| Franz Josef Strauss | |
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| In office 1978 – 1988 |
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| Preceded by | Alfons Goppel |
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| Succeeded by | Max Streibl |
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| In office 1956 – 1963 |
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| Born | September 6, 1915 Munich |
| Died | October 3, 1988 Regensburg |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party | CSU |
| Religion | Catholic |
Franz Josef Strauss (German: Franz Josef Strauß) (IPA: [fʁants jozɛf ʃtraʊs]) (September 6, 1915 – October 3, 1988) was a German politician (CSU) and long-time minister-president of the state of Bavaria. A minister-president (Ministerpräsident is the Head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments who presides over the council of ministers Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Alfons Goppel ( October 1 1905 in Reinhausen near Regensburg - December 24 1991 in Johannesberg, near Aschaffenburg Max Streibl ( January 6 1932 in Oberammergau - December 11 1998 in Munich) was a German politician of the A defence minister (or defense minister) is a Cabinet position which regulates the Armed forces in some sovereign nations Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Regensburg ( also Ratisbon, Ratisbona Řezno originally Castra Regina) is a City (population 131000 in 2007 in Bavaria, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Press reports called him the "Strong Man of Europe" [1].
Contents |
Biography
Early years
Born as Franz Strauss in Munich as the second child of a butcher, Strauss studied German letters, history and economics at the University of Munich from 1935 to 1939. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. German studies is the field of Humanities that researches documents and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München also known as LMU, is a University in Munich and with more He became a member of the NSDStB (Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund, National Socialist German Students' League), which was mandatory for students at that time. The National Socialist German Students' League (in German Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund; abbreviated NSDStB) was founded in 1926 as a division of In World War II, he served in the German Wehrmacht on the Western and Eastern Fronts. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 While on furlough, he passed the German state exams to become a teacher. After suffering from severe frostbite on the Eastern Front at the end of 1942, he served as an Offizier für wehrgeistige Führung (political officer) at the antiaircraft artillery school in Altenstadt, near Schongau. Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging hostile military Aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces Schongau is a small town in Bavaria, near the Alps. It is located along the Lech, between Landsberg am Lech and Füssen. He held the rank of Oberleutnant at the end of the war. Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Soon after the war he changed his name to Franz Josef Strauss. Strauss married Marianne Zwicknagl in 1957. They had three children: Max Josef, Franz Georg, and Monika, who became a Bavarian minister and member of the Bavarian parliament.
Political life
After the war, he was appointed deputy Landrat (county president) of Schongau by the American occupiers and was involved in founding the local party organization of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU). He became a member of the first Bundestag (Federal Parliament) in 1949 and, in 1953, Federal Minister for Special Affairs in the second cabinet of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, in 1955 Federal Minister of Nuclear Energy, and in 1956 defence minister, charged with the build-up of the new Bundeswehr – the youngest man to hold this office at the time. The Bundestag ("Federal Diet " or "Lower House of German Parliament" is the Parliament of Germany. The Head of government of Germany is called Chancellor (Kanzler Konrad Hermann Josef Adenauer ( 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967 was a German Statesman. The Bundeswehr ( German for "Federal Defence Force") is the name of the unified Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany He became chairman of the CSU in 1961.
