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The Independent
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Richard von Weizsäcker: Germany's President who served in Hitler's army but later promoted tolerance and became his country's conscience
Richard von Weizsäcker was a former soldier in Hitler's army who used his largely ceremonial office as president of Germany to denounce his country's Nazi past and to condemn intolerance toward immigrants and other minorities. Von Weizsäcker was elected president of West Germany in 1984 and held the office as the country's formal head of state for 10 years. During that time he helped oversee reunification with East Germany in 1990. In the German parliamentary system, the Chancellor is the head of government and exercises more authority over the policies of the government than the President (Helmut Kohl was Germany's Chancellor throughout von Weizsäcker's tenure as president). But the aristocratic, white-haired von Weizsäcker became, perhaps, the most country's popular political figure. He was, in essence, his country's chief ambassador and used his presidential office as a platform to promote important matters of national and moral principle. In an address to the Bundestag, the German parliament, on 8 May 1985 – the 40th anniversary of Germany's surrender at the end of the Second World War – von Weizsäcker directed a cleansing spotlight on the country's greatest shame when he challenged his compatriots to take responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. He dismissed the commonly held notion that ordinary German citizens were not aware of the actions of the Nazi regime. "There were many ways of not burdening one's conscience, of shunning responsibility, looking away, keeping mum," he said. "When the unspeakable truth of the Holocaust then became known at the end of the war, all too many of us claimed they had not known anything about it or even suspected anything. Who could remain unsuspecting after the burning of the synagogues, the plundering, the stigmatisation of the Star of David, the deprivation of rights, the ceaseless violation of human dignity?" Von Weizsäcker, who spent seven years as an infantry officer during the war, was a potent symbol of national reflection and reconciliation. "Anyone who closes his eyes to the past," he said, "is blind to the present." He called on Germans to view 8 May not as a day of national surrender but as, he suggested, "a day of liberation. It freed us all from the system of National Socialist tyranny." Von Weizsäcker's forthright speech echoed around the world, and he was hailed as his country's moral conscience. He travelled to Israel in 1985, attended the German premiere of the film Schindler's List with the Israeli ambassador and in 1993 visited the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. "President Weizsäcker has had a major, positive influence in enhancing Germany's role and reputation on the world stage," the US ambassador to Germany, Richard Holbrooke, said in 1994. He repeatedly spoke out against intolerance toward immigrants and other minorities and attended memorial services for Turkish victims of neo-Nazi violence. He also took a leading role in preparing Germany for reunification. As mayor of West Berlin in the early 1980s he had been the first leader from the democratic western part of the country to cross the border and conduct talks with his counterparts in communist-controlled East Berlin. Throughout the 1990s he travelled extensively round eastern Europe, assuring his country's neighbours that Germany was no longer, as he put it, "haunted by Teutonic dreams of national power". As early as 1985 he had urged Germans on both sides of the divide to think of themselves as one nation, and he was among the first leaders to call for the national capital to return to Berlin. During a four-day state visit to Britain in 1986, he addressed a joint session of the Houses of Parliament, the first German to be accorded that honour. Richard Karl von Weizsäcker was born in 1920 in his family's castle in Stuttgart. He was from an aristocratic family of statesmen, theologians and scholars and had the inherited title of Freiherr, or Baron. His father Ernst was a senior official in the Nazi foreign ministry and served as German ambassador to the Vatican. An older brother, Carl Friedrich, was part of a team of German scientists that tried unsuccessfully to develop a nuclear bomb during the Second World War. Von Weizsäcker studied at Oxford and the University of Grenoble, his time in England highlighting in his mind the difference between a fully-functioning democracy and the authoritarian regime he had left behind. He joined the German army in 1938 and took part in the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. Two days later his older brother Heinrich was killed in battle, which deeply affected von Weizsäcker's view of the war. Stationed on the eastern front in Russia in 1943, von Weizsäcker later recalled, he and other German officers shot holes in a portrait of Hitler, and several of his friends took part in the failed plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944. After the war von Weizsäcker studied law at the University of Göttingen and when his father was charged with sending French Jews to Auschwitz he joined his defence team during the Nuremberg trials. His father was sentenced to seven years' jail, which was later reduced to five, and was released in 1950; Winston Churchill had described his sentence as "a deadly error". Richard received a doctorate in law and worked for the Mannesmann steel conglomerate before being elected to parliament in 1969; he was mayor of West Berlin from 1981 to 1984. He wrote several books about history and politics in which he advocated a moderate, centrist approach for Germany as it entered the 21st century. When he left the presidency in 1994, he reflected on the powerful speech he had delivered nine years earlier, in which he asked Germans to own up to the legacy of the Holocaust. "I wouldn't take back a single word of that speech today," he said. µ MATT SCHUDEL Richard Karl von Weizsäcker, soldier, lawyer, politician and statesman: born Stuttgart 15 April 1920; married Marianne von Kretschmann (three children); died 31 January 2015.
