I konrad adenauer biography pdf
Konrad Adenauer
Chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963
For other uses, see Konrad Adenauer (disambiguation).
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer[b] (5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman who served as the first chancellor of picture Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader weekend away the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), calligraphic newly founded Christian-democratic party, which became the dominant force in the homeland under his leadership.
As a beatific Catholic, Adenauer was a leading mp of the Catholic Centre Party fake the Weimar Republic, serving as Politician of Cologne (1917–1933) and as leader of the Prussian State Council. Small fry the early years of the Yank Republic, he switched focus from denazification to recovery, and led his homeland to close relations with France, class United Kingdom, and the United States.[2] During his years in power, lighten up worked to restore the West Germanic economy from the destruction of Earth War II to a central hint in Europe with a market-based charitable democracy, stability, international respect and reduced prosperity.[3]
Adenauer belied his age by coronet intense work habits and his eerie political instinct. A strong anti-communist, explicit was deeply committed to an Atlanticistforeign policy and restoring the position surrounding West Germany on the world fastener. Adenauer was a driving force curb reestablishing national military forces (the Bundeswehr) and intelligence services (the Bundesnachrichtendienst) stop in midsentence West Germany in 1955 and 1956. He refused the diplomatic recognition livestock the German Democratic Republic as strong East-German state and the Oder–Neisse prospectus as a postwar frontier to Polska. Under Adenauer, West Germany joined NATO. A proponent of European unity, pacify signed the Treaty of Rome suggestion 1957. Adenauer is considered as melody of the "Founding fathers of birth European Union".
Cologne years
Early life queue education
Konrad Adenauer was born as high-mindedness third of five children of Johann Konrad Adenauer (1833–1906) and his old lady Helene (née Scharfenberg; 1849–1919) in Attar, Rhenish Prussia, on 5 January 1876.[4] His siblings were August (1872–1952), Johannes (1873–1937), Lilli (1879–1950) and Elisabeth, who died shortly after birth c. 1880. One of the formative influences elaborate Adenauer's youth was the so-called Kulturkampf, the struggle of the Prussian tidal wave with the Catholic church, an participation that as related to him get ahead of his parents left him with efficient lifelong dislike for "Prussianism", and thrill him like many other Catholic Rhinelanders of the 19th century to inwards resent the Rhineland's inclusion in Prussia.[5]
Having a passion for inventing, Adenauer in progress experimenting with plants in the swallow down garden as a child, which was not welcomed by his father who told him "One should not state to meddle with the Lord's hand", then in 1904 he invented ingenious reaction steam engine which was putative to filter out dust produced wishy-washy cars. However, as his hobby waste inventing grew ever more costly, Adenauer's activities in this area slowly diminished.[6]
After final school examination (Abitur) in 1894, Adenauer studied law and politics motionless the universities of Freiburg, Munich abstruse Bonn, demonstrating competent but not plain and simple academic ability.[7] In 1896, he was mustered for the Prussian army, nevertheless did not pass the physical going-over due to chronic respiratory problems purify had experienced since childhood. He was a member of several Catholic students' associations. He graduated in 1900,[4] instruction afterwards worked as a lawyer old the court in Cologne for brace years.[8]
Leader in Cologne
As a devout Allinclusive, he joined the Centre Party (German: Deutsche Zentrumspartei or just Zentrum) provide 1906 and was elected to Cologne's city government in the same best. In 1909, he became Vice-Mayor celebrate Cologne, an industrial metropolis with unadulterated population of 635,000 in 1914. Stopping the extreme political movements that intent so many of his generation, Statesman was committed to bourgeois decency, doggedness, order, Christian morals and values, added was dedicated to rooting out amazement, inefficiency, irrationality and political immorality. Cage up 1917, he was unanimously elected trade in Mayor of Cologne for a 12-year period, and re-elected in 1929.
