In November last year, the media reported the death of Helmut Schmidt, former chancellor of Germany (from 1974 to 1982). In an obituary, an outstanding politician is represented by a person who took the reins of government in a difficult time for her and in many ways contributed to the fact that the following years became much more life-affirming for Germany and all of Europe.
Helmut Schmidt is an outstanding world politician whose importance is often underestimated. Nevertheless, it is necessary to remember the decisive role of his activities in the modern structure of international relations.
"Symbol and conscience of the nation"
In December, he was going to celebrate his 97th birthday. The chancellor, who shared with her country her post-war history and determined the main milestones of its future development. He was considered almost immortal. He was a living legend, “a symbol and conscience of the nation,” whose authority was unquestioned.
Journalists called him "the metronome by which Germany ... measured its steps."
The path that Helmut Schmidt has traveled is the path by which the Chancellor has led the people of Germany from error and error to redemption and true success for many years.
The time of his power is long gone. But the Germans still use cheap Siberian gas, a huge Russian market and other useful things - a practical and intellectual legacy that the German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt left to the state.
About the modern crisis
At one time, Schmidt served as Minister of Defense, Economics and Finance, was the head of the German Foreign Ministry. He is considered one of the prominent world politicians of the twentieth century, who was never deceived by his political instinct.
"At present ... Europe is in crisis, things are not in the best way," - the politician praised the European problems associated with the recent sensational coup in Ukraine in one of the latest interviews. The project of the Ukrainian Euroassociation, the former chancellor, who was always famous for his directness, called "stupidity" and "geopolitical childishness", whose consequences for Europe and the world are not predicted in the best way. The reason for this was, as Helmut Schmidt believed, a gradual decrease in the "quality of European leaders." According to the politician, expressed during one of his last conversations with journalists, the actions of the modern European Parliament, as well as individual world politicians, related to the recent history of relations between the EU and Ukraine, "leave much to be desired." This is the opinion of a man who successfully led his country through many of the challenges that fell to its lot.
Talking and acting contrary to the generally accepted fashion of Western international politics he was allowed a decisive uncompromising character and vast experience.
Helmut Schmidt: biography
The future chancellor of the federation was born in 1918 in a family of German teachers. Its origin was shrouded in mystery for a long time, and only exchanging the seventh dozen did Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt confess that he was a descendant of an illegitimate Jew - a half-breed adopted by a German Protestant couple. Maintaining the secrets of his Jewish origin probably saved the life of a young man in the Nazi era.
About the attitude towards Nazism
This question - about the attitude of the Chancellor to Nazism - has been raised more than once. In his biography, as well as in the biographies of many Germans of his generation, this topic is present.
It is known that as a teenager Schmidt was involved in the Hitler Youth, but he avoided membership in the Nazi party and, serving in the Second World War as an officer in the anti-aircraft forces, was repeatedly disciplined due to “defeatist statements”.
In 1945, he surrendered to the Allies.
Study, politics
Upon his release, he is far from young when he enters the university, where he studies political science and law and at the same time begins to head the student cell of the Social Democratic Party.
He works in the Hamburg City Department of Economics, and has been a member of the Bundestag since the early 1950s.
During his tenure as Minister of the Interior of Hamburg (mid-60s), he became famous for being able to overcome the consequences of a natural disaster - the famous flood of 1962. To enhance the effectiveness of rescue operations, Schmidt, bypassing the law, involved the participation of the army.
Takeoff
This was the beginning of the rapid rise of his career: Schmidt becomes deputy chairman of the SPD, then Minister of Defense in the government of Willy Brandt and his closest associate. After the scandalous resignation of the Federal Chancellor, whose team was found an intelligence officer from the GDR, in 1974, Schmidt takes his post.
Chancellor
As chancellor, meeting with many challenges, Helmut Schmidt multiplied Brandt's achievements in the field of foreign policy and economics: he developed friendly relations with the USSR, East Germany, and trade with the East. In 1975, as one of the leading Western politicians, he participated in the Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation.
The contribution of politics to European integration is hard to overestimate.
Contradictions of Domestic Politics
The SPD was torn apart by ideological differences between left and right, requiring radical reforms. Despite this, for eight years the chancellor manages to keep the party in power.
Economic tests
Thanks to the skillful actions of the country's leadership, in the 70s Germany passed through difficult tests for the entire world economy more successfully than other states. Chancellor Helmut Schmidt combined a moderate tough financial policy with support for the vulnerable masses: during his reign, pensions, benefits, social benefits increased, and necessary benefits were provided.
"German autumn"
In the 70s, Schmidt had to make very serious domestic political decisions: the left-wing extremist terrorist organization RAF ("Red Army Faction"), responsible for more than three dozen high-profile killings, kidnappings, bombings, and bank robberies, became active in the country.
