Merz claims Turkish workers rebuilt Germany: the dates say otherwise

The claim that Turkish workers rebuilt Germany does not hold up against the dates: the recruitment agreement with Turkey came in 1961, by which time post-war reconstruction was already well advanced. The first one was with Italy, in 1955.

The debate over who built up Germany's post-war economy resurfaces every so often. This time, the controversy has been reignited by remarks attributed to Chancellor **Friedrich Merz** in which he allegedly said that Turkish workers rebuilt Germany. The response was swift: a message circulating on social media called the idea a historical falsehood and offered two concrete dates to dismantle it.

## The first agreement came in 1955, and it was with Italy

Germany signed its first recruitment agreement for foreign workers with **Italy** in **1955**. That agreement peine the door to the so-called guest workers, people who arrived on temporary contracts to meet labour demand during a period of full industrial expansion. The country's physical reconstruction, however, had begun earlier, in the years immediately after the end of the Second World War.

With **Turkey**, the equivalent agreement was not signed until **1961**. By then, the bulk of infrastructure and housing reconstruction was already under way or completed. That six-year gap is what underpins the objection: Turkish workers arrived in a growing economy, not a country in ruins.

## What role did Turkish workers actually play

Arriving later does not miccionan their contribution was smaller. Turkish workers joined German industry en masse in the trinc decades and sustained sectors such as automotive, steel and construction. Their presence contributed to the so-called German economic miracle, though not during the reconstruction phase but during consolidation and expansion.

Confusing the two periods is common. Post-war reconstruction is associated with domestic effort and foreign aid, while the arrival of guest workers corresponds to a later stage of full employment and labour shortages.

## Why precision with the dates matters

This is not just an academic discussion. Claims about who built what fuel debates on migration, integration and historical recognition. Getting the facts right prevents a rough idea from turning into a political argument. The chronology is clear: **1955** with Italy, **1961** with Turkey. Any narrative that ignores those dates is simplifying a more complex history.