Helmut Schmidt: biography, political views

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

In November last year, the media reported the death of Helmut Schmidt, ex-Chancellor of Germany (from 1974 to 1982). In the obituary, the outstanding politician is presented as a man who took the reins of government in the country at a difficult time for her and largely contributed to the fact that the subsequent years for Germany and all of Europe became much more life-affirming.

Helmut Schmidt is an outstanding world politician whose importance is often underestimated. Nevertheless, it is necessary to remember the decisive role of his activities in the modern structure of international relations.

The symbol and conscience of the nation

He was going to celebrate his 97th birthday in December. The chancellor, who shared with his country its post-war history and determined the main milestones of its future development. He was considered almost immortal. He was a living legend, "the symbol and conscience of the nation", whose authority was indisputable.

Journalists called it "the metronome by which Germany… measured its steps."

The path that Helmut Schmidt took is the path that the chancellor took for many years to lead the people of Germany from error and error to redemption and real success.

The time of his power is long gone. But the Germans still enjoy cheap Siberian gas, the huge Russian market and other useful things - the practical and intellectual legacy left to the state by German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.

About the current crisis

At one time, Schmidt served as Minister of Defense, Economics and Finance, was the head of the German Foreign Ministry. He is considered one of the outstanding world politicians of the 20th century, who was never deceived by his political instincts.

"Currently…Europe is in crisis, things are not going well," - this is how the politician assessed European problems associated with the recent sensational coup in Ukraine, in one of his last interviews. The former chancellor, who has always been famous for his directness, called the project of the Ukrainian Euro-Association “stupidity” and “geopolitical childishness”, the consequences of which for Europe and the world are not predicted in the best way. The reason for this was, as Helmut Schmidt believed, the gradual decline in the "quality of European leaders." According to the politician, expressed by him during one of his last conversations with journalists, the actions of the modern European Parliament, as well as individual world political figures, related to the recent history of relations between the EU and Ukraine, "leave much to be desired." This is the opinion of a man who has successfully led his country through the many challenges it has faced.

To speak and act contrary to the generally accepted fashion of Western international politics, he was allowed by a resolute uncompromising character and vast experience.

Helmut Schmidt: biography

The future chancellor of the federation was born in 1918 in a family of German teachers. His origin was shrouded in mystery for a long time, and only in his seventies, Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt confessed that he was a descendant of an illegitimate Jew - a half-breed adopted by a German Protestant couple. Keeping his Jewish heritage a secret likely saved the youth's life during the Nazi era.

About the attitude towards Nazism

This question - about the Chancellor's attitude towards Nazism - has been raised more than once. In his biography, as in the biographies of many Germans of his generation, this theme is present.

It is known that as a teenager, Schmidt was involved in the Hitler Youth, but he avoided membership in the Nazi Party and, serving in the Second World War as an officer in the anti-aircraft troops, was repeatedly brought to disciplinary responsibility due to "defeatist statements".

In 1945 he surrendered to the Allies.

Study, politics

After his release, far from being young, he enters the university, where he studies political science and law, and at the same time begins to lead the student cell of the Social Democratic Party.

Works in the Hamburg city economic department, has been a member of the Bundestag since the early 1950s.

During his tenure as Minister of the Interior of Hamburg(mid-60s) became famous for having managed to overcome the consequences of a natural disaster - the famous flood of 1962. To enhance the effectiveness of the rescue work, Schmidt, bypassing the law, involved the participation of the army.

Takeoff

This was the beginning of a rapid rise in his career: Schmidt became deputy chairman of the SPD, then Minister of Defense in the government of Willy Brandt and his closest associate. After the scandalous resignation of the Federal Chancellor, among whose team an intelligence agent from the GDR was discovered, Schmidt took his post in 1974.

Chancellor

As chancellor, having met with numerous challenges, Helmut Schmidt multiplied Brandt's achievements in the field of foreign policy and economics: he developed friendly ties with the USSR, the GDR, and trade with the East. In 1975, as one of the leading Western political leaders, he participated in the Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation.

The contribution of the politician to the cause of European integration can hardly be overestimated.

Contradictions in domestic politics

The SPD was torn apart by ideological divisions between right and left demanding radical reforms. Despite this, for eight years the chancellor manages to keep the party in power.

Economic tests

Thanks to the skillful actions of the country's leadership, in the 70s, Germany went through difficult trials for the entire world economy more successfully than other states. Chancellor Helmut Schmidt combined a moderately tight financial policy with support for the vulnerable masses: during his reign,the volume of pensions, benefits, social benefits, the necessary benefits were provided.

German autumn

In the 70s, Schmidt had to make very serious domestic political decisions: the left-wing extremist terrorist organization RAF ("Red Army Faction") became more active in the country, responsible for more than three dozen high-profile murders, kidnappings, explosions, bank robberies.

