Timelines

In West Germany (FRG), the establishment of the individual basic right to asylum in the Basic Law was a reaction to the atrocities of the National Socialist regime. However, in the first two decades after its inception, this right was rarely invoked. It was only in 1980 that the “Quota Refugee Act” opened the doors for a specific group of asylum seekers, often referred to as "boat people," who were fleeing Vietnam. This act granted them privileged entry, allowing immediate access to the labor market and language courses. Over the subsequent years, the number of asylum applications significantly increased due to global conflicts and wars, often accompanied by racist agitation. In response to this surge, the German government introduced more stringent asylum laws in 1982, which included measures like compulsory residence, camp accommodation and food vouchers. In East Germany (GDR), asylum was initially enshrined in the 1949 constitution but became an optional provision in 1968. Notably, asylum in the GDR was granted primarily to individuals deemed politically desirable. This policy was exemplified by the acceptance of approximately 1,100 Greek children and young people who fled the Greek civil war between 1949 and 1950. Spanish communists and their families were also offered asylum in 1950, as they faced persecution in the fascist-ruled Spain. In the 1970s, following the coup in Chile, the GDR extended asylum to around 2,000 Chileans.