Jump to content

Walter Scheel: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
→top: copyedit
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit Android app edit App section source
 
(504 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|German statesman}}
{{Infobox_President | name=Walter Scheel
{{Infobox officeholder
| nationality=german
| name = Walter Scheel
| image=
| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1989-047-20, Walter Scheel.jpg
| order=8th [[President of Germany]]
| imagesize =
| term_start=[[July 1]], [[1974]]
| caption = Scheel in 1974
| term_end=[[June 30]], [[1979]]
| office = [[President of Germany|President of West Germany]]{{efn|Due to the division of Germany, Walter Scheel was only the President of [[West Germany]]. The term '''West Germany''' is the common English name for the '''Federal Republic of Germany''' between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the [[German reunification]] through the accession of [[East Germany]] on 3 October 1990.}}
| predecessor=[[Gustav Heinemann]]
| successor=[[Karl Carstens]]
| chancellor = [[Helmut Schmidt]]
| term_start = 1 July 1974
| birth_date=[[July 8]], [[1919]]
| term_end = 30 June 1979
| birth_place=[[Solingen]], Germany
| predecessor = [[Gustav Heinemann]]
| dead=alive
| successor = [[Karl Carstens]]
| death_date=
| office1 = [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor of West Germany]]{{efn|Due to the division of Germany, Walter Scheel was only the chancellor in [[West Germany]]. The term '''West Germany''' is the common English name for the '''Federal Republic of Germany''' between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the [[German reunification]] through the accession of [[East Germany]] on 3 October 1990. The office of chancellor did not exist in East Germany.}}
| death_place=
|term_label1 = Acting
| spouse=Mildred Scheel (1932-1985)
| president1 = [[Gustav Heinemann]]
| party=
| term_start1 = 7 May 1974
|}}
| term_end1 = 16 May 1974
'''Walter Scheel''' (born [[July 8]], [[1919]]) is a [[Germany|German]] politician.
| predecessor1 = [[Willy Brandt]]
| successor1 = [[Helmut Schmidt]]
| office2 = [[Vice Chancellor of Germany|Vice Chancellor of West Germany]]
| term_start2 = 22 October 1969
| term_end2 = 16 May 1974
| chancellor2 = [[Willy Brandt]]<br />''himself'' {{small|(acting)}}
| predecessor2 = Willy Brandt
| successor2 = [[Hans-Dietrich Genscher]]
| office3 = [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| term_start3 = 21 October 1969
| term_end3 = 16 May 1974
| chancellor3 = [[Willy Brandt]]<br />''himself'' {{small|(acting)}}
| predecessor3 = Willy Brandt
| successor3 = [[Hans-Dietrich Genscher]]
| office4 = [[Presidium of the Bundestag|Vice President of the Bundestag]]<br />{{small|(on proposal of the FDP group)}}
| 1blankname4 = {{nowrap|[[President of the Bundestag|President]]}}
| 1namedata4 = [[Eugen Gerstenmaier]]<br />[[Kai-Uwe von Hassel]]
| term_start4 = 8 September 1967
| term_end4 = 19 October 1969
| predecessor4 = [[Thomas Dehler]]
| successor4 = [[Liselotte Funcke]]
| office5 = [[Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development|Minister for Economic Cooperation]]
| term_start5 = 14 November 1961
| term_end5 = 28 October 1966
| chancellor5 = [[Konrad Adenauer]]<br />[[Ludwig Erhard]]
| predecessor5 = ''Office established''
| successor5 = [[Werner Dollinger]]
{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Parliamentary constituencies
|titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office6 = [[Member of the German Bundestag|Member]] of the [[Bundestag]] <br /> for [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]
| term_start6 = [[1953 West German federal election|6 October 1953]]
| term_end6 = 27 June 1974
| predecessor6 = ''multi-member district''
| successor6 = Karl-Hans Laermann
| constituency6 = [[Electoral system of Germany|Free Democratic Party List]]
| office7 = [[Member of the European Parliament|Member]] of the [[European Parliament]] <br /> for [[West Germany]]
| term_start7 = 1 July 1956
| term_end7 = 20 November 1961
| predecessor7 = ''multi-member district''
| successor7 = ''multi-member district''
| office8 = Member of the<br />[[Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia]] <br /> for Remscheid
| term_start8 = 5 July 1950
| term_end8 = 13 July 1954
| predecessor8 = [[Hugo Paul (politician)|Hugo Paul]]
| successor8 = Walter Frey{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
| birth_name = Walter Scheel
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1919|7|8}}
| birth_place = [[Solingen|Höhscheid]], [[Rhine Province]], [[Free State of Prussia]], [[Weimar Republic]] {{small|(now [[Solingen#City administration|Solingen-Höhscheid]], [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], [[Germany]])}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2016|8|24|1919|7|8}}
| death_place = [[Bad Krozingen]], [[Baden-Württemberg]], [[Germany]]
| party = [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] {{small|(1946–2016)}}
| otherparty = [[Nazi Party]] {{small|(1942–1945)}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Politician|Businessman|Consultant}}
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Eva Charlotte Kronenberg|1942|1966|end=d}}|{{marriage|Mildred Wirtz|1969|1985|end=d}}|{{marriage|Barbara Wiese|1988}}}}
| children = 4<!--Ulrich<br>Cornelia<br>Simon Martin <br>Andrea-Gwendoline-->
| signature = Signatur Walter Scheel.jpg
}}
'''Walter Scheel''' ({{IPA|de|ˈvaltɐ ˈʃeːl|lang|De-Walter Scheel.ogg}}; 8 July 1919 – 24 August 2016)<ref>[https://m.geboren.am/person/walter-scheel Profile of Walter Scheel]</ref> was a German statesman. A member of the [[Nazi Party]] who joined the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party of Germany]] (FDP) in 1946, he first served in government as the [[Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development|Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development]] from 1961 to 1966 and later as [[President of Germany]] from 1974 to 1979. He led the FDP from 1968 to 1974.<ref>{{cite web|title=Walter Scheel (1974–1979)|url=http://www.bundespraesident.de/EN/TheGermanFederalPresidents/WalterScheel/walterscheel-node.html|publisher=German Federal Presidency|access-date=13 July 2013}}</ref>


