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Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer(German) Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer ; January 5, Cologne - April 19, Bad Honnef) - first Federal Chancellor of Germany (-). Retired at 87, he is one of the oldest heads of government in modern history.
Education
In 1894-1897 he studied law at the Universities of Freiburg, Munich, and Bonn.
Political biography
A strong-willed and energetic politician of the authoritarian style, tough and at the same time flexible, a skeptic, a pragmatist and at heart a Christian idealist, Adenauer was extremely popular among the people, earning the nickname “Der Alte” (“The Old Man” or “The Master”). Adenauer's policy was based on two "pillars" - a social market economy and a "new Germany in a new Europe."
Chairman of the CDU
Konrad Adenauer was the first chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1950-1966.
In Adenauer's programmatic goals, an important place was occupied by Christian ethics as the basis of the social order, the state's refusal to dominate the individual, and providing everyone with a chance to take initiative in any area of life. Adenauer believed that the concentration of political and economic power in the hands of the state (as advocated by the socialists) contained a danger to individual freedom; Greater opportunities for preserving individual freedoms are provided by the separation of the spheres of the economy and the state, in which the state is assigned a limited, purely controlling function. According to Adenauer's plan, his party, the Christian Democratic Union, was to become a people's party: to have representation in all levels of society, to unite Protestants and Catholics, since everywhere there are people drawn to the values of ideological conservatism. As an instrument of his politics, Adenauer created a political bloc of the CDU/CSU parties. Clerical in name and declarations, these parties actually began to lobby primarily the industrialists, who ensured the steady and successful economic development Germany.
Foreign policy under Adenauer
Adenauer directed his efforts primarily to regulating the international situation of the country, which bore the burden of historical guilt, to easing the restrictions imposed by the Allies on Germany, for which he was almost subjected to forcible removal from his post. One of his main tasks was to soften the conditions of the occupation of Germany and return the country to independence in decision-making. This goal could be achieved by playing on the contradictions between the two superpowers - the USA and the USSR. Proper use of the current situation contributed to the unification of the occupation zones of the USA, Great Britain and France into a single political education- Federal Republic of Germany (FRG).
We know today that a different view is now needed than the one that will establish new borders in Europe, change them or move them. We must eliminate borders so that economic regions can arise in Europe that could become the basis of the European unity of peoples.
Adenauer largely contributed to the German people’s awareness of the feeling of guilt for the crimes committed by the Nazis, and solved the problem of a balanced political situation Germany between East and West, the unresolution of which plunged Germany into the abyss of two world wars. He also contributed to the strengthening of ties with the former enemy - France, which was supposed to serve as a guarantee of the stable development of Europe, as well as the movement for European integration. In addition, Adenauer signed the Paris Agreements of 1954, which resolved post-war difficulties in the European balance. Germany was to become federal and, in the future, form part of the United States of Europe. In 1955, West Germany joined the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) as an equal member.
Adenauer's uncompromisingly negative attitude towards the USSR was based on the conviction that strength politics and vigilance were necessary when it came to a clearly anti-Christian state.
Stalin proposes to Adenauer through the Red Cross: let's agree on the fate of the military in our prisons, after which the German Red Cross turns to the German Chancellor for instructions. Adenauer's resolution: “This is not a humanitarian issue, but a political one - the longer they sit, the better for us.”
The real achievements of real money in 1953 made it possible to declare the restoration of the pre-war level of well-being. This was achieved mainly through the introduction of free markets and what was called the “steel soul of free prices.”
Holocaust reparations
Adenauer helped create a favorable climate for Jews in Germany. During meetings with general director Israeli Treasury Department David Horowitz and World Jewish Congress Chairman Nahum Goldman agreed to pay reparations for the crimes of the Holocaust. It was about 1.5 billion dollars, which was more than half of all subsidies that West Germany received under the Marshall Plan. Thus, Adenauer sincerely tried to restore the good name of Germany. It is characteristic that in 1967 last way Adenauer was also accompanied by the founder of the State of Israel, David Ben-Gurion.
