- This page is about Helmut Schmidt, the German politician. For the parapsychologist, see Helmut Schmidt (parapsychologist)
Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (born December 23, 1918) is a German SPD politician. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1974 to 1982, as well as Minister of Defense and Minister of Finance and briefly served as Minister of Economics and as Foreign Minister.
Background
He was born in Hamburg, to two teachers. He was educated at Hamburg Lichtwark school, graduating in 1937. He was conscripted into military service and began WW II serving with Bremen air defences, after brief service on the eastern front he returned to Germany in 1942 to work as a trainer and advisor at the Reichsluftfahrtministerium. Also in 1942 he married Hannelore "Loki" Glaser. Towards the end of the war, from December 1944 onwards, he served as First Lieutenant in the artillery on the western Front. He was captured by the British in April 1945 in the Lüneburg Heath and was a prisoner of war until August.
Schmidts father was the illegitimate son of a Jewish businessman, although this was kept secret in the family. Only under pressure did Helmut Schmidt publicly admit the fact in 1984, after journalists had learned of it from his friend Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Later it became clear that in fact, d'Estaing had asked his friend Schmidt about it before doing so.
He completed his education in Hamburg, studying economics and political science. He graduated in 1949.
Political career
Early years
He had joined the SPD in 1946, and from 1947-48 he was leader of the Sozialistische Deutsche Studentenbund (SDS), the then student organisation of the SPD.
On leaving university he worked for the government of the city-state of Hamburg, working in the department for economic policy and then from 1952, under Karl Schiller, he was a senior figure in the Behörde für Wirtschaft und Verkehr (the Hamburg State Ministry for Economy and Transport). From 1953 until 1962 he worked for the SPD on the Bundestag.
He was elected to the Bundestag in 1953, and in 1957 he became member of the SPD parlamentary party executive. A vocal critic of conservative government policy, his outspoken rhetoric in parliament earned him the nick-name "Schmidt-Schnauze" (Schmidt-loud mouth). In 1958 he joined the national board of the SPD (Bundesvorstand) and campaigned against nuclear weapons and the equipping of the Bundeswehr with such devices. In 1958 he gave up his seat in parliament to concentrate on his tasks in Hamburg.
Senator
The government of the city-state of Hamburg is known as the Senate, and from 1961 Schmidt was the Innensenator, that is Minister of the Interior. He gained the reputation as a Macher (Maker), meaning someone who gets things done regardless of obstacles, by his effetive management during emergency caused by the 1962 flooding. Schmidt used all means at his disposal to allieviate the situation, even if that meant overstepping his legal authorities, including federal police and army units (ignoring the German constitution's prohibition on using the army for 'internal affairs' - a clause excluding disasters was not added until 1968). Schmidt described his actions: "These units I have not been put in charge of, these units I have taken!"
It would become the leading characteristic associated with him during his entire political career, best symbolised by his well known remark that "People who have a vision should go see a doctor".
Leader of the SPD faction and minister in the federal government
In 1965 he was re-elected to the Bundestag and became head of the SPD faction in 1967 and deputy chairman of the party in 1968. He had his first cabinet post in October 1969 as Defence Minister under Willy Brandt. From July 1972 to November he was both Minister for Economics and Minister of Finance, and from December onwards until May 1974 Minister of Finance.
Chancellor
He became Chancellor of Germany on May 16, 1974 after the resignation of Brandt. The worldwide economic recession was the main concern of his government, Schmidt took a tough and conservative line. He was also active in improving relations with France and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and in 1975 he was a signatory of the Helsinki Final Act to create the OSCE. He remained chancellor after the 1976 elections in coalition with the FDP. His policy over the terrorist Rote Armee Fraktion was uncertain but he usually held to a tough, no compromise line. Specifically, he authorized the GSG 9 anti-terrorist unit to end the hijacking of the Lufthansa aircraft Landshut by force in the German Autumn of 1977.
He tied his political future strongly to NATO expansion following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and tied his party firmly to the "double resolution" for the elections in 1980. He was reappointed as chancellor in November 1980. In October 1981 he was fitted with a cardiac pacemaker.
In 1982 he won a vote of no confidence in February, but in September four FDP ministers left his cabinet. After attempts to continue with a minority SPD only government he was forced to resign by a Constructive Vote of No Confidence on October 1, the first in German history to be successful. He was succeeded by Helmut Kohl.
After politics
In 1983 he joined the nationwide weekly Die Zeit newspaper as co-editor, in 1985 he became Managing Director. With Takeo Fukuda he founded the Inter Action Councils in 1983. He retired from the Bundestag in 1986 but remained active, in December 1986 he was one of the founders of the committee supporting the EMU and the creation of the European Central Bank.
Miscellaneous
Due to his abilities as a really sharp orator he was nicknamed "Schmidt-Schnauze"
He had a son who died as an infant and a daughter Susanne, born 1947, who is working in England for a Japanese banking company.
Changes
Changes
Changes
- 28 January 1981 - Jürgen Schmude (SPD) succeeds Vogel as Minister of Justice. Björn Engholm succeeds Schmude as Minister of Education and Science.
- 28 April 1982 - Hans Matthöfer (SPD) succeeds Gscheidle as Minister of Posts and Communications. Manfred Lahnstein (SPD) succeeds Matthöfer as Minister of Finance. Heinz Westphal (SPD) succeeds Ehrenberg as Minister of Labour and Social Affairs. Anke Fuchs (SPD) succeeds Huber as Minister of Youth, Family, and Health.
- 17 September 1982 - All the Free Democratic ministers quit the government. Helmut Schmidt (SPD) succeeds Genscher as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Jürgen Schmude (SPD) succeeds Baum as Minister of the Interior, remaining also Minister of Justice. Manfred Lahnstein (SPD) succeeds Lambsdorff as Minister of Economics, remaining also Minister of Finance. Björn Engholm (SPD) succeeds Ertl as Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry, remaining also Minister of Education and Science.
External links
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Schmidt under GFDL