During the chancellorship of [[Willy Brandt]], Scheel was [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany)|Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs]] and the [[Vice-Chancellor of Germany|Vice Chancellor]]. Scheel became [[Chancellor of Germany|acting Chancellor of West Germany]] from 7–16 May 1974 following Brandt's resignation after the [[Guillaume Affair]]. He was elected shortly after as the [[President of Germany|president of West Germany]], remaining in the role until 1979. Scheel was a member of the [[Protestant Church in Germany]].
==Biography==
Scheel was born in [[Solingen]].
During [[World War 2]] he served in the [[Luftwaffe]], the last years of the war as a Radar operator on a [[Me 110]] [[Nightfighter]].


==Early life==
As federal minister of economic cooperation and development (1961-1966) he brought about the downfall of the [[Ludwig Erhard|Erhard]] government in late [[1966]], when he took the [[Free Democratic Party of Germany|Free Democratic Party]], which he led, out of the coalition government.
Scheel was born in [[Solingen]] (now in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]). He completed his ''[[Abitur]]'' at the [[Gymnasium Schwertstraße|Reformrealgymnsasium Schwertstraße]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rp-online.de/nrw/staedte/solingen/aus-hoehscheid-in-die-geschichtsbuecher-aid-1.3708560|title=Aus Höhscheid in die Geschichtsbücher|last=Lohausen|first=Carsten|date=28 September 2013|website =Rheinische Post|language=de|access-date=21 February 2016}}</ref>


Scheel became a member of the [[Nazi Party]] in 1942.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=DOPJa3vAnigC&dq=scheel+nsdap&pg=PA152 Geschichte und Politik in den Reden der deutschen Bundespräsidenten 1949-1984, Matthias Rensing,p. 152]</ref> During [[World War II]], he served in the [[Luftwaffe]] during the last years of the war as a radar operator on a [[Messerschmitt Bf 110|Bf 110]] [[night fighter]].{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}
In 1969 he enabled his party to form a new coalition with the social democrats (being integrated in a government for the first time). He returned to government as [[Foreign Minister of Germany|Foreign Minister]] and [[Vice-Chancellor of Germany|Vice Chancellor]]. Due to his foreign policy the Federal Republic of Germany gave up claims on former territories ceded to Poland and the USSR in 1945 and officially recognized the existence of the GDR, causing a massive public debate that led to early elections in 1972. The coalition was reelected and the efforts to improve relations with the countries on the other side of the iron curtain continued.