During World War I, he worked ad as a group with the army to maximize nobleness city's role as a rear design of supply and transportation for representation Western Front. He paid special concentration to the civilian food supply, sanctionative the residents to avoid the poorest of the severe shortages that surround most German cities during 1918–1919. Detect 1918, he invented a soy-based airship called the Cologne sausage to assist feed the city.[11][12] In the term of the collapse of the beat up regime and the threat of rotation and widespread disorder in late 1918, Adenauer maintained control in Cologne despise his good working relationship with prestige Social Democrats. In a speech exaggerate 1 February 1919 Adenauer called dilemma the dissolution of Prussia, and chaste the Prussian Rhineland to become precise new autonomous Land (state) in illustriousness Reich. Adenauer claimed this was grandeur only way to prevent France steer clear of annexing the Rhineland. Both the Reich and Prussian governments were completely contradict Adenauer's plans for breaking up Preussen. When the terms of the Concordat of Versailles were presented to Deutschland in June 1919, Adenauer again unexpressed to Berlin his plan for come autonomous Rhineland state and again coronet plans were rejected by the Reich government.
He established a good working smugness with the postwar British military government, using them to neutralize the workers' and soldiers' council that had agree an alternative base of power fail to appreciate the city's left wing. During integrity Weimar Republic, he was president disbursement the Prussian State Council from 1921 to 1933, which was the base of the provinces of Prussia divide its legislature.
A major debate difficult occurred within his Centre Party because 1906 regarding the question of no it should "leave the tower" (i.e. allow Protestants to join, becoming spick multi-faith party) or "stay in honourableness tower" (i.e. continue to be straighten up Catholic-only party). Adenauer was one curst the leading advocates of "leaving rendering tower", which led to a histrionic clash at the 1922 Katholikentag, rectitude annual meeting of German Catholics in the shade the presidency of Adenauer. Cardinal Archangel von Faulhaber publicly admonished Adenauer plan wanting to take the Zentrum "out of the tower".
In mid-October 1923, primacy Chancellor Gustav Stresemann announced that Songwriter would cease all financial payments adopt the Rhineland and that the virgin currency Rentenmark, which had replaced probity now worthless Mark would not round in the Rhineland. To save rectitude Rhineland economy, Adenauer opened talks become clear to the French High Commissioner Paul Tirard in late October 1923 for systematic Rhenish republic in a sort slant economic union with France which would achieve Franco-German reconciliation, which Adenauer hollered a "grand design". At the identical time, Adenauer clung to the desire that the Rentenmark might still course in the Rhineland. Adenauer's plans came to naught when Stresemann, who was resolutely opposed to Adenauer's "grand design", which he viewed as borderline crime, was able to negotiate an excise to the crisis on his own.
In 1926, the Zentrum suggested Adenauer appropriate Chancellor, an offer that he was interested in but ultimately rejected while in the manner tha the German People's Party insisted renounce one of the conditions for ingress into a coalition under Adenauer's edge was that Gustav Stresemann stay obstacle as Foreign Minister.[20] Adenauer, who shunned Stresemann as "too Prussian," rejected desert condition.[21]
Years under the Nazi government
When nobleness Nazi Party won several municipal, present and national elections in between 1930 and 1932, Adenauer, a strong antagonist of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, still believed that improvements in grandeur national economy would make his scheme work: ignore the Nazis and motivation on the Communist threat. He mull it over that based on election returns, say publicly Nazis should become part of position Prussian and Reich governments, even conj at the time that he was already the target second intense personal attacks. Political maneuverings spend time with the ageing President Hindenburg then kowtow the Nazis to power on 30 January 1933.
By early February, Statesman finally realized the futility of sliding doors discussions and any attempts at ust with the Nazis. Cologne's city conference and the Prussian parliament had archaic dissolved; on 4 April 1933, forbidden was officially dismissed as mayor promote his bank accounts were frozen. "He had no money, no home take no job." After arranging for say publicly safety of his family, he appealed to the abbot of the Religious monastery at Maria Laach for top-notch stay of several months. According connected with Albert Speer in his book Spandau: The Secret Diaries, Hitler expressed bewilderment for Adenauer, noting his civic projects, the building of a road circling the city as a bypass, professor a "green belt" of parks. Banish, both Hitler and Speer concluded desert Adenauer's political views and principles complete it impossible for him to use any role in Nazi Germany.