Times
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Secret files foreshadowed Ukraine war
Declassified notes from the final years of the Soviet Union reveal that Helmut Kohl, then the German chancellor, was convinced the Kremlin would never allow Ukraine to become independent and that he had doubts about the wisdom of Nato's eastwards expansion. President Putin has claimed that Moscow was lied to by western officials about Nato's plans to allow former Soviet and Warsaw Pact countries to join the western military alliance. While some western officials, including Sir John Major, the then British prime minister, gave the Soviet Union verbal assurances that there were no plans for Nato to expand eastwards, nothing was ever put down in writing. An aide to Kohl recorded that in February 1990, nearly two years before the fall of the Soviet Union,
Local Germany
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
Five surprising faces in Germany's new parliament
Here are five prominent faces from the chamber. Helmut Kohl's grandson Helmut Kohl, the architect of German reunification, had been chancellor for 14 years when his grandson Johannes Volkmann was born in 1996. Volkmann was originally named Kohl -- like his father Walter -- but his parents decided to change it to his mother's surname to protect his identity. At age 28 he stood for the Christian Democrats (CDU) in February's election, taking up his grandfather's political mantle. Volkmann showed an interest in politics from an early age, joining the CDU's youth wing at the age of 14. After studying economics, politics, sociology and contemporary Chinese studies -- spending a semester at university in Shanghai and Beijing -- he worked as chief of staff to an MEP and in 2024 became the youngest member of the CDU's executive committee. Merkel's far-right successor The AfD's Dario Seifert, 31, caused a sensation in February's election by winning Angela Merkel's old constituency on the Baltic Sea coast. Seifert, who ran on a ticket of improving local housing and infrastructure, was once a member of the youth wing of the neo-Nazi NPD party. He called it a youthful indiscretion in comments to the Nordkurier local newspaper, emphasising his "right to have evolved politically". Advertisement With a thick head of dark hair, a neatly trimmed moustache and often seen wearing a leather jacket, Seifert has become a symbol for the AfD's success in the ex-communist east. Merkel held the constituency in northern Germany for more than 30 years until her retirement in 2021, when it went to a young unknown from Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD. READ ALSO: How could the AfD's strong election result impact foreigners in Germany? The face of integration Awet Tesfaiesus, 50, became the first black woman to be elected to the Bundestag in 2021 and was re-elected this year for the Greens. Tesfaiesus arrived in Germany at age 10 with her family, fleeing the Eritrean war of independence. She learned German at school and went on to become a lawyer representing asylum seekers and refugees. Tesfaiesus decided to go into politics after nine people were killed in a shooting spree by a far-right extremist in the city of Hanau in 2020. Awet Tesfaiesus (Alliance 90/The Greens) speaks during the 158th session of the Bundestag on International Women's Day. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jonathan Penschek She has accused the AfD of racism and said she wanted to stand for a second time because "giving up is not an option". "It's also my parliament and my country," she told the left-wing news outlet "If the AfD is there, then I also want to be there as a black woman." The demoted chancellor Olaf Scholz led his Social Democrats (SPD) to the worst result in the party's history in February's election, bringing home just 16.4 percent of the vote. Although the SPD looks set to be part of the next government, Scholz has ruled out taking a senior position under the likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz of the conservative CDU. READ ALSO: What happens next in Germany's rapid-fire coalition talks Scholz did however narrowly win his constituency in Potsdam, just outside Berlin, and unusually for an ex-chancellor he is returning to the chamber as an MP. Advertisement The old comrade With 30 years and nine months of service, Gregor Gysi, 77, of the far-left Die Linke, is the longest-tenured member of the new German parliament. Gysi worked as a lawyer in the former East Germany before helping to reform the old communist party after the Berlin Wall fell. He was first elected to the Bundestag after reunification in 1990. Member of the Bundestag Gregor Gysi (l) takes a selfie with a party comrade at the Left Party's Political Ash Wednesday in Thyrnau-Kellberg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Löb Die Linke had been teetering on the brink of the five-percent threshold for inclusion in the German parliament, but made an unexpected comeback in the final weeks before the election. READ ALSO: OPINION - Merz is on top but the Left are surprise winners in Germany's dramatic election That success was partly down to a light-hearted social media campaign centred around three "old comrades" including Gysi. During the campaign, Gysi even became a TikTok star after a techno DJ made a video using fragments of his speeches.