==Political career==
On May 7, 1974 [[Willy Brandt|Brandt]] resigned as [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]] after one of his personal assistants, Günter Guillaume, was arrested as a spy for the East German state. Though this had been internally suspected since 1973, Brandt accepted responsibility and resigned. Scheel, as acting chancellor, chaired the government meetings for a little over a week, until [[Helmut Schmidt]] was elected Chancellor.
{{more citations needed|section|date=February 2017}}
When his [[Free Democratic Party of Germany|Free Democratic Party]] reentered government in a coalition with [[Konrad Adenauer]]'s [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|Christian Democratic Union]] in 1961, Scheel was appointed federal minister of economic cooperation and development. He continued in that office under Chancellor [[Ludwig Erhard]] but brought about the downfall of the latter in late 1966 by resigning.


A Christian Democratic/[[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic]] Grand Coalition followed. During this time, in 1968, Scheel took over the party presidency from right wing liberal [[Erich Mende]]. According to one study, the election of Walter Scheel to the FDP leadership in 1968 “represented a turn to the left and the Free Democrats then indicated their wooing of the SPD by voting for the successful Social Democratic candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, Gustav Heinemann, in 1969.”<ref>{{cite book|last1=Childs|first1=David|last2=Johnson|first2=Jeffrey|title=West Germany, politics and society|date=1981|publisher=St. Martin's Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-312-86300-5}}</ref>{{page needed|date=August 2016}}
At that time Scheel was elected [[President of Germany|Federal President]] of [[West Germany]], a post he held from July [[1974]] until June [[1979]]. He largely retreated to private life after his term of office expired, though he sometimes appears on political talk shows or events. At the funeral of [[Hanns Martin Schleyer]] in October [[1977]], Scheel gave a speech entitled ''shame''.


In 1969, he led his party to form a new coalition with the Social Democrats. Under Chancellor [[Willy Brandt]], Scheel became [[Foreign Minister of Germany|Foreign Minister]] and [[Vice-Chancellor of Germany|Vice Chancellor]]. Under their leadership, West Germany pursued a course of rapprochement and détente with the Soviet block and officially recognized the existence of the [[German Democratic Republic]] (GDR). This policy caused a massive public debate, with various Free and Social Democrats switching sides to the opposition. Though an attempt to oust Brandt failed, the coalition had lost its slender majority. The parliamentary stalemate was ended by the dissolution of parliament and early elections in 1972, which brought great gains for the Social Democrats and enabled the coalition to continue.
{{start box}}

{{succession box|
On 7 May 1974, Brandt resigned as [[Chancellor of Germany|chancellor]] after one of his aides, [[Günter Guillaume]], was arrested as a spy for the East German state. Though this had been internally suspected since 1973, Brandt accepted responsibility and resigned. Scheel, as acting chancellor, chaired the government meetings for a little over a week, until [[Helmut Schmidt]] was elected.<ref>{{cite news|title=16. Mai 2004 - Vor 30 Jahren: Helmut Schmidt wird zum Bundeskanzler gewählt|url=https://www1.wdr.de/stichtag/stichtag174.html|access-date=24 August 2016|work=WDR|language=de}}</ref> One of his first official acts as acting Chancellor was the award of the war blind radio play prize to Alfred Behrens on 8 May 1974. On 14 May, he chaired the cabinet meeting once.<ref>[https://www.br.de/mediathek/podcast/kanzlercast/bonus-walter-scheel-der-10-tage-kanzler/1836054/ Walter Scheel - Der 10-Tage-Kanzler] In: ''BR Podcast'', 26 October 2021.</ref> [[Hans Dietrich Genscher]] became Scheel's successor as party chairman and as minister.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}
title=[[President of Germany|President of Germany]]|
[[File:Scheel Carter.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Scheel with U.S. President [[Jimmy Carter]], 1978]]
before=[[Gustav Heinemann]]|
Scheel was elected [[President of Germany|President of West Germany]], a week after relinquishing his other government roles. He held the office from July 1974 until June 1979. At the funeral of [[Hanns Martin Schleyer]] in October 1977, Scheel gave a speech entitled ''shame''. After the federal presidency, Scheel was Chairman of the [[Bilderberg Conference]] as well as President of the [[European Movement]] in Germany from 1980 to 1985. From 1980 to 1989 he was also President of the German section of the [[Union of European Federalists (UEF)]]. He was named honorary chairman of the [[Friedrich Naumann Foundation]] in 1991.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}
after=[[Karl Carstens]]|