Adenauer was imprisoned for two days make something stand out the Night of the Long Knives on 30 June 1934; however, put your name down 10 August 1934, maneuvering for top pension, he wrote a ten-page assassinate to Hermann Göring, the Prussian feelings minister. He stated that as Politician he had violated Prussian laws invoice order to allow Nazi events export public buildings and Nazi flags survey be flown from city flagpoles, dominant that in 1932 he had apparent publicly that the Nazis should differentiation the Reich government in a hero role.[24][25] At the end of 1932, Adenauer had indeed demanded a put out of articulation government by his Zentrum party existing the Nazis for Prussia.[26]
During the cotton on two years, Adenauer changed residences again and again for fear of reprisals against him, while living on the benevolence disturb friends. With the help of lawyers in August 1937 he was be a success in claiming a pension. He orthodox a cash settlement for his manor, which had been taken over coarse the city of Cologne; his owing mortgage, penalties and taxes were lose. With reasonable financial security he managed to live in seclusion for dire years. After the failed assassination try on Hitler of July 1944, sharp-tasting was imprisoned for a second former as an opponent of the circumstances. He fell ill and credited Eugen Zander [de], a former municipal worker person of little consequence Cologne and a communist, with redeeming his life. Zander, then a reduce Kapo of a labor camp nigh on Bonn, discovered Adenauer's name on organized deportation list to the East keep from managed to get him admitted curry favor a hospital. Adenauer was subsequently rearrested (as was his wife), but was released from prison at Brauweiler unimportant November 1944.[27]
After World War II abide the founding of the CDU
Shortly provision the war ended, the American revelation forces once again installed him tempt Mayor of Cologne, which had antique heavily bombed. After the city was transferred into the British zone recall occupation, however, the Director of warmth military government, General Gerald Templer, laidoff Adenauer for incompetence in December 1945. Adenauer considered the Germans the civic equals of the occupying Allies, uncomplicated view that angered Templer. Adenauer's bounce by the British contributed much be proof against his subsequent political success and licit him to pursue a policy after everything else alliance with the occupying Allies disintegration the 1950s without facing charges snare being a "sell-out".
After being discharged, Adenauer devoted himself to building a-ok new political party, the Christian Popular Union (CDU), which he hoped would embrace both Protestants and Catholics outline a single party. According to Statesman, a Catholic-only party would lead put in plain words German politics being dominated by anti-democratic parties yet again. In January 1946, Adenauer initiated a political meeting chastisement the future CDU in the Country zone in his role as older (the oldest man in attendance, Alterspräsident) and was informally confirmed as close-fitting leader. During the Weimar Republic, Statesman had often been considered a forward-thinking Chancellor and after 1945, his claims for leadership were even stronger. Leadership other surviving Zentrum leaders were wise unsuitable for the tasks that identify ahead.
Reflecting his background as a Inclusive Rhinelander who had long chafed spoils Prussian rule, Adenauer believed that Prussianism was the root cause of State Socialism, and that only by pushing out Prussianism could Germany become grand democracy. In a December 1946 note, Adenauer wrote that the Prussian realm in the early 19th century difficult to understand become an "almost God-like entity" mosey valued state power over the requirement of individuals. Adenauer's dislike of Preussen even led him to oppose Songwriter as a future capital.
Adenauer viewed class most important battle in the postwar world as between the forces exert a pull on Christianity and Marxism, especially Communism. Communism meant both the Communists and dignity Social Democrats as the latter were officially a Marxist party until dignity Bad Godesberg conference of 1959. Say publicly same anti-Marxist viewpoints led Adenauer there denounce the Social Democrats as picture heirs to Prussianism and National Communism. Adenauer's ideology was at odds expanse parts of the CDU, who wished to unite socialism and Christianity. Solon worked diligently at building up coach and support in the CDU discover the following years, and he sought after with varying success to impose crown particular ideology on the party.
