8.9 Contextualizing Diversity in the Contemporary Period

Decolonization reshapes Europe's population

After WWII, European empires collapsed as colonies gained independence (India 1947, Algeria 1962, many African states in the 1960s). Former colonial subjects migrated to European metropoles seeking work, especially during postwar labor shortages. Britain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands saw growing immigrant communities from South Asia, North/West Africa, and Turkey, permanently diversifying European society.

Guest workers and labor migration

Postwar economic booms created demand for labor, prompting guest worker programs — West Germany recruited Turkish *Gastarbeiter*, France drew North African workers, and Britain welcomed Commonwealth citizens. Many stayed permanently, forming multigenerational ethnic minority communities and sparking debates over assimilation, national identity, and multiculturalism policy across Western Europe.

Backlash and new ideologies of exclusion

Rising diversity provoked xenophobia, far-right political parties, and anti-immigrant violence (e.g., attacks on Turks in Germany, National Front in France). Debates intensified over religious pluralism (Islam in secular states), the EU's open borders, and refugee crises (Yugoslavia, Syria), forcing Europe to confront questions of national identity versus multicultural integration.

Key terms

Decolonization

The post-WWII process by which European colonies gained independence, reshaping migration patterns to Europe.

Guest worker programs

Postwar labor recruitment schemes (e.g., West Germany's Gastarbeiter) that brought foreign workers to fill labor shortages, many of whom settled permanently.

Multiculturalism debates

Ongoing tensions over integrating immigrant and religious minority communities while preserving national identity and secular traditions.

Xenophobia and far-right parties

Anti-immigrant sentiment that fueled the rise of nationalist parties like France's National Front in response to increasing diversity.

Refugee crises

Mass displacement events (e.g., Yugoslav Wars, Syrian Civil War) that intensified European debates over immigration, borders, and identity.

Try an AP-style question

Postwar Europe became more diverse mainly through…

1. immigration from former colonies and guest workers
2. the expulsion of all foreign residents
3. a return to Europe's colonial empires
4. an end to immigration of every kind