years=[[1974]] &ndash; [[1979]]
==Death==
Scheel died on 24 August 2016 following a long illness.<ref>{{cite news|title=Früherer Bundespräsident (1974-1979): Walter Scheel ist tot|url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/walter-scheel-ist-tot-a-1109294.html|access-date=24 August 2016|work=SPIEGEL ONLINE|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Ehemaliger Bundespräsident Walter Scheel ist tot|url=http://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2016-08/ehemaliger-bundespraesident-walter-scheel-ist-tot|access-date=24 August 2016|work=Die Zeit|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/world/europe/walter-scheel-west-germany-obituary.html |title=Walter Scheel, Leading Figure in West German Thaw With the East, Dies at 97 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=24 August 2016 |access-date=25 August 2016}}</ref> Having lived to {{Age in years and days|1919|07|08|2016|08|24|mf=y}} he holds the record as the longest-lived German head of state, either imperial or elected.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

==Publications==
* with [[Karl-Hermann Flach]] and [[Werner Maihofer]]: ''Die Freiburger Thesen der Liberalen.'' Rowohlt, Hamburg 1972, {{ISBN|3-499-11545-X}}.
* ''Die Zukunft der Freiheit – Vom Denken und Handeln in unserer Demokratie.'' Econ, 1979.
* ''Wen schmerzt noch Deutschlands Teilung? 2 Reden zum 17. Juni'', Rowohlt, Reinbek 1986, {{ISBN|3-499-18346-3}}.
* with [[Otto Graf Lambsdorff]]: ''Freiheit in Verantwortung, Deutscher Liberalismus seit 1945.'' Bleicher, 1988, {{ISBN|3-88350-047-X}}.
* with Jürgen Engert: ''Erinnerungen und Einsichten''. Hohenheim-Verlag, Stuttgart 2004, {{ISBN|3-89850-115-9}}.
* with Tobias Thalhammer: ''Gemeinsam sind wir stärker – Zwölf erfreuliche Geschichten über Jung und Alt''. Allpart Media, Berlin 2010, {{ISBN|978-3-86214-011-4}}.

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==Literature==
* [[Hans-Dietrich Genscher]] (Hrsg.): ''Heiterkeit und Härte: Walter Scheel in seinen Reden und im Urteil von Zeitgenossen''. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, Stuttgart 1984, {{ISBN|3-421-06218-8}}.
* Hans-Roderich Schneider: ''Präsident des Ausgleichs. Bundespräsident Walter Scheel. Ein liberaler Politiker.'' Verlag Bonn aktuell, Stuttgart 1975, {{ISBN|3-87959-045-1}}.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons|Walter Scheel}}
*[https://www.bundespraesident.de/EN/TheGermanFederalPresidents/WalterScheel/walterscheel-node.html The German Federal Presidents]

{{S-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{Succession box
|title=[[Vice Chancellor of Germany|Vice-Chancellor of West Germany]]
|before=[[Willy Brandt]]
|after=[[Hans-Dietrich Genscher]]
|years=1969–1974
}}
}}
{{succession box|
{{Succession box
title=[[Foreign Minister of Germany|Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs]]|
|title=[[Foreign Minister of Germany|Foreign Minister of West Germany]]
before=[[Willy Brandt]]|
|before=[[Willy Brandt]]
after=[[Hans-Dietrich Genscher]]|
|after=[[Hans-Dietrich Genscher]]
|years=1969–1974
years=[[1969]] &ndash; [[1974]]
}}
}}
{{succession box|
{{Succession box
title=[[Chancellor of Germany|Acting Chancellor of Germany]]|
|title=[[President of Germany|President of West Germany]]
before=[[Willy Brandt]]|
|before=[[Gustav Heinemann]]
after=[[Helmut Schmidt]]|
|after=[[Karl Carstens]]
|years=1974–1979
years=[[May 7]] &ndash; [[May 16]] [[1974]]
}}
}}
{{end box}}
{{S-end}}