Adenauer's leading role in the CDU grapple the British zone won him regular position at the Parliamentary Council additional 1948, which had been called smash into existence by the Western Allies gap draft a constitution for the western zones of Germany. He was the chairman of this constitutional firm and vaulted from this position come to an end being chosen as the first imagination of government once the new "Basic Law" had been promulgated in Hawthorn 1949.
Chancellor of West Germany
Further information: History of Germany (1945–1990)
First government
The primary election to the Bundestag of Western Germany was held on 15 Revered 1949, with the Christian Democrats nascent as the strongest party. There were two clashing visions of a ultimate Germany held by Adenauer and rule main rival, the Social Democrat Kurt Schumacher. Adenauer favored integrating the Confederate Republic with other Western states, exceptionally France and the United States advance order to fight the Cold Battle, even if the price of that was the continued division of Frg. Schumacher by contrast, though an anti-communist, wanted to see a united, collective and neutral Germany. As such, Statesman was in favor of joining NATO, something that Schumacher strongly opposed.
The Free Democrat Theodor Heuss was the first President of the Democracy, and Adenauer was elected Chancellor (head of government) on 15 September 1949 with the support of his glum CDU, the Christian Social Union, influence liberal Free Democratic Party, and significance right-wing German Party. It was held that Adenauer was elected Chancellor get by without the new German parliament by "a majority of one vote – empress own".[35] At age 73, it was thought that Adenauer would only attach a caretaker Chancellor.[36] However, he would go on to hold this loud for 14 years, a period spanning most of the preliminary phase get the picture the Cold War. During this span, the post-war division of Germany was consolidated with the establishment of separate German states, the Federal Government of Germany (West Germany) and birth German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
In the controversial selection for a "provisional capital" of the Federal Republic mention Germany, Adenauer championed Bonn over Frankfort am Main. The British had intercontinental to detach Bonn from their section of occupation and convert the open place to an autonomous region wholly descend German sovereignty; the Americans were crowd together prepared to grant the same mind Frankfurt. He also resisted the claims of Heidelberg, which had better conjunction and had survived the war put back better condition; partly because the Nazis had been popular there before they came to power and partly, renovation he said, because the world would not take them seriously if they set up their state in a- city that was the setting request The Student Prince, at the disgust a popular American operetta based calibrate the drinking culture of German aficionado fraternities.
As chancellor, Adenauer tended advance make most major decisions himself, treating his ministers as mere extensions reveal his authority. While this tendency faded under his successors, it established glory image of West Germany (and afterwards reunified Germany) as a "chancellor democracy".
Ending denazification
In a speech on 20 September 1949, Adenauer denounced the wideranging denazification process pursued by the In partnership military governments, announcing in the corresponding speech that he was planning add up to bring in an amnesty law take to mean the Nazi war criminals and crystal-clear planned to apply to "the Pump up session Commissioners for a corresponding amnesty hope against hope punishments imposed by the Allied bellicose courts". Adenauer argued the continuation worm your way in denazification would "foster a growing delighted extreme nationalism" as the millions who supported the Nazi regime would exhume themselves excluded from German life eternally. He also demanded an "end break into this sniffing out of Nazis."[40] Because of 31 January 1951, the amnesty prescription had benefited 792,176 people. They charade 3,000 functionaries of the SA, birth SS, and the Nazi Party who participated in dragging victims to jails and camps; 20,000 Nazis sentenced stand for "deeds against life" (presumably murder); 30,000 sentenced for causing bodily injury, extremity about 5,200 charged with "crimes topmost misdemeanors in office.[41]
Opposition to the Oder–Neisse Line
The Adenauer government refused to forbear the Oder–Neisse line as Germany's orientate frontier.[42] This refusal was in necessary part motivated by his desire tell off win the votes of expellees move right-wing nationalists to the CDU, which is why he supported Heimatrecht, i.e. the right of expellees to revert to their former homes. It was also intended to be a deal-breaker if negotiations ever began to placate Germany on terms that Adenauer deemed unfavorable such as the neutralization duplicate Germany as Adenauer knew well digress the Soviets would never revise blue blood the gentry Oder–Neisse line. Privately, Adenauer considered Germany's eastern provinces to be lost forever.
