Online Encyclopedia
Gerhard Schröder
- This article discusses the Social Democratic German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. For the 1950s/1960s CDU politician with the same name, see Gerhard Schröder (CDU).
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| Order: | 33rd Chancellor of Germany (7th of the Federal Republic) |
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| Term of Office: | October 27, 1998– |
| Predecessor: | Helmut Kohl |
| Successor: | |
| Date of Birth: | April 7, 1944 |
| Date of Death: | |
| Political Party: | SPD |
| Profession: | lawyer |
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder (born April 7, 1944), a German politician, has been serving since 1998 as Chancellor of Germany. His political career has unfolded within the left-of-center Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, SPD) - for a time he also served as Party Chairman. He heads a coalition of the SPD and the German Green Party. Before becoming a fulltime politician, he was a successful lawyer.
(His surname often appears spelled Schroeder in accordance with the standard conversion of umlauts.)
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Political career
Schröder joined the Social Democratic Party in 1963. In 1978 he became the federal chairman of the Young Socialists, the youth organisation of the SPD. In 1980 he was elected to the German Bundestag, and stood out provocatively as a young parliamentarian who wore a sweater to work instead of the traditional suit-and-tie. He became chairman of the SPD Hanover district. 1986 saw his election to the regional parliament of Lower Saxony as leader of the SPD faction. At the same time, he became a member of the board of the federal SPD. He became Bundeskanzler on October 27, 1998 after having won elections in Lower Saxony for the third time in March that year and serving as Ministerpräsident there since 1990. In the general elections on September 22, 2002, he secured another four-year term, thanks to the victory of his governing Red-Green coalition.
After the resignation of Oskar Lafontaine from his office as SPD chairman in March, 1999, Schröder held that office as well. In February, 2004, he resigned as chairman of the SPD to concentrate, as Chancellor, on German reform processes. (Franz Müntefering succeeded him as chairman.) Speculation suggests that the SPD's historical low level of popularity in opinion polls provides one reason for his resignation as chairman.
Political activity
Foreign policy
Prior to Schröder's Chancellorship, no German military troops had served outside NATO territory since the end of the second world war. Schröder sent units to Kosovo and to Afghanistan.
With Germany having a long experience with terrorism itself, Schröder declared full solidarity with the United States of America after that country became more aware of the phenomenon in September 2001.
Along with French President Jacques Chirac, Schröder spoke out strongly against the war on Iraq during 2003, and refused any military assistance in that enterprise. His opposition has given rise to political friction between the United States of America and Germany, as Germany has had a reputation as one of the USA's most important and intimate allies since the end of World War II. Schröder's opposition to an invasion of Iraq had multiple reasons; primarily it reflected popular opposition to the war, especially among the SPD voters and supporters of its coalition partner.
Relations with some European countries have sometimes become strained due to Schröder's powerplay; examples are Austria (2000), the Czech Republic and Spain. His 'announcements' concerning upcoming EU negotiations with Turkey may cause some problems for 2004 or 2005.
Domestic policy
Schröder's Red-Green Alliance government achieved a reputation for some progressive policies -- for example, the funding of renewable energies, liberalising homosexual partnerships, and trying to stop the Bundesländer introducing studying fees. Most voters associate Schröder with the Agenda 2010 reform programme, which includes cuts in the social security (medical aid, unemployment security, pensions), lowering taxes, and reducing regulations on employment and payment. After the 2002 election, Schröder's SPD party steadily lost support in opinion polls. What started as a third way programme in line with Tony Blair and Bill Clinton became to many eyes a harsh knock-down of the German welfare state.
Political style
In the first years of his government, Schröder became known as the Medienkanzler (chancellor of the media). He also gained a reputation for governing by commissions. After several changes in his cabinet, growing resistance from the now CDU-dominated Bundesrat, and eroding popularity, Schröder's style changed to something based largely on the authoritative power of the chancellor's office.
Vita
Schröder's career, starting from a working-class background, spanned a period as a successful lawyer, as well as politics.
Schröder was born in Mossenberg , in the county of Lippe-Detmold (today North Rhine-Westphalia). His father, Fritz Schröder, died fighting in Romania during World War II weeks after young Gerhard's birth. Even his father's place of death was not known to him until 2001, when his father's final resting place was revealed to be a cemetery in the village of Ceanu Mare , 375 km northwest of Bucharest. He visited this area on August 12, 2004. His mother Erika worked on farms to feed the family, consisting of herself and her two sons. Later she married again (Paul Vosseler), but continued to work hard -- as a cleaning woman -- to feed the five children of the family, now living in Bexten .