Adenauer and the army
Adenauer believed that the external security of the Federal Republic of Germany could only be ensured by the presence of Allied troops. But already in 1956 he achieved the creation of new German armed forces- Bundeswehr. In the new German army, it was formally forbidden for former career military personnel to serve if they were in Nazi Party. In fact, this prohibition was often violated. Speaking in the Bundestag on December 3, 1952, Adenauer made a rather significant statement:I would like to declare on behalf of the Federal Government that we recognize all bearers of arms of our people who have fought with dignity under the sign of soldierly traditions on land, in the air and on water. We are convinced that a good reputation and great achievements our soldiers live in our people and will continue to exist, despite all the insults of past years. Our common task there must be - and I am sure that we will solve it - the combination of the moral values of our soldier with democracy.
Adenauer and the Nazis
Last years
He voluntarily resigned as chancellor in 1963 due to his advanced age, being at the zenith of his fame as the country's political and economic architect.
Having taken his post at the age of 73, he remained in it for 14 years. Adenauer died on April 19 at his villa in Röndorf at the age of 91.
Family
In 1904 he married Emma Weyer (1880-1916). They had children: Conrad (1906-1993), Max (1910-2004), Maria (1912-1998).
In 1919 he married Augusta Zinser (1895-1948). They had children: Ferdinand (1920, died shortly after birth), Paul (1923-2007), Lotte (1925), Libet (1928), Georg (1931).
Memoirs
- Adenauer, Konrad. Memoirs, (4 vols. English edition 1966–70)
- Adenauer K. Memoirs: In 2 vols. M., 1966-1968.
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Notes
Links
- Ezhov V. D. Konrad Adenauer is a German of four eras. - M.: Young Guard, 2003. - 311 p. - (Life of remarkable people, issue 828). - 5000 copies.
- - ISBN 5-235-02533-4. Williams C.
- Adenauer. Father of the new Germany = Adenauer. The Father of the New Germany / Trans. from English A. M. Filitova. - M.: AST, 2002. - 669 p. - (Historical Library). - 5000 copies.- ISBN 5-17-012627-1.
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in Cologne in the family of a law office employee.
He studied law at the universities of Freiburg, Munich and Bonn, and worked as a lawyer in his hometown.
In 1906 he entered the service of the city administration of Cologne as a tax specialist. In 1911, Adenauer was elected deputy mayor, and in 1917 he became mayor and served in this post for 16 years.
Since 1906, Konrad Adenauer was a member of the Catholic Center Party. As a deputy from this party in 1917-1933, he took part in the work of the Landtag (parliament) of the Rhineland and the Prussian State Council. Later he became Chairman of the Council.
In 1926, Adenauer publicly called for a political union between Lutherans and Catholics and put forward a program for a Christian social order.
Konrad Adenauer was a member of the supervisory boards of joint-stock companies in the energy and coal industries and the Deutsche Bank.
In 1933, he was removed from all his posts by the Hitler regime for “crimes against the German people.”
For almost 12 years he lived as a political emigrant in Rendorf near Bonn,
In 1934 and 1944 he was arrested by the Gestapo. In 1944 he was imprisoned by the Nazis in a concentration camp.
In 1945, Adenauer was reinstated as mayor of Cologne. A few months later, when Cologne found itself in the British occupation zone, the British administration removed Adenauer due to “his political incompetence.”
Adenauer is one of the founders of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and has been its chairman since 1946.
In 1948, Adenauer became chairman of the parliamentary council, whose task was to prepare the Basic Law of West Germany.
In 1949, the first German federal parliament (Bundestag) elected him chancellor. He was re-elected to this post in 1953, 1957 and 1961. In 1951-1955 he also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
After becoming the first Federal Chancellor, Adenauer focused his efforts on easing the restrictions imposed by the Allies on Germany. He contributed to internal stabilization, unification with the European integration movement, and received support and trust from Western countries. In 1951, Germany became the founder of the European Coal and Steel Community, the prototype of the European Union. On September 10, 1952, in Luxembourg, Adenauer signed an agreement on repatriation payments, which provided for assistance to the young state of Israel. In 1955, Germany became a member of NATO. In the same year, with the entry into force of the Paris Agreements, signed on October 23, 1954, the period of occupation ended for Germany.
