Country: Kazakhstan
Group: Germans
Date Finalized: 4-25-2020
Team: Sophia Agne (Lead), Giselle Chavez-Lopez, Aracely Esquer
During World War 2, nearly 500,000 Germans were forcibly deported from the Volga German Autonomous Republic to Kazakhstan (MRG, n.d). Since the 1940s, the ethnic German population has begun to dwindle (MRG, n.d). After the fall of the Soviet Union, the relationship between the Kazakhs and the Germans has become increasingly strained. This tension is partially fueled by anti-western sentiment and opposition to German autonomy (Erlanger, 1993). In the last fifty years, nearly 200,000 Germans have left Kazakhstan (MRG, n.d).This is despite the German government’s best efforts to incentivize remaining in Kazakhstan (Erlander, 1993). The German government has invested millions into creating housing, work opportunities, and cultural centers for Germans in Kazakhstan (Erlanger, 1993). Ethnic Germans feel increasingly discriminated against as many of them do not speak Kazakh (MRG, n.d). The language barrier largely prevents Germans from receiving white collar jobs and accessing higher education (MRG, n.d). Although, exact evidence documenting incidences of ethnocide are sparse, the restrictive language policies indicate that the German population is facing ethnocide. The data quality was determined to be a 2.
Sources
- Minority Rights Group (n.d.). Germans. Retrieved April 16, 2020, from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/germans/
- Erlanger, S. (1993, May 9). Germany Pays to Keep Ethnic Germans in Russia. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/09/world/germany-pays-to-keep-ethnic-germans-in-russia.html