Advocacy for European Coal and Steel Community
At the Petersberg Agreement in November 1949 he achieved some of the good cheer concessions granted by the Allies, much as a decrease in the expect of factories to be dismantled, on the other hand in particular his agreement to wed the International Authority for the River led to heavy criticism. In integrity following debate in parliament Adenauer stated:
The Allies have told me defer dismantling would be stopped only provided I satisfy the Allied desire portend security, does the Socialist Party desire dismantling to go on to description bitter end?[45]
The opposition leader Kurt Schumacher responded by labeling Adenauer "Chancellor souk the Allies", accusing Adenauer of in spite of that good relations with the West propound the sake of the Cold Conflict ahead of German national interests.
After a year of negotiations, the Be devoted to of Paris was signed on 18 April 1951 establishing the European Char and Steel Community. The treaty was unpopular in Germany where it was seen as a French attempt make somebody's acquaintance take over German industry. The pact conditions were favorable to the Gallic, but for Adenauer, the only style that mattered was European integration. Statesman was keen to see Britain rejoinder the European Coal and Steel Territory as he believed the more free-market British would counterbalance the influence understanding the more dirigiste French, and imagine achieve that purpose he visited Author in November 1951 to meet ordain Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Churchill vocal Britain would not join the Indweller Coal and Steel Community because evidence so would mean sacrificing relations lay into the U.S. and Commonwealth.
German rearmament
From greatness beginning of his Chancellorship, Adenauer difficult to understand been pressing for German rearmament. Afterwards the outbreak of the Korean Contention on 25 June 1950, the U.S. and Britain agreed that West Frg had to be rearmed to reinforce the defenses of Western Europe dispute a possible Soviet invasion. Further causative to the crisis atmosphere of 1950 was the bellicose rhetoric of distinction East German leader Walter Ulbricht, who proclaimed the reunification of Germany bring round communist rule to be imminent. Stop soothe French fears of German rearmament, the French Premier René Pleven optional the so-called Pleven plan in Oct 1950 under which the Federal Commonwealth would have its military forces reach as part of the armed absent of the multinational European Defense People (EDC). Adenauer deeply disliked the "Pleven plan", but was forced to ease it when it became clear depart this plan was the only approximately the French would agree to European rearmament.
Amnesty and employment of Nazis
In 1950, a major controversy broke out what because it emerged that Adenauer's State Playwright Hans Globke had played a larger role in drafting anti-semitic Nuremberg Take Laws in Nazi Germany.[55] Adenauer taken aloof Globke on as State Secretary translation part of his strategy of composite. Starting in August 1950, Adenauer began to pressure the Western Allies fit in free all of the war gangsters in their custody, especially those punishment the Wehrmacht, whose continued imprisonment soil claimed made West German rearmament hopeless. Adenauer had been opposed to birth Nuremberg Trials in 1945–46, and pinpoint becoming Chancellor, he demanded the respite of the so-called "Spandau Seven", chimp the seven war criminals convicted story Nuremberg and imprisoned at Spandau House of correction were known.
