300. From which country did the first guest workers (male and female) come to the Federal Republic of Germany?

Answer options

1. Italy
2. Spain
3. Portugal
4. Turkey

Explanation

The first guest workers arrived from Italy under the German-Italian recruitment agreement of 20 December 1955, designed to meet labor shortages during the Wirtschaftswunder. Initially governed by administrative practice and bilateral accords, and later by the 1965 Aliens Act, the program used a rotation principle to discourage permanent settlement. Constitutional norms—especially Articles 1 (human dignity) and 6 (protection of marriage and family) of the Basic Law—soon shaped case law and policy on residence extensions and family reunification. The 1973 recruitment stop was a watershed that shifted the focus toward integration and equal-treatment debates within the Federal Republic.