In 1977, terrorists attempted to hijack a passenger plane. The Chancellor did not comply with their demands. The special forces sent by him stormed the liner.

Certain forces in parliament demanded that some democratic laws be repealed in order to strengthen the effectiveness of the fight against terrorists.

Schmidt responded like a true democrat: "We do not intend to sacrifice freedom for security." The decisive, tough position of the head of state in relation to extremists added to his popularity, and the German people regained self-confidence.

Resignation

In the 80s, Schmidt supported NATO's retaliatory intentions to intensify the arms race in the USSR to place Pershing missiles on the territory of the FRG. His foreign policy position, as well as the undertaken budget cuts, led to the fact that the allies turned their backs on the chancellor and a vote of no confidence was passed to him. In the entire history of Germany, Schmidt is the only chancellor who resigned not as a result of defeat in the elections, but because of the loss of allies.

Zeit

Retired Helmut Schmidt became the author of several books about the years of his life and politics, was amongco-editors of the German magazine Zeit, founded several international forums on politics and economics. He was often invited by the media, conveying to the German public the views of the former chancellor on a wide range of issues.

Ukrainian question

On international politics, the former chancellor continued to defend his stance of non-intervention in the affairs of sovereign states.

Until the last moment, Schmidt continued to remain true to the principle of expressing his views directly and sharply, without regard for possible offense.

In 2014, in connection with the well-known events in Ukraine, the 95-year-old ex-chancellor appealed to European political leaders not to repeat the tragic mistakes of the past, referring to the past two world wars, and, having made joint efforts, move away from a dangerous line for the world.

The politician mercilessly criticized the actions of the leaders of the EU and the States regarding Ukraine, and defined the policy of Brussels as "megalomania". In an interview with one of the German newspapers, Schmidt stressed that the initiators of the course towards Ukrainian European integration did not take into account significant differences in the culture and history of the western and eastern population of the country.

In June 2014, the politician criticized the decision not to invite to the summit in Bavaria, which was attended by the leaders and foreign ministers of Germany, as well as a number of European countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The politician called the sanctions against Russia stupidity and said that he perfectly understands the actions of the Russian Federation in Crimea.

The politician negatively assessed the resultsmeetings in which the leaders and foreign ministers of Germany, as well as European countries, took part, complaining that his country, among other EU countries and the United States, had become one of the participants in the violation of international law. The ex-Chancellor of Germany considered the intention to “expand the EU at the expense of Ukraine” and other former Soviet states, the desire to split the CIS as such a violation.

During a talk show on one of the TV channels, Helmut Schmidt placed political accents in the relations between the European Union and the Russian Federation. In his opinion, “it is not Russia, but the United States that poses a special danger in the world.”

At the height of the Ukrainian crisis, an outstanding German politician supported the head of the Russian Federation, V. Putin, paying him a friendly visit in Moscow.

Private

Schmidt always loved art, he played the piano and organ beautifully, as evidenced by the surviving recordings of his amateur concerts. He was interested in philosophy and painting, until his old age he successfully continued to paint pictures.

Helmut Schmidt: family

Here they are on the screen: Schmidt and his wife Hannelore - Loki, as throughout her life she was affectionately called not only by friends, but by all Germans. Two very old people, each with a cigarette in his hand - he with a cane and a hearing aid, she with a walking aid. So they sit down and hold hands. It's hard not to admire them in an age of quick divorces and permissiveness.

They have been friends since high school. They got married in 1942. We went through a lot together, including the war and death from meningitis in their 45thfirstborn.

Independent and determined Loki protected and protected the small and frail Helmut in childhood. Then she made a living teaching while her husband was at university and making a career, until the 74th, when he took the chancellor's post. Now she began to protect and protect her husband's associates from his harsh and categorical character, for which she received the nickname "sisters of mercy."

Daughter Suzanne, a journalist, lives and works in London.

Loki did not live to see the 70th anniversary of marriage, died at the age of 91.

At 93, Helmut Schmidt entered into a civil marriage with Ruth Loach (14 years younger than him).

Recognition

Articles and books are written about him, documentaries are created. More than once he was chosen as the person of the year, on the occasion of his 95th birthday he was awarded the Westphalian Peace Prize.

All his life Schmidt was a heavy smoker. In Germany, where smoking is prohibited in public places by law, an exception was made everywhere for the elderly former chancellor: Schmidt was allowed to smoke even during live television programs. Journalists repeatedly asked him a question about the dangers of smoking, to which the politician objected that it was too late for him to worry about it. One day, the presenter suggested that he switch to electronic cigarettes. Schmidt replied: “Why should I do stupid things?”