Schröder initially worked as a sales clerk in Göttingen, meanwhile studying at night school to gain a Mittlere Reife (high school) diploma. Still trying to learn more and to gain the possibility to attend university, in 1966 Schröder passed the Abitur test at Westfalen-Kolleg, Bielefeld. From 1966 to 1971 he studied law at the University of Göttingen. During the summer vacation he worked to earn his living. From 1972 onwards, Schröder served as an assistant at Göttingen University. In 1976 he passed his second law examination; he worked as a lawyer until 1990.
Schröder has married four times, to:
- Eva Schubach, married 1968, divorced 1972
- Anne Taschenmacher, married 1972, divorced 1984
- Hiltrud Hampel, married 1984, divorced 1997
- Doris Köpf, married 1997
Doris has a daughter Klara (born 1991), from a previous relationship with a TV journalist (Klar lives with the couple). When not in Berlin, the capital of Germany, he lives in Hanover. In July 2004 he and his wife adopted a child from St. Petersburg in Russia. Her name is Viktoria and she is three years old.
Schröder identifies himself as a Protestant, but does not appear particularly religious; for example he did not add the optional So wahr mir Gott helfe formula (so help me God) when sworn in as chancellor for his first term in 1998.
See also
External Links
Schröder's First Ministry, 27 October 1998 - 22 October 2002
- Gerhard Schröder (SPD) - Chancellor
- Joschka Fischer (Gr) - Vice Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Rudolf Scharping (SPD) - Minister of Defense
- Otto Schily (SPD) - Minister of the Interior
- Oskar Lafontaine (SPD) - Minister of Finance
- Herta Däubler-Gmelin (SPD) - Minister of Justice
- Werner Müller - Minister of Economics
- Walter Riester (SPD) - Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
- Karl-Heinz Funke (SPD) - Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry
- Franz Müntefering (SPD) - Minister of Transport and Construction
- Christine Bergmann (SPD) - Minister of Family, Senior Citizens, Womena, and Youth
- Andrea Fischer (Gr) - Minister of Health
- Edelgard Bulmahn (SPD) - Minister of Education and Research
- Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul (SPD) - Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development
- Jürgen Trittin (Gr) - Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Reactor Security
- Bodo Hombach (SPD) - Minister of Special Tasks
Changes
- 18 March 1999 - Werner Müller succeeds Lafontaine as acting Minister of Finance, remaining also Minister of Economics.
- 12 April 1999 - Hans Eichel (SPD) succeeds Müller as Minister of Finance.
- 31 July 1999 - Bodo Hombach leaves the cabinet.
- 17 September 1999 - Jürgen Trittin (Gr) succeeds Müntefering as acting Minister of Transport and Construction.
- 7 October 1999 - Reinhard Klimmt (SPD) succeeds Trittin as Minister of Transport and Construction
- 20 November 2000 - Kurt Bodewig (SPD) succeeds Klimmt as Minister of Transport and Construction.
- 18 January 2001 - Renate Künast (Gr) succeeds as Funke as Minister of Consumer Protection, Food, and Agriculture. Ulla Schmidt (SPD) succeeds Fischer as Minister of Health
- 19 July 2002 - Peter Struck (SPD) succeeds Scharping as Minister of Defense
Schröder's Second Ministry, 22 October 2002 - present
- Gerhard Schröder (SPD) - Chancellor
- Joschka Fischer (Gr) - Vice Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Peter Struck (SPD) - Minister of Defense
- Otto Schily (SPD) - Minister of the Interior
- Hans Eichel (SPD) - Minister of Finance
- Brigitte Zypries (SPD) - Minister of Justice
- Wolfgang Clement (SPD) - Minister of Economics and Labour
- Renate Künast (Gr) - Minister of Consumer Protection, Food, and Agriculture
- Manfred Stolpe (SPD) - Minister of Transport, Construction, and Eastern Reconstruction
- Renate Schmidt (SPD) - Minister of Family, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth
- Ulla Schmidt (SPD) - Minister of Health and Social Affairs
- Edelgard Bulmahn (SPD) - Minister of Education and Research
- Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul (SPD) - Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development
- Jürgen Trittin (Gr) - Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Reactor Security
| Preceded by: Helmut Kohl |
Chancellor of Germany 1998— |
Succeeded by: Incumbent |