German Canadians

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As German Canadian ( English German Canadians ) are in Canada called Canadian citizens with German roots. The term also includes ethnic Germans who lived outside of what was then German territory before their immigration, including Swiss , Austrians , Russian- Germans or Romanian Germans , as well as their descendants. A large part belonged to religious groups such as the Mennonites , who chose Canada as their new home because of the religious freedom that prevailed there.

The 2006 Canadian census found a number of 3,179,425 people with German ancestors. This corresponds to about 10.2% of the total population of Canada.

Geographic focus

Yellow marked: Areas with a predominantly German population

The population of German descent is mainly concentrated in the prairie provinces of Canada, in Saskatchewan the group is the largest group with 30%. Also Manitoba and Alberta can show a large number of German descent, here the values are at about 20%; thus the German Canadians are the second largest population group in these provinces. In all the provinces mentioned, the more populous south is mainly populated by people of German origin. Older settlements of Germans are around Kitchener in Ontario and especially in the south of the Nova Scotia peninsula (see also section history ). A large number of German place names and churches can be found in the latter areas.

The five cities with the largest absolute German-born population are:

  1. Toronto : 220,135
  2. Vancouver : 187.410
  3. Winnipeg : 109,355
  4. Kitchener : 93,325
  5. Montreal : 83,850

history

Early modern age

Few Germans immigrated to New France and mixed with the local Acadian population, but larger numbers did not follow until after the British annexation of Nova Scotia . These settlers were made up of German mercenaries in the British Army and so-called Foreign Protestants .

The American Revolution also brought about a wave of immigration, as a large part of the German population of New York and Pennsylvania was loyal to the British crown and therefore relocated to Canada, which at that time was still part of the British colonial empire. In addition, the British army used mercenaries from small German states known as Hessians . 2,200 of these soldiers settled in Canada after they were discharged from service. For example, it is certain that German mercenaries will settle in Québec .

A larger number of Mennonites from Pennsylvania fled the United States in the direction of southwestern Ontario . The large community then existing there also attracted Mennonite groups from the German motherland, numbering 50,000.

19th to 21st century

In the course of a larger wave of immigration from 1886 onwards, a significant number of Mennonites and Hutterites from Russia came to Canada because of the persecution under the tsarist regime . The Russian-German immigrants were able to adapt particularly well to the living situation in the prairies of western Canada, as they were used to similar conditions in Russia. Immigration received an additional boost in the 1920s when the United States introduced quotas to restrict immigration from Eastern Europeans. Shortly afterwards, however, immigration to Canada also collapsed, as this state also began to limit immigration in order to prevent large numbers of immigrants from fleeing the Nazi regime.

During the First World War , the population of German descent was exposed to a general anti-German sentiment. German newspapers were banned and German schools were closed. Under this pressure, some families Anglicized their surnames, and the majority spoke German only in secret. Many places have been renamed, for example Berlin in Kitchener . It was the same, and sometimes worse, during World War II . The overwhelming majority of German Canadians did not share the views of the Nazi regime, as they had already voted more liberally. Only around 1% of German Canadians followed Hitler's call to return to Germany.

Around 400,000 Germans have emigrated to Canada since the Second World War.

Culture

The German-Canadians, like the German-Americans in the United States, are less publicly represented than other immigrant groups because both groups are relatively strongly assimilated . However, the use of the German or Low German language, with a share of around 1% of the total population in Canada, is more widespread than in the USA. A partial loss of their culture and language is mainly due to the anti-German mood in Canadian society during the world wars (see section history ).

More recently, the German heritage has been restored. The German Canadians are organized in various clubs and associations, and there is also an association with the church. There are also churches in which German or Low German services are held.

The largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany is celebrated in Kitchener , where there is also a Christmas market .

Well-known German Canadians

See also

literature

  • Patrick Farges: Hyphenated Canadians? Sudeten German Social Democrats and German Jews as exiles in Canada. Study of acculturation processes after 1933 on the basis of their self-reports and press. Ed. Lumière, Bremen 2015, ISBN 978-3-943245-30-1 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilhelmy: Les Mercenaires allemands au Québec, 1776–1783.
  2. ↑ revised Version of the final chapter of "German language maintenance: A handbook", Sherwood Park, 2004. With numerous tables and lists on German speakers in Canada at the beginning of the 21st century.