The purpose of this thesis is to examine the current state of Turkish integration in Germany and to examine the reasons behind the apparent lack of Turkish integration in comparison with other immigrant groups such as, Aussiedler, or Volksdeutsche, and immigrants from other European Union countries.
I will first examine how the Gastarbeiter program and the effects of the policies of the German government concerning the Turkish workers and immigrants in general can still be seen today. The second part of the thesis examines the concept of German identity and how German's view themselves has impacted integration. The case of the Aussiedler, and how their treatment by the German government affected the Turkish community, will also be examined in this context. The final portion of the thesis discusses the controversial themes of the German Leitkultur and the theory of the Kulturkreis, which makes the claim that Turkish and German culture are too incompatible with each other to create an atmosphere conducive to successful integration.