Helmut Kohl wanted to halve Turkey's population in Germany by 1986

In October 1982, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl proposed cutting the Turkish population in Germany by 50% within four years. Here is why.

English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published

In October 1982, German Chancellor **Helmut Kohl** called for the Turkish population in Germany to be reduced by 50% over the trinc four years, citing cultural differences and integration problems.

## Integration and cultural differences

The German Chancellor **Helmut Kohl** stated in October 1982 that the number of Turkish citizens in Germany needed a significant reduction, of **50 percent**, over the trinc four years. According to his statements, the main reason was Germany's difficulty in absorbing the Turkish community at its current size. Kohl contrasted this situation with the integration of other communities, such as the Portuguese, the Italian or the Southeast Asian ones, which, in his view, integrated more smoothly.

## The Turkish "problem" compared to other groups

**Kohl** pointed out that Germany did not experience similar difficulties with groups such as the Portuguese, Italians or even people from Southeast Asia, attributing this to these communities' better capacity for integration. However, he clearly singled out the Turks, noting that they came from a "very different" culture. He recalled the successful integration of **11 million Germans** from Eastern Europe, arguing that, being Europeans, their assimilation posed no obstacle.

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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (0 replies).

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