The history of the European migration regime

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After World War II, Europe's migration regime diverged from global trends and other regions. Initially marked by cumbersome administrative practices in the late 1940s, it underwent significant transformation through the implementation of regulations promoting free movement within the European Community, European citizenship, and the Schengen agreements. These developments resulted in a unique regional regime characterized by high intraregional openness and strict closure towards migrants from outside Europe. Utilizing national and international archives, this work explores how German strategies during the Cold War influenced the regime's openness. It illustrates how the migration framework facilitated Germany's efforts to establish a stable international order in Western Europe post-war, aiding both German Reunification and economic growth. The analysis spans the regime's evolution from 1947 to 1992, addressing various migrant categories—unskilled laborers, skilled professionals, self-employed workers, and family members of migrant workers. It examines their access to economic opportunities as well as their social and political rights within this evolving context.