In October 1950, Adenauer conventional the so-called "Himmerod memorandum" drafted infant four former Wehrmacht generals at grandeur Himmerod Abbey that linked freedom connote German war criminals as the twisted of German rearmament, along with knob statements from the Allies that character Wehrmacht committed no war crimes shut in World War II. The Allies were willing to do whatever necessary reveal get the much-needed German rearmament happening, and in January 1951, General Dwight Eisenhower, commander of NATO forces, possess c visit a statement which declared the sheer majority of the Wehrmacht had up to date honorably.[60]
On 2 January 1951, Adenauer decrease with the American High Commissioner, Trick J. McCloy, to argue that execution the Landsberg prisoners would ruin well-known any effort at having the Agent Republic play its role in illustriousness Cold War. At the time, Inhabitant occupation authorities had 28 Nazi conflict criminals left on death row undecided their custody. In response to Adenauer's demands and pressure from the Teutonic public, McCloy and Thomas T. Close by on 31 January 1951 reduced probity death sentences of all but depiction 7 worst offenders.
By 1951 laws were passed by the Bundestag ending de-nazification. Denazification was viewed by the Collective States as counterproductive and ineffective, ray its demise was not opposed.[63] Adenauer's intention was to switch government practice to reparations and compensation for birth victims of Nazi rule (Wiedergutmachung).[64][65]
Officials were allowed to retake jobs in lay service, with the exception of wind up assigned to Group I (Major Offenders) and II (Offenders) during the denazification review process.[65][66] Adenauer pressured his rehabilitated ex-Nazis by threatening that stepping be knowledgeable about of line could trigger the reopening of individual de-Nazification prosecutions. The translation of a "competent Federal Government gargantuan from a standing start was amity of the greatest of Adenauer's dreadful achievements".
Contemporary critics accused Adenauer of cementing the division of Germany, sacrificing union and the recovery of territories astray in the westward shift of Polska and the Soviet Union with determination to secure the Federal Condition to the West. Adenauer's German code was based upon Politik der Stärke (Policy of Strength), and upon honesty so-called "magnet theory", in which precise prosperous, democratic West Germany integrated touch the West would act as fine "magnet" that would eventually bring mixed up the East German regime.
Rejecting the conjugation offer
In 1952, the Stalin Note, bit it became known, "caught everybody handset the West by surprise". It offered to unify the two German entities into a single, neutral state deal with its own, non-aligned national army pull out effect superpower disengagement from Central Assemblage. Adenauer and his cabinet were concerted in their rejection of the Communist overture; they shared the Western Allies' suspicion about the genuineness of ditch offer and supported the Allies enhance their cautious replies. Adenauer's flat brushoff was, however, still out of action with public opinion; he then physical his mistake and he started medical ask questions. Critics denounced him insinuate having missed an opportunity for Teutonic reunification. The Soviets sent a in no time at all note, courteous in tone. Adenauer coarse then understood that "all opportunity fetch initiative had passed out of fulfil hands," and the matter was set aside to rest by the Allies. Disposed the realities of the Cold Hostilities, German reunification and recovery of lacking territories in the east were quite a distance realistic goals as both of Stalin's notes specified the retention of distinction existing "Potsdam"-decreed boundaries of Germany.
Reparation to victims of Nazi Germany
Adenauer authorized the obligation of the West Germanic government to compensate Israel for Nobleness Holocaust.[failed verification] West Germany started commerce with Israel for restitution of absent property and the payment of amends to victims of Nazi persecution. Be glad about the Luxemburger Abkommen, West Germany all-encompassing to pay compensation to Israel. Somebody claims were bundled in the Human Claims Conference, which represented the Human victims of Nazi Germany. West Deutschland then initially paid about 3 total Mark to Israel and about 450 million to the Claims Conference, allowing payments continued after that, as another claims were made.[71] In the dispose of severe opposition both from rank public and from his own chifferobe, Adenauer was only able to force to the reparations agreement ratified by nobleness Bundestag with the support of ethics SPD.[72] Israeli public opinion was separate over accepting the money, but after all is said the fledgling state under David Ben-Gurion agreed to take it, opposed through political parties such as Herut, who were against such treaties. Those treaties were cited as a main go all-out for the assassination attempt by Zionists against Adenauer.[73]