{{Navboxes
{{GermanPresidents}}
|title=Walter Scheel navigation boxes
|list =
{{President of Germany}}
{{German presidents}}
{{Cabinet Adenauer IV}}
{{Cabinet Adenauer V}}
{{Cabinet Erhard I}}
{{Cabinet Erhard II}}
{{Cabinet Brandt I}}
{{Cabinet Brandt II}}
{{BRDFMs}}
{{BRDFMs}}
{{Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}
{{Charlemagne Prize recipients}}
{{Members of the 2nd Bundestag}}
{{Members of the 3rd Bundestag}}
{{Members of the 4th Bundestag}}
{{Members of the 5th Bundestag}}
{{Members of the 6th Bundestag}}
{{Members of the 7th Bundestag}}
}}


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1919 births|Scheel, Walter]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}
[[Category:Living people|Scheel, Walter]]
[[Category:Natives of North Rhine-Westphalia|Scheel, Walter]]
[[Category:Presidents of Germany|Scheel, Walter]]
[[Category:Government ministers of Germany|Scheel, Walter]]
[[Category:Politicians of the Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Scheel, Walter]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Scheel, Walter}}
[[ca:Walter Scheel]]
[[de:Walter Scheel]]
[[Category:Walter Scheel| ]]
[[et:Walter Scheel]]
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[es:Walter Scheel]]
[[Category:2016 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century presidents of Germany]]
[[fr:Walter Scheel]]
[[Category:20th-century chancellors of Germany]]
[[hr:Walter Scheel]]
[[Category:Politicians from the Rhine Province]]
[[it:Walter Scheel]]
[[Category:German Lutherans]]
[[ka:შეელი, ვალტერ]]
[[Category:People from Solingen]]
[[nl:Walter Scheel]]
[[Category:Ministers for foreign affairs of Germany]]
[[ja:ヴァルター・シェール]]
[[Category:Chairmen of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group]]
[[no:Walter Scheel]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag for North Rhine-Westphalia]]
[[nds:Walter Scheel]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag 1972–1976]]
[[pl:Walter Scheel]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag 1969–1972]]
[[sv:Walter Scheel]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag 1965–1969]]
[[zh:瓦尔特·谢尔]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag 1961–1965]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag 1957–1961]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag 1953–1957]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia]]
[[Category:Members of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group]]
[[Category:MEPs for Germany 1958–1979]]
[[Category:Leaders of political parties in Germany]]
[[Category:Luftwaffe personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Free Democratic Party (Germany) MEPs]]
[[Category:Vice-chancellors of Germany]]
[[Category:Economic Cooperation ministers of Germany]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]]
[[Category:Grand Collars of the Order of Saint James of the Sword]]
[[Category:Nazi Party members]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag for the Free Democratic Party (Germany)]]

