Historical Figure
Helmut Kohl
1930–2017
Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998
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Biography
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl was a German politician who served as chancellor of Germany and governed the Federal Republic from 1982 to 1998. He was leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to 1998 and oversaw the end of the Cold War, the German reunification and the creation of the European Union (EU). Kohl's 16-year tenure is the longest in German post-war history, and is the longest for any democratically elected chancellor of Germany.
In Their Own Words (5)
Translation: This is a typical journalistic statement: It is correct, but it is not the truth.
ARD-Tagesthemen (February 22, 1994) , 1994
Translation: A successful industrial nation, meaning a nation with future, can not be organized as a collective holiday resort.
In a parliamentary speech (March 1993) , 1993
Translation: In all future, only peace may come from German soil.
Lecture in front of the Frauenkirche (December 19, 1989) , 1989
Translation: The German Reunification and unification of Europe are two sides of the same coin.
In a speech on the 15th party congress of the CDU, in Frankfurt an Main (June 17, 2002) , 2002
We Germans have learned from history. We are a peace-loving, freedom-loving people. For us, love of our native country, love of freedom, and the spirit of being a good neighbor always belong together.
As quoted in "Kohl: German chancellor, European statesman" (October 1, 2012), Deutsche Welle , 2012
Timeline
The story of Helmut Kohl, told in moments.
Became Chancellor through a constructive vote of no confidence against Helmut Schmidt. No election. Just parliamentary arithmetic. His critics underestimated him for the next 16 years.
The Berlin Wall fell. Kohl moved faster than any other leader. He presented a ten-point reunification plan within weeks while Thatcher and Mitterrand dragged their feet.
Germany reunified. Kohl promised "blossoming landscapes" in the east. The landscapes took longer than promised. But the country was whole.
A party financing scandal revealed he'd accepted illegal donations. He refused to name the donors. Said he'd given his word. The CDU stripped his honorary chairmanship.
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