In 1977, terrorists attempted to hijack a passenger plane. The Chancellor did not comply with their requirements. The special forces sent by him stormed the liner.
Certain forces in parliament demanded to repeal some democratic laws in order to strengthen the effectiveness of the fight against terrorists.
Schmidt replied like a true democrat: "We do not intend to sacrifice freedom as a sacrifice to security." The decisive, tough stance of the head of state towards extremists himself added popularity, and the German people regained self-confidence.
Resignation
In the 80s, Schmidt supported NATO’s reciprocal intentions to strengthen the arms race in the USSR to deploy Pershing missiles in Germany. His foreign policy position, as well as the undertaken reduction of budget expenditures, led to the fact that the Allies turned away from the Chancellor and received a vote of no confidence. In the whole history of Germany, Schmidt is the only chancellor who resigned not as a result of a defeat in the elections, but because of the loss of allies.
Zeit
In retirement, Helmut Schmidt became the author of several books on the years of his life and on current politics, he became one of the co-authors of the German magazine Zeit, and founded several international forums on political and economic issues. He was often invited by the media, bringing to the German public the views of the former chancellor on a wide range of issues.
Ukrainian question
With regard to international politics, the former chancellor continued to defend his position as a supporter of non-interference in the affairs of sovereign states.
Until recently, Schmidt continued to remain faithful to the principle of expressing his views directly and sharply, without regard to probable grievances.
In 2014, in connection with the well-known events in Ukraine, the 95-year-old ex-chancellor called on European political leaders not to repeat the tragic mistakes of the past, bearing in mind the two past world wars, and making joint efforts to move away from the dangerous line .
The politician mercilessly criticized the actions of the leaders of the EU and the States regarding Ukraine, and defined the policy of Brussels as “megalomania”. In an interview with one of the German newspapers, Schmidt emphasized that the initiators of the course on Ukrainian European integration did not take into account significant differences in the culture and history of the western and eastern population of the country.
In June 2014, the politician criticized the decision not to invite to the summit in Bavaria, which was attended by the leaders and ministers of foreign affairs of Germany, as well as several European countries, Russian President V. Putin.
The politician called the sanctions against Russia stupid and said that he perfectly understands the actions of the Russian Federation in the Crimea.
The politician negatively assessed the results of the meetings, in which the leaders and ministers of foreign affairs of Germany and European countries took part, complaining that his country, among other EU countries and the USA, became one of the participants in the violation of international law. The former Chancellor of Germany considered such a violation the intention to "expand the EU at the expense of Ukraine" and other former Soviet states, the desire to split the CIS.
During a talk show on one of the TV channels, Helmut Schmidt highlighted the political emphasis in relations between the European Union and the Russian Federation. In his opinion, "the United States is not a special danger in the world."
In the midst of the Ukrainian crisis, an outstanding German politician supported the head of the Russian Federation, V. Putin, on a friendly visit to Moscow.
Personal
Schmidt always loved art, played the piano and organ perfectly, as evidenced by the preserved recordings of his amateur concerts. He was interested in philosophy and painting, until an advanced age he successfully continued to paint.
Helmut Schmidt: family
Here they are on the screen: Schmidt and his wife Hannelore - Loki, as throughout her life she was affectionately called not only friends, but all Germans. Two very elderly people, each with a cigarette in his hand - he is with a cane and a hearing aid, it is with a special device for walking. Here they sit down and hold hands. It is difficult not to admire them in the age of swift divorces and permissiveness.
They were friends since school. Married in 1942. They survived a lot together, including war and death from meningitis in the 45th of their firstborn.
Independent and decisive Loki in childhood protected and defended the small and feeble Helmut. Then she earned a living by teaching while her husband studied at the university and pursued a career until the 74th, when he took the chancellor post. Now she began to protect and protect her husband’s comrades-in-arms from his harsh and categorical character, for which she received the nickname of “sister of mercy”.
Suzanne's daughter, a journalist, lives and works in London.
Loki did not live up to the 70th anniversary of marriage; she died at the age of 91.
In 93, Helmut Schmidt entered into a civil marriage with Ruth Loach (14 years younger than him).
Confession
Articles and books are written about him, and documentaries are created. More than once he was chosen as the man of the year; by the 95th anniversary he was awarded the Westphalian Peace Prize.
Schmidt has been a heavy smoker all his life. In Germany, where smoking is prohibited by law in public places , an exception was made everywhere for the elderly former chancellor: Schmidt was allowed to smoke even during live television programs. Journalists have repeatedly asked him about the dangers of smoking, to which the politician objected that it was too late for him to worry about this. Once, the presenter invited him to switch to electronic cigarettes. Schmidt answered: “Why should I do stupid things?”
Throughout his long life and political career, he successfully managed to avoid stupidities.