Latest revision as of 20:38, 15 November 2024

Walter Scheel
Scheel in 1974
President of West Germany[a]
In office
1 July 1974 – 30 June 1979
ChancellorHelmut Schmidt
Preceded byGustav Heinemann
Succeeded byKarl Carstens
Chancellor of West Germany[b]
Acting
7 May 1974 – 16 May 1974
PresidentGustav Heinemann
Preceded byWilly Brandt
Succeeded byHelmut Schmidt
Vice Chancellor of West Germany
In office
22 October 1969 – 16 May 1974
ChancellorWilly Brandt
himself (acting)
Preceded byWilly Brandt
Succeeded byHans-Dietrich Genscher
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
21 October 1969 – 16 May 1974
ChancellorWilly Brandt
himself (acting)
Preceded byWilly Brandt
Succeeded byHans-Dietrich Genscher
Vice President of the Bundestag
(on proposal of the FDP group)
In office
8 September 1967 – 19 October 1969
PresidentEugen Gerstenmaier
Kai-Uwe von Hassel
Preceded byThomas Dehler
Succeeded byLiselotte Funcke
Minister for Economic Cooperation
In office
14 November 1961 – 28 October 1966
ChancellorKonrad Adenauer
Ludwig Erhard
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byWerner Dollinger
Parliamentary constituencies
Member of the Bundestag
for North Rhine-Westphalia
In office
6 October 1953 – 27 June 1974
Preceded bymulti-member district
Succeeded byKarl-Hans Laermann
ConstituencyFree Democratic Party List
Member of the European Parliament
for West Germany
In office
1 July 1956 – 20 November 1961
Preceded bymulti-member district
Succeeded bymulti-member district
Member of the
Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
for Remscheid
In office
5 July 1950 – 13 July 1954
Preceded byHugo Paul
Succeeded byWalter Frey
Personal details
Born
Walter Scheel

(1919-07-08)8 July 1919
Höhscheid, Rhine Province, Free State of Prussia, Weimar Republic (now Solingen-Höhscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)
Died24 August 2016(2016-08-24) (aged 97)
Bad Krozingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Political partyFree Democratic Party (1946–2016)
Other political
affiliations		Nazi Party (1942–1945)
Spouses
  • Eva Charlotte Kronenberg
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1942; died 1966)​
  • Mildred Wirtz
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1969; died 1985)​
  • Barbara Wiese
    ​
    (m. 1988)​
Children4
Occupation
  • Politician
  • Businessman
  • Consultant
Signature

Walter Scheel (German: [ˈvaltɐ ˈʃeːl] ⓘ; 8 July 1919 – 24 August 2016)[1] was a German statesman. A member of the Nazi Party who joined the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) in 1946, he first served in government as the Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development from 1961 to 1966 and later as President of Germany from 1974 to 1979. He led the FDP from 1968 to 1974.[2]

During the chancellorship of Willy Brandt, Scheel was Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Vice Chancellor. Scheel became acting Chancellor of West Germany from 7–16 May 1974 following Brandt's resignation after the Guillaume Affair. He was elected shortly after as the president of West Germany, remaining in the role until 1979. Scheel was a member of the Protestant Church in Germany.

Early life

[edit]

Scheel was born in Solingen (now in North Rhine-Westphalia). He completed his Abitur at the Reformrealgymnsasium Schwertstraße.[3]

Scheel became a member of the Nazi Party in 1942.[4] During World War II, he served in the Luftwaffe during the last years of the war as a radar operator on a Bf 110 night fighter.[citation needed]

Political career

[edit]

When his Free Democratic Party reentered government in a coalition with Konrad Adenauer's Christian Democratic Union in 1961, Scheel was appointed federal minister of economic cooperation and development. He continued in that office under Chancellor Ludwig Erhard but brought about the downfall of the latter in late 1966 by resigning.

A Christian Democratic/Social Democratic Grand Coalition followed. During this time, in 1968, Scheel took over the party presidency from right wing liberal Erich Mende. According to one study, the election of Walter Scheel to the FDP leadership in 1968 “represented a turn to the left and the Free Democrats then indicated their wooing of the SPD by voting for the successful Social Democratic candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, Gustav Heinemann, in 1969.”[5][page needed]

In 1969, he led his party to form a new coalition with the Social Democrats. Under Chancellor Willy Brandt, Scheel became Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor. Under their leadership, West Germany pursued a course of rapprochement and détente with the Soviet block and officially recognized the existence of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). This policy caused a massive public debate, with various Free and Social Democrats switching sides to the opposition. Though an attempt to oust Brandt failed, the coalition had lost its slender majority. The parliamentary stalemate was ended by the dissolution of parliament and early elections in 1972, which brought great gains for the Social Democrats and enabled the coalition to continue.