Der Spiegel scandal
Strauss was forced to step down as defence minister in 1962 in the wake of the Spiegel scandal. The Spiegel scandal of 1962 (Spiegel-Affäre was one of the major political scandals in Germany in the era following World War II. Rudolf Augstein, owner and editor-in-chief of the influential Der Spiegel magazine, had been arrested on Strauss's request and was held for 103 days. Rudolf Karl Augstein ( November 5, 1923 - November 7, 2002) was one of the most influential German Journalists founder and Der Spiegel (pronounced /deːɐ ˈʃpiːɡəl/ German for "The Mirror" is a German weekly Magazine, published in Hamburg Strauss was forced to admit that he had lied to the parliament and was forced to resign, complaining that he was treated like a "Jew who had dared appear at an NSDAP party convention". The, officially National Socialist German Workers' Party, ( abbreviated NSDAP) was a Political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945
Rivalry between Kohl and Strauss
Strauss was appointed minister of the treasury again in 1966, in the cabinet of Kurt Georg Kiesinger. Kurt Georg Kiesinger (6 April 1904&ndash9 March 1988 was a conservative German politician and Chancellor of West Germany from 1 December 1966 until 21 In cooperation with the SPD minister for economy, Karl Schiller, he developed a groundbreaking economic stability policy; the two ministers, quite unlike in physical appearance and political background, were popularly dubbed Plisch und Plum, after two dogs in a 19th century cartoon by Wilhelm Busch. Karl August Fritz Schiller ( April 24, 1911 in Breslau - December 26, 1994 in Hamburg) was a German Scientist The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Wilhelm Busch ( 15 April 1832 - 9 January 1908) was a German Caricaturist, painter and Poet who
After the SPD was able to form a government without the conservatives, in 1969, Strauss became one of the most vocal critics of Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik. Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm (18 December 1913 - 8 October 1992 was a German politician Chancellor of West Germany 1969&ndash1974 Ostpolitik ( German for Eastern Politics) describes the politics of the "Change Through Rapprochement" principle &mdash as verbalized by Egon Bahr On a journey to China in 1975, where he was received by Mao Zedong, Strauss became a political sensation. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Mao Zedong ( 26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976) was a Chinese Military and political leader who led After Helmut Kohl's first run for chancellor in 1976 failed, Strauss cancelled the alliance between the CDU and CSU parties in the Bundestag, a decision which he only took back months later when the CDU threatened to extend their party to Bavaria (where the CSU holds a political monopoly for the conservatives). Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (born 3 April 1930 is a German conservative politician and statesman The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands) is the largest Political party in Germany. In the 1980 federal election, the CDU/CSU opted to put forward Strauss as their candidate for chancellor. Strauss had continued to be critical of Kohl's leadership, so providing Strauss a shot at the chancellery may have been seen as an endorsement of either Strauss' policies or style (or both) over Kohl's. But many, if not most, observers at the time believed that the CDU had concluded that Helmut Schmidt's SPD was likely unbeatable in 1980, and felt that they had nothing to lose in running Strauss. Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (born 23 December 1918 is a German Social Democratic Politician who served as Chancellor of West Germany Schmidt's easy win was seen by Kohl's supporters as a vindication of their man, and though the rivalry between Kohl and Strauss persisted for years, once the CDU/CSU was able to take power in 1982, Kohl was again their leader, where he remained until well after Strauss's death.
United States of Europe
Strauss was the author of a book called The Grand Design in which he set forth his views of the way in which the future unification of Europe should be decided.
Ever since the infamous Der Spiegel affair of the 1960s, he had also become the target of the broadcasting and publishing media blitz that Herbert W. Armstrong unleashed upon Europe through the daily offshore pirate radio station broadcasts by his son Garner Ted Armstrong, his magazine called The Plain Truth and his Ambassador College campus at Bricket Wood in Hertfordshire, England. Der Spiegel (pronounced /deːɐ ˈʃpiːɡəl/ German for "The Mirror" is a German weekly Magazine, published in Hamburg The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Herbert W Armstrong ( 31 July 1892 - 16 January 1986) was the founder of the Worldwide Church of God and an early pioneer of The term pirate radio usually refers to illegal or unregulated radio transmissions Garner Ted Armstrong ( February 9, 1930 - September 15, 2003) was an American evangelist and the son of Herbert W The Plain Truth is a US -based Magazine founded by Herbert W Armstrong who also founded the Radio Church of God (later renamed the Ambassador College was a four-year Liberal arts College established in 1947 in Pasadena, California by radio evangelist Herbert W Bricket Wood is a village in the county of Hertfordshire, England, approximately half a mile from St Albans. Hertfordshire (ˈhɑːtfədʃə(r, abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Strauss was portrayed as being the coming Führer who would lead a United States of Europe into a prophetic and victorious future World War III against the USA and UK at some time between 1972 and 1975. A federal Europe is a proposal that much of Europe be unified in the manner of a Federation. World War III (also WWIII, or Third World War) denotes a successor to World War II (1939&ndash1945 that would be on a global scale with The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In 1971, Strauss played along with the prophetic interest shown in him as Herbert W. Armstrong recalled in a 1983 letter: "I entertained him at dinner in my home in Pasadena, and he spoke to the faculty and students of Ambassador College. Pasadena ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. I have maintained contact with him. "[2] Strauss also appeared in an interview on The World Tomorrow television programme. The World Tomorrow is a now-defunct Radio and Television half-hour program which had been sponsored by the Radio Church of God (later renamed
Final decade of life
From 1978 until his death in 1988, Strauss was minister-president of Bavaria, serving as President of the Bundesrat in 1983/84. In Germany, the President of the Bundesrat (German Bundesratspräsident) is the body's chairperson or speaker The Bundesrat ("federal council" or "upper house of German parliament" is the representation of the 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) of After his defeat in the 1980 federal election, he retreated to commenting on federal politics from his safe seat in Bavaria. In the following years, he was the most visible critic of Kohl's politics in his own political camp, even after Kohl ascended to the Chancellorship. In 1983, he was primarily responsible for a loan of 3 billion Deutschmarks given to East Germany. The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state This move was widely criticised even during Strauss's lifetime; it is today regarded by some as having artificially prolonged the life of the then-bankrupt communist state.
