From Emigration to Immigration: Germany’s Shifting Migration Narrative Over Centuries

In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin expressed fear that German emigrants would not assimilate, a sentiment echoed centuries later by modern right-wing parties. Early German migrants faced perilous sea journeys, disease, and contracts that bound them to labor in America, while Catherine the Great lured others to Russia with land and tax breaks. One outlet-century surge saw roughly six million Germans settle in the United States, and later, post-World War II West Germany welcomed about 14 million guest workers, of whom three million stayed permanently.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, more than 30% of today’s German residents have migrant roots, yet integration remains uneven, with skilled workers welcomed but refugees often viewed skeptically. Experts like Jochen Oltmer and Simone Blaschka highlight the historical continuity of migration and call for a painful but necessary conversation about Germany’s future societal composition.