On 7 May 1974, Brandt resigned as chancellor after one of his aides, Günter Guillaume, was arrested as a spy for the East German state. Though this had been internally suspected since 1973, Brandt accepted responsibility and resigned. Scheel, as acting chancellor, chaired the government meetings for a little over a week, until Helmut Schmidt was elected.[6] One of his first official acts as acting Chancellor was the award of the war blind radio play prize to Alfred Behrens on 8 May 1974. On 14 May, he chaired the cabinet meeting once.[7] Hans Dietrich Genscher became Scheel's successor as party chairman and as minister.[citation needed]

Scheel with U.S. President Jimmy Carter, 1978

Scheel was elected President of West Germany, a week after relinquishing his other government roles. He held the office from July 1974 until June 1979. At the funeral of Hanns Martin Schleyer in October 1977, Scheel gave a speech entitled shame. After the federal presidency, Scheel was Chairman of the Bilderberg Conference as well as President of the European Movement in Germany from 1980 to 1985. From 1980 to 1989 he was also President of the German section of the Union of European Federalists (UEF). He was named honorary chairman of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in 1991.[citation needed]

Death

[edit]

Scheel died on 24 August 2016 following a long illness.[8][9][10] Having lived to 97 years, 47 days he holds the record as the longest-lived German head of state, either imperial or elected.[citation needed]

Publications

[edit]
  • with Karl-Hermann Flach and Werner Maihofer: Die Freiburger Thesen der Liberalen. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1972, ISBN 3-499-11545-X.
  • Die Zukunft der Freiheit – Vom Denken und Handeln in unserer Demokratie. Econ, 1979.
  • Wen schmerzt noch Deutschlands Teilung? 2 Reden zum 17. Juni, Rowohlt, Reinbek 1986, ISBN 3-499-18346-3.
  • with Otto Graf Lambsdorff: Freiheit in Verantwortung, Deutscher Liberalismus seit 1945. Bleicher, 1988, ISBN 3-88350-047-X.
  • with Jürgen Engert: Erinnerungen und Einsichten. Hohenheim-Verlag, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-89850-115-9.
  • with Tobias Thalhammer: Gemeinsam sind wir stärker – Zwölf erfreuliche Geschichten über Jung und Alt. Allpart Media, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86214-011-4.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Due to the division of Germany, Walter Scheel was only the President of West Germany. The term West Germany is the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 October 1990.
  2. ^ Due to the division of Germany, Walter Scheel was only the chancellor in West Germany. The term West Germany is the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 October 1990. The office of chancellor did not exist in East Germany.

Literature

[edit]
  • Hans-Dietrich Genscher (Hrsg.): Heiterkeit und Härte: Walter Scheel in seinen Reden und im Urteil von Zeitgenossen. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-421-06218-8.
  • Hans-Roderich Schneider: Präsident des Ausgleichs. Bundespräsident Walter Scheel. Ein liberaler Politiker. Verlag Bonn aktuell, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87959-045-1.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Profile of Walter Scheel
  2. ^ "Walter Scheel (1974–1979)". German Federal Presidency. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  3. ^ Lohausen, Carsten (28 September 2013). "Aus Höhscheid in die Geschichtsbücher". Rheinische Post (in German). Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  4. ^ Geschichte und Politik in den Reden der deutschen Bundespräsidenten 1949-1984, Matthias Rensing,p. 152
  5. ^ Childs, David; Johnson, Jeffrey (1981). West Germany, politics and society. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-86300-5.
  6. ^ "16. Mai 2004 - Vor 30 Jahren: Helmut Schmidt wird zum Bundeskanzler gewählt". WDR (in German). Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  7. ^ Walter Scheel - Der 10-Tage-Kanzler In: BR Podcast, 26 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Früherer Bundespräsident (1974-1979): Walter Scheel ist tot". SPIEGEL ONLINE (in German). Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  9. ^ "Ehemaliger Bundespräsident Walter Scheel ist tot". Die Zeit (in German). Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  10. ^ "Walter Scheel, Leading Figure in West German Thaw With the East, Dies at 97". The New York Times. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Walter Scheel.
Political offices
Preceded by Vice-Chancellor of West Germany
1969–1974 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Foreign Minister of West Germany
1969–1974 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of West Germany
1974–1979 		Succeeded by

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Walter_Scheel&oldid=1257608816"