The result of Adenauer's visit to Moscow in September 1955 was the establishment of diplomatic relations between Germany and the USSR and the return to their homeland of the last 10 thousand German prisoners of war and 30 thousand internees. In 1961, the Chancellor accepted the appearance of the Berlin Wall without much protest.
Having signed the German-French friendship treaty in January 1963, Adenauer called himself the only German chancellor who puts the unity of Europe at the forefront, and only then his own state.
Adenauer retired in 1963 and left the post of chairman of the CDU in 1966.
Konrad Adenauer was married twice. His first wife was Emma Weyer (1880-1916); the marriage produced two sons and a daughter. Adenauer's second wife was Augustine Zinsser (1895-1948), and they had two sons and two daughters.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
(1876-1967) German politician
Konrad Adenauer was born in the German city of Cologne. His father was the clerk of the city court. Having a deed of gift, the Adenauers were able to give their three sons higher education. Conrad studied law until 1902, and then became an apprentice to one of the most famous Cologne lawyers.
He dreamed of becoming a notary, but a successful marriage opened the way for him to an administrative career, which later allowed Adenauer to penetrate into political spheres. His wife was related to the famous Wallraf family of the Rhineland bourgeoisie, one of whose representatives was the burgomaster of Cologne. In 1906, thirty-year-old Konrad Adenauer became his tenth assistant and began to manage municipal taxes and fees. In 1911, he was already appointed first assistant to the burgomaster. This time, all financial affairs of the magistrate come under his jurisdiction. And in 1917 he himself became the burgomaster of Cologne.
The municipal councilors who unanimously elected Adenauer to this post were not mistaken in their choice. Finding himself at the head of the magistrate of the Rhine capital, this imperious, persistent in achieving his goals, prudent and unscrupulous person received ample opportunities to apply his talents. Thanks to his activities, Cologne becomes a major center of the developing Rhine industry. Soon Konrad Adenauer became one of the exemplary burgomasters. However, even then he made people talk about himself and as an experienced politician.
The first years of Adenauer's tenure as mayor of Cologne coincided with Germany's defeat in the war of 1914-1918. It was after this event that Conrad's political views came to light. In the ranks of the Catholic Center Party, to which Adenauer belonged, ideas of separatism arose. The party wanted to achieve more for the Rhineland soft conditions world than for the rest of Germany.
Konrad Adenauer was one of the most prominent figures in this movement from the very beginning.
Still, having retained unity, Germany had the opportunity to restore its power, which it did surprisingly quickly, receiving a loan of 21 billion marks from the United States and England.
Soon Adenauer was elected to the Prussian State Council. Then, during one of the government crises, his candidacy was even considered for the post of Reich Chancellor, but his separatist past prevented him from taking this post.
Everything changed with Hitler's rise to power. On November 13, 1933, Konrad Adenauer was removed from his post as mayor. From that moment on, Adenauer’s biographers tried with all their might to portray him as a “victim” of Nazism, as if he was an opponent of the Hitler regime, they attributed to him numerous feats that he did not accomplish. Facts refute the legend of Konrad Adenauer as an opponent of Adolf Hitler.
After Adenauer was removed from his post, the Nazi authorities assigned him a pension of 1000 marks per month, which was equal to living wage three families in Germany. For two confiscated houses in Cologne, they paid Konrad Adenauer 230 thousand marks, with which he built a magnificent villa in Rendorf on the Rhine, where he lived quietly until the end of the war.
It was only after Hitler's defeat that his real political career began. Immediately after American troops entered Rendorf, fortune knocked on Adenauer's door in the form of two American army officers. On behalf of their leadership, they invited him to return to the post of burgomaster of Cologne. He immediately agreed.
This episode helps to reveal the reason why Konrad Adenauer "went uphill" so quickly, and at the same time explains much of his post-war political evolution, when he literally became a "private adviser" to the command? American occupation forces in Germany.
It was also no coincidence that the Americans chose the former burgomaster. Substantial support for it political career provided by the Vatican, and even during the war, Adenauer did not hide his pro-American orientation.