Visit to Albania
Strauss visited communist Albania on August 21, 1984, while Enver Hoxha, the absolute dictator from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, was still alive. This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) (ɛnˈvɛɾ ˈhɔdʒa 16 October 1908 11 April 1985 was the leader of the People's Republic of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985 as the Strauss was one of the few Western leaders, if not the only one, to visit the isolationist Albania in decades. This fuelled speculation that Strauss might be preparing the way for diplomatic links between Albania and West Germany but the visit did not result in anything concrete.
Death
On October 1, 1988, Strauss collapsed while hunting with the Prince of Thurn and Taxis in the Thurn and Taxis forests, east of Regensburg. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (Das Fürstenhaus Thurn und Taxis is a German family that was a key player in the postal services in Regensburg ( also Ratisbon, Ratisbona Řezno originally Castra Regina) is a City (population 131000 in 2007 in Bavaria, Germany He died in a Regensburg hospital on October 3 without having regained consciousness. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's
Legacy
Strauss shaped post-war Germany and polarized the public like few others. A vocal figurehead of conservatives and brilliant rhetorician, yet involved in several large-scale scandals, he was a red flag to the left. Still, most would agree that he was an extraordinary politician and managed to transform Bavaria from the once-agrarian state to one of the centers of technology in Germany that it is today. Munich's new airport was named after him in 1992 (see Franz Josef Strauss International Airport). An airport is a location where Aircraft such as airplanes, Helicopters and blimps take off and land Munich Airport, officially named Franz Josef Strauss Airport ( Flughafen München Franz Josef Strauß) is located northeast of Munich, Germany
As an aerospace enthusiast, Strauss was one of the driving persons to create Airbus in the 1970s. Airbus SAS (ˈɛərbʌs in English, Airbus2ogg|/ɛʁbys/]] in French, and /ˈɛːɐbʊs/ in German) is an aircraft manufacturing Thus it was logical to give his name to the new airport in Munich. He served as Chairman of Airbus in the late 1980s, until his death in 1988; he saw the company win a lucrative but controversial contract to supply planes to Air Canada just before his death. Air Canada () is Canada 's largest Airline and Flag carrier. The airline founded in 1937 has had its corporate headquarters in Montreal
References
- Franz Josef Strauss. The Grand Design: A European solution to German reunification. English translation: London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1965. Weidenfeld & Nicolson is a British publisher of fiction and reference books
External links
- Biography (German)
- Website with Strauss quotations (German)
- "Plisch und Plum" caricature (1967) by Luis Murschetz (German)
- Memories of Pasadena by J. Orlin Grabbe (personal eyewitness observations concerning the personal interest of Herbert W. Armstrong in the career of Franz Josef Strauss as the future Führer of a United States of Europe)
| Preceded by Theodor Blank |
Federal Minister of Defence (Germany) 1956 – 1963 |
Succeeded by Kai-Uwe von Hassel |
| Preceded by Alfons Goppel |
Prime Minister of Bavaria 1978 – 1988 |
Succeeded by Max Streibl |
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