Politics

13 entries

Konrad Adenauer1876–1967

Konrad Adenauer was the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (CDU, 1949–1963).

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Adenauer took office in 1949 at the age of 73 and shaped the young Federal Republic through firm integration with NATO and Western European institutions. His era saw the start of the economic miracle, reconciliation with France, and the 1952 Luxembourg Agreement with Israel. Because of his age and authority he was nicknamed 'Der Alte' (the Old Man); his 1957 slogan 'Keine Experimente' (No experiments) still stands for the political stability of those years. Learners should know him as a founding figure of West German democracy.

What to know

First Chancellor of the Federal Republic (1949–1963) - Erster Bundeskanzler der Bundesrepublik (1949–1963)
Western integration: NATO membership and ties to the West - Westbindung: NATO-Beitritt und Anbindung an den Westen
Reconciliation with France and European unification - Aussöhnung mit Frankreich und europäische Einigung
Nicknamed 'Der Alte' (the Old Man) - Spitzname 'Der Alte'
Campaign slogan 'Keine Experimente' (No experiments, 1957) - Wahlspruch 'Keine Experimente' (1957)

Hallmark

'No experiments' – with this slogan Adenauer campaigned for stability in 1957.

'Keine Experimente' – mit diesem Spruch warb Adenauer 1957 für Stabilität.

Wikipedia ↗▶ YouTube search ↗▶ Video ↗▶ Keine Experimente 1957 ↗

Ludwig Erhard1897–1977

Ludwig Erhard was economics minister and the second Chancellor (CDU, 1963–1966), known as the 'father of the economic miracle'.

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As federal economics minister (1949–1963), Erhard is regarded as the architect of the social market economy, which combines free markets with social balance. His book 'Wohlstand für alle' (Prosperity for All, 1957) summed up his vision and still shapes the phrase today. He was Chancellor from 1963 to 1966, but his term ended amid an economic downturn and party infighting. His cigar became his trademark; historians still debate how large his personal role in the boom actually was.

What to know

Father of the German economic miracle - Vater des Wirtschaftswunders
The social market economy as an economic model - Soziale Marktwirtschaft als Wirtschaftsmodell
Book and motto 'Wohlstand für alle' (Prosperity for All, 1957) - Buch und Leitspruch 'Wohlstand für alle' (1957)
Second Chancellor (1963–1966) - Zweiter Bundeskanzler (1963–1966)
Trademark cigar - Markenzeichen Zigarre

Hallmark

'Prosperity for All' – this was Erhard's promise for the social market economy.

'Wohlstand für alle' – so lautete Erhards Versprechen für die soziale Marktwirtschaft.

Wikipedia ↗▶ YouTube search ↗▶ Video ↗▶ Wohlstand für alle ↗

Willy Brandt1913–1992

Willy Brandt was Chancellor (SPD, 1969–1974) and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, known for his Ostpolitik (Eastern policy).

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As the first Social Democratic Chancellor, Brandt pursued a policy of détente toward the GDR and the Eastern Bloc ('change through rapprochement'). His 1970 genuflection in Warsaw at the memorial to the Ghetto Uprising drew worldwide attention as a gesture of reconciliation; in 1971 he received the Nobel Peace Prize. His motto 'Mehr Demokratie wagen' (Dare more democracy) stands for social modernization and a new beginning. He resigned in 1974 after the Guillaume espionage affair but remained a defining figure of postwar German history.

What to know

Ostpolitik and détente with the Eastern Bloc - Ostpolitik und Entspannung mit dem Ostblock
Genuflection in Warsaw (1970) - Kniefall von Warschau (1970)
Nobel Peace Prize (1971) - Friedensnobelpreis (1971)
Motto 'Mehr Demokratie wagen' (Dare more democracy) - Leitsatz 'Mehr Demokratie wagen'
Resignation in 1974 after the Guillaume affair - Rücktritt 1974 nach der Guillaume-Affäre

Hallmark

With his genuflection in Warsaw in 1970, Brandt sent a signal of reconciliation.

Mit dem Kniefall von Warschau setzte Brandt 1970 ein Zeichen der Versöhnung.

Wikipedia ↗▶ YouTube search ↗▶ Video ↗▶ Kniefall von Warschau 1970 ↗▶ Mehr Demokratie wagen ↗

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