon enough though two important events took place which would further worsen the situation of West Germany. The Berlin Wall would put an end to the draining of workforce from the East and the economic recovering of Southern Europe which led to ever less Southern Europeans deciding to come to Germany to work for a cheap labor wage.
Thus after major pushing by German capitalist circles who eagerly demanded ever more "guest-workers" to increase their profits, the dreadful decision was made to recruit "guest-workers" from Turkey. The rest is history and known.
East-Germany and the foreigners
What saved East-Germany from the "foreignerization"?
Two events were most crucial to that effect.
First and foremost was the erection of the Berlin Wall. The draining of East-German workforce by the capitalist West was halted and stopped.
The second was the promoting of "emancipation" among East German women.Being a mother and at the same time a worker was not seen as something abhorrent.
Thus East Germany could recruit not only its male but also vast portions of its female workforce for the ever increasing production rate.
Nevertheless even in East Germany production at some timne around/at the end of the 70's reached such highs that the local workforce was not enough anymore. The decision was made to recruit Vietnameese workers.
Of course foreigners in East Germany never reached the high numbers of those in the West (even today East Germany has only 2% foreigners). The splendid foreigner policy of the GDR was of course an important reason to that effect. ( I've written about it here: http://www.vnnforum.com/showthread.php?t=39313 )