His policy was to pit the Western powers, primarily the United States, against the Soviet Union. Essentially, he set himself the task of making Germany an instrument of the anti-Soviet policy of the Western powers, since, according to his calculations, this should bring benefits to Germany. The consequences of such a policy for Germany itself did not seem dangerous to Adenauer, since he could always count on American help. Konrad Adenauer's opponents even called him "the best American in Europe."
He proceeded from the principle that every policy expresses the degree of power of the country, therefore, Germany's policy will develop in accordance with the growth of its power, which it will certainly achieve in an alliance with Western countries. He also well understood that he would not be able to carry out his policies unless he became the head of some large party. And such a party was created, it was called the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Adenauer soon became the leader of the right wing of this party and enjoyed enormous support from industrialists, as well as the highest Catholic and Protestant clergy. Therefore, when the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany was proclaimed on September 7, 1949, no one doubted that Konrad Adenauer would take the post of Chancellor, although in parliament he was elected to this post by a majority of only one vote. Moreover, this voice was his own. “I,” he told his son, “decided to accept this post; It would be hypocrisy on my part not to vote for myself.”
Konrad Adenauer was a realist and understood that in the current international conditions, West Germany would not be able to carry out his policy only on our own. Not only because it was still weak, but also because this policy could only be carried out with the help of the Western powers. In his first interview with the American press, the Bonn chancellor said: “The European countries, if we take each of them separately and compare them with the world powers, are themselves too weak to have a decisive influence on big politics.”
It must be said that it was easy for Adenauer to play his game, since his policy completely coincided with the US policy in Europe, the goal of which was the restoration of a strong Germany.
Considering the Soviet Union to be the main enemy of post-war Europe, Konrad Adenauer supported the “politics from a position of strength” pursued by Western countries. In 1955, the two great powers, the USA and the USSR, established closer diplomatic relations and agreed to resolve all emerging problems peacefully. Given public opinion at home and abroad, Adenauer also had to establish a dialogue with the Russians, although he still remained in favor of a position of strength. In September 1955, the Bonn Chancellor visited Moscow.
Konrad Adenauer ensured that West Germany became a member of NATO; it was admitted to this military bloc on May 5, 1955. However, Adenauer's position became increasingly precarious, as Western world, and in Germany itself the mood has changed noticeably. People wanted peace and demanded that politicians act in this direction.
In 1963, Adenauer was forced to resign as chancellor and retire. He was already old, although he still wanted to determine and influence politics. Leaving a government post, as well as leaving life four years later, was perceived as something natural, conditioned by time and circumstances.
However, Konrad Adenauer left a noticeable mark on the history of Germany; he did a lot to ensure that his country healed the wounds inflicted by the war and became prosperous again.
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer(German) Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer ; January 5, Cologne - April 19, Bad Honnef) - first Federal Chancellor of Germany (-). Retired at 87, he is one of the oldest heads of government in modern history.
Political biography
Chairman of the CDU
Konrad Adenauer was the first chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1950-1963.
In Adenauer's programmatic goals, an important place was occupied by Christian ethics as the basis of the social order, the state's refusal to dominate the individual, and providing everyone with a chance to take initiative in any area of life. Adenauer believed that the concentration of political and economic power in the hands of the state (as advocated by the socialists) contained a danger to individual freedom; Greater opportunities for preserving individual freedoms are provided by the separation of the spheres of the economy and the state, in which the state is assigned a limited, purely controlling function. According to Adenauer's plan, his party, the Christian Democratic Union, was to become a people's party: to have representation in all levels of society, to unite Protestants and Catholics, since everywhere there are people drawn to the values of ideological conservatism. As an instrument of his politics, Adenauer created a political bloc of the CDU/CSU parties. Clerical in name and declarations, these parties actually began to lobby primarily the industrialists, who ensured the steady and successful economic development of Germany.
Foreign policy under Adenauer
Adenauer directed his efforts primarily to regulating the international situation of the country, which bore the burden of historical guilt, to easing the restrictions imposed by the Allies on Germany, for which in 1949 he was almost subjected to forcible removal from office. One of his main tasks was to soften the conditions of the occupation of Germany and return the country to independence in decision-making. This goal could be achieved by playing on the contradictions between the two superpowers - the USA and the USSR. Proper use of the current situation contributed to the unification of the occupation zones of the USA, Great Britain and France into a single political entity - the Federal Republic of Germany.
