Explore histories of migration, citizenship and belonging in Germany and the U.S. over the centuries.
1913
Enactment of the Reich and Nationality Act
The Reich and Nationality Act of 1913 introduced the principle of descent ("ius sanguinis" or "right of blood") as a prerequisite for acquiring German nationality. Only children of white German men born in wedlock or legally recognized by their fathers were eligible for German citizenship. Applications for naturalization from Jewish, Polish and Romani individuals were predominantly denied.
The inhabitants of German colonies did not gain German citizenship through this law; instead, they continued to be classified as "subjects" with limited and unclear rights. After the conclusion of World War I, Africans residing in Germany found themselves in a de facto stateless condition. Their applications for German citizenship were almost universally rejected. Moreover, their wives and children inherited this status.
This legislation remained in effect until the year 2000.
The Nationality Law of the German Empire and States regulated the acquisition and loss of citizenship in the empire and its states.
Germany
Sources
Dominik Nagl. Grenzfälle. Staatsangehörigkeit, Rassismus und nationale Identität unter deutscher Kolonialherrschaft.. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang GmbH, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften, 2007.
RGBl. 1913 p. 583