Adenauer largely contributed to the German people's awareness of the feeling of guilt for the crimes committed by the Nazis, and solved the problem of a balanced political position of Germany between East and West, the unresolved nature of which plunged Germany into the abyss of two world wars. He also contributed to the strengthening of ties with the former enemy - France, which was supposed to serve as a guarantee of the stable development of Europe, as well as the movement for European integration. In addition, Adenauer signed the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty, which resolved post-war difficulties in the European balance. Germany was to become federal and, in the future, form part of the United States of Europe.
In the fall of 1950, Grotewohl, the chairman of the GDR Council, wrote to Adenauer: our responsibility to the German people is to ensure that the split of the fatherland does not affect ordinary people.
Adenauer initially formulates preliminary conditions for dialogue with the GDR, but soon ceases any contacts.
The Chancellor said:
We know today that a different view is now needed than the one that will establish new borders in Europe, change them or move them. We must eliminate borders so that economic regions can arise in Europe that could become the basis of the European unity of peoples.
Adenauer's uncompromisingly negative attitude towards the USSR was based on the conviction that strength politics and vigilance were necessary when we're talking about about a clearly anti-Christian state.
Adenauer and the army
Adenauer understood that the external security of the Federal Republic of Germany could only be ensured by the presence of Allied troops. But already in 1956 he achieved the creation of new German armed forces - the Bundeswehr. In the new German army, former career military personnel were formally prohibited from serving if they were members of the Nazi Party. In fact, this prohibition was often violated. Speaking in the Bundestag on December 3, 1952, Adenauer made a rather significant statement:
I would like to declare on behalf of the Federal Government that we recognize all bearers of arms of our people who have fought with dignity under the sign of soldierly traditions on land, in the air and on water. We are convinced that the good reputation and great achievements of our soldier live on among our people and will continue to exist, despite all the insults of past years. Our common task should be - and I am confident that we will solve it - to combine the moral values of our soldier with democracy.
Adenauer and the Nazis
Last years
He voluntarily resigned as chancellor in 1963 due to his advanced age, being at the zenith of his fame as the country's political and economic architect. Under Adenauer's leadership, West Germany transformed from a broken, demoralized, failed country into a worthy member of the democratic community of states.
Having taken his post at the age of 73, he remained in it for 14 years. Adenauer died on April 19 at his villa in Röndorf at the age of 91.
Illustrations
Notes
Links
- Ezhov V. D. Konrad Adenauer is a German of four eras. - M.: Young Guard, 2003. - 311 p. - (Life of remarkable people, issue 828). - 5000 copies.
- - ISBN 5-235-02533-4.- ISBN 5-235-02533-4
- Adenauer. Father of the new Germany = Adenauer. The Father of the New Germany / Trans. from English A. M. Filitova. - M.: AST, 2002. - 669 p. - (Historical Library). - 5000 copies. Adenauer. Father of the new Germany = Adenauer. The Father of the New Germany / Trans. from English A. M. Filitova. - M.: AST, 2002. - 669 p. - (Historical Library). - 5000 copies.
| - ISBN 5-17-012627-1 | |
|---|---|
| Welfare for everyone / Transl. with him; Preface B. B. Bagaryatsky, V. G. Grebennikov. - Reprint. playback - M.: Nachala-Press, . - XVI, 332 pp. - 50,000 copies. | |
| - ISBN 5-86256-001-7. | |
| German Empire | |
| Welfare for everyone / Transl. with him; Preface B. B. Bagaryatsky, V. G. Grebennikov. - Reprint. playback - M.: Nachala-Press, . - XVI, 332 pp. - 50,000 copies. | |
| - ISBN 5-86256-001-7 | |
| Heads of government of Germany since 1871 | |
| Third Reich Germany (West Germany) | |
| GDR (East Germany) | ||
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| Germany | |
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Germany Germany (West Germany) GDR GDR (East Germany) Konrad Adenauer (1953) Germany Germany (modern) Mohammed Mossadegh (1951) Elizabeth II (1952)) (1955) John Dulles (1954) Harlow Curtis ( English Hungarian Freedom Fighter (1956) (modern) Charles de Gaulle (1958) Dwight Eisenhower (1959) US scientists: Linus Pauling + Isidore Isaac + Edward Teller + Joshua Lederberg + Donald Arthur Glaser + Willard Libby + Robert Woodward + Charles Stark Draper + William Shockley + Emilio Segre + John Enders + German Foreign Ministers John Kennedy (1961) Pope John XXIII (1962) Martin Luther King (1963) Lyndon Johnson (1964) William Westmoreland (1965) Generation 25 and younger. "Baby Boomers" (1966) Lyndon Johnson (1967) Person of the Year (according to Time magazine) US scientists: Edward Purcell (1960) Frank Borman + James Lovell + William Anders (1968) Astronauts |
spaceship Apollo 8: Residents Among the world famous politicians
Adenauer Konrad deserves attention. Saying this
outstanding person became winged and are popular even today. “We all live under the same sky, but everyone has a different horizon,” said the ex-Chancellor of Germany, making every effort aimed at shaping Germany to a new level. The path to the post of head of state
Being the head of state for almost fifteen years, Adenauer Konrad set specific goals for himself and the country. His main task was
Having come to power in 1949, at that time he had sufficient managerial experience in matters of national importance. Since 1917, he held the position of mayor of the city of Cologne, combining it with the duties of chairman of the Prussian State Council. In addition, a feature of his position as a power was his non-acceptance of Hitler's Nazi regime. This is what served main reason leaving his posts in 1933, when a native of the National Socialist Party became Chancellor of Germany. Uncompromisingly not accepting the new leader and his philosophy, Adenauer Konrad opposed Hitler's power, which was rapidly strengthening.
Implacable opponent of the Hitler regime
One of the cases with his direct participation so outraged the main Nazi of the entire world community that the latter declared his subordinate an enemy. During the planned visit of the Reich Chancellor to the city of Cologne, where Adenauer held the highest leadership position, the head of state was met by the deputy mayor. Defiantly refusing to meet with the leader of the Nazi-German charter, Conrad also gave orders to remove all hung Nazi paraphernalia, in particular flags. This demonstrative disdainful attitude resulted in particularly close attention from the authorities.
Looking ahead a little, it should be noted that Konrad Adenauer, whose biography contains information about two arrests by the Gestapo in 1934 and 1944, went through the entire war period as an irreconcilable opponent of Hitler.
The rise to power of the Christian idealist Adenauer
After loud repression by supporters of the fascist system of governance was stopped, and it itself collapsed, Adenauer, together with adherents of his political vision, founded the Christian Democratic Union, becoming after some time, in 1946, the presiding central person of this public association. The difficult path traveled and extensive experience in a leadership position led to the fact that within three years none other than Adenauer Konrad was appointed Federal Chancellor of Germany. Quotes from his speeches can often be heard from influential public figures of the present time, because his positions serve as an eternal example and model of sovereign governance.
Despite the authoritarianism and harshness of his chosen style of power, the Chancellor of West Germany was loved and enjoyed extraordinary popularity among the population. The strong-willed and pragmatic, often skeptical, deeply religious idealist that Adenauer Konrad was was briefly popularly called “old man.” “If Christ is not alive today, then there is no hope for the world at all. Only the fact of resurrection gives hope for the future,” the German chancellor believed. From here it becomes clear why everyone is politically important decisions he accepted, listening to faith and conscience.
Personal freedom is a priority of politics
Taking into account the fundamental principles of governing the country, which Konrad Adenauer resorted to, Germany’s foreign policy was built in the fundamental direction of a market economy for developing countries. Post-war new Europe, according to him, was looking forward to the emergence of a new Germany. In addition, the Federal Chancellor was inclined to believe that the separation of statehood from the economic component of Germany would preserve the personal freedoms of citizens.
In the case of concentration of all powers and rights of complete power in the hands of state bodies, there is an unprecedented risk of limitation, and in the future, suppression of individual opportunities. At the same time, Adenauer Conrad did not rule out partial intervention in the economic sphere by state managers, but this should have only been the fulfillment of a mandatory control function.
International relations of Germany with other states
One way or another, Germany had to bear the burden of guilt and repent for a long time for the global harm caused on an international scale. Therefore, the main vector of the chancellor’s efforts was to resolve the ongoing conflict in order to lift most of the restrictions imposed against the country. By helping his people realize the feeling of guilt for their involvement in the fascists committing crimes against humanity, he contributed to the fact that the situation developed according to a scenario favorable to the guilty party.
Gradually, the balance of Germany between the countries of Western and of Eastern Europe which he sought long years Adenauer Konrad.
Aphorisms, well-known phrases, quotes from the statements of the German leader in the middle years of the 20th century are even now used in the event of class or national disagreements. “The Germans are Belgians suffering from megalomania... A Prussian is a Slav who has forgotten who his grandfather was...” - Adenauer often said, who advocated his efforts to strengthen ties with France, which during the Second World War acted openly an opponent of Hitler and all of Nazi Germany. The main difficulties in establishing relations were removed by the signing of the Paris Peace Treaty. According to the chancellor's idea, in the near future the German people were to become a federal part of the United States of Europe, a European unity of peoples without borders. The Federal Republic of Germany joined NATO as an equal member in 1955.
An important point in describing aspects of the foreign policy pursued by the Chancellor was his hostility to the socialism of the Soviets. He believed that totalitarianism as a method of governance could only be characteristic of anti-Christian countries. Power politics and extreme measures, which the USSR resorted to repeatedly throughout history, formed Adenauer’s negative attitude towards this non-religious state.
In 1955 it happened an important event in the relationship between the two powers. The USSR, by officially recognizing the existence of an independent Germany, opened the way for the establishment of diplomatic agreements.
Soon, Konrad Adenauer arrived in Moscow in order to negotiate the release of about 40 thousand prisoners of war of the fascist army. A brief biography of the chancellor confirms the fact of the conversation that took place between him and Molotov. During the conversation, the Soviet minister repeatedly tried to humiliate Adenauer, in Once again blaming Germany for the harm caused to the whole world. To which the head of Germany managed to adequately retort: “Who signed the agreement with Hitler, me or you?”
Adenauer's ban on communist activities
It is probably not surprising that a person who banned activities in his state communist party, became Konrad Adenauer. country, carried out by the Chancellor, was based on the advantages obtained as a result of the split of Germany into West and East. According to his plan, it was necessary first of all to unite categories of people of different faiths; in particular, the predominant number of Catholics and Protestants presented a great difficulty. The Christian Democratic Union Party, created three years before his assumption of the post of head of the Federal Republic of Germany, became the main political stronghold for industrialists and intellectuals, who act as the main driving force on the path of social and economic development of Germany.
Support for the Jewish people
Recreation favorable conditions for Jewish residents in Germany - Konrad Adenauer also made every possible effort to achieve this. The chancellor’s brief biography speaks of repeated visits to Israel and a desire to maintain warm diplomatic relations with local authorities. Trying to compensate for at least a tiny part of the incredible damage for the genocide of Jews and the Holocaust, the head of Germany signed an agreement to pay reparations to Israel in the amount of $1.5 billion annually. Gradually, with confident steps, Adenauer Conrad achieved his goal: he managed to restore the former glory of the German people. As a sign of respect and in memory of the deceased, Ben Gurion, the founder of Israel, also came to see off the chancellor on his final journey in 1967.
The rise of Germany under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer
Historians consider the main achievement in the internal affairs of the state achieved by Konrad Adenauer, Chancellor of Germany, to be an “economic miracle.”
The implementation of truly radical reforms in all spheres of the country's life has completely changed the position of Germany in the international arena. Now the residents of the “renewed” Germany had the same social guarantees as the population of other advanced states of that time. Attention was paid to helping children and the disabled, and pensions increased several times. Financial reform has had a positive impact on development industrial production. Introduction new currency(“Deutschmarks”) and the abolition of price controls is a huge breakthrough in the development of the economic component of the country.
Conclusion
Already at a fairly advanced age at the peak of his fame, Konrad Adenauer decided to voluntarily resign as Chancellor of Germany in 1963.
It’s not for nothing that historians and political scientists call him a “political architect.” He managed to create a new worthy democratic entity out of a failed state.