Al Arabiya
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Five surprising faces in Germany's new parliament
Germany's new parliament sits for the first time on Tuesday with a reduced headcount, fewer women and a record number of lawmakers from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Here are five prominent faces from the chamber. Helmut Kohl's grandson Helmut Kohl, the architect of German reunification, had been chancellor for 14 years when his grandson Johannes Volkmann was born in 1996. Volkmann was originally named Kohl -- like his father Walter -- but his parents decided to change it to his mother's surname to protect his identity. At age 28 he stood for the Christian Democrats (CDU) in February's election, taking up his grandfather's political mantle. Volkmann showed an interest in politics from an early age, joining the CDU's youth wing at the age of 14. After studying economics, politics, sociology and contemporary Chinese studies -- spending a semester at university in Shanghai and Beijing -- he worked as chief of staff to an MEP and in 2024 became the youngest member of the CDU's executive committee. Merkel's far-right successor The AfD's Dario Seifert, 31, caused a sensation in February's election by winning Angela Merkel's old constituency on the Baltic Sea coast. Seifert, who ran on a ticket of improving local housing and infrastructure, was once a member of the youth wing of the neo-Nazi NPD party. He called it a youthful indiscretion in comments to the Nordkurier local newspaper, emphasizing his 'right to have evolved politically.' With a thick head of dark hair, a neatly trimmed moustache and often seen wearing a leather jacket, Seifert has become a symbol for the AfD's success in the ex-communist east. Merkel held the constituency in northern Germany for more than 30 years until her retirement in 2021, when it went to a young unknown from Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD. The face of integration Awet Tesfaiesus, 50, became the first black woman to be elected to the Bundestag in 2021 and was re-elected this year for the Greens. Tesfaiesus arrived in Germany at age 10 with her family, fleeing the Eritrean war of independence. She learned German at school and went on to become a lawyer representing asylum seekers and refugees. Tesfaiesus decided to go into politics after nine people were killed in a shooting spree by a far-right extremist in the city of Hanau in 2020. She has accused the AfD of racism and said she wanted to stand for a second time because 'giving up is not an option.' 'It's also my parliament and my country,' she told the left-wing news outlet 'If the AfD is there, then I also want to be there as a black woman.' The demoted chancellor Olaf Scholz led his Social Democrats (SPD) to the worst result in the party's history in February's election, bringing home just 16.4 percent of the vote. Although the SPD looks set to be part of the next government, Scholz has ruled out taking a senior position under the likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz of the conservative CDU. Scholz did however narrowly win his constituency in Potsdam, just outside Berlin, and unusually for an ex-chancellor he is returning to the chamber as an MP. The old comrade With 30 years and nine months of service, Gregor Gysi, 77, of the far-left Die Linke, is the longest-tenured member of the new German parliament. Gysi worked as a lawyer in the former East Germany before helping to reform the old communist party after the Berlin Wall fell. He was first elected to the Bundestag after reunification in 1990. Die Linke had been teetering on the brink of the five-percent threshold for inclusion in the German parliament, but made an unexpected comeback in the final weeks before the election. That success was partly down to a light-hearted social media campaign centered around three 'old comrades' including Gysi. During the campaign, Gysi even became a TikTok star after a techno DJ made a video using fragments of his speeches.
Morocco World
19-02-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Germany's Election: New Faces, Old Challenges
When the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, the news was met by many in Europe with both stunned surprise and guarded optimism. 'Now what belongs together will grow together', said former chancellor Willy Brandt in the fall of 1989, when the future of East and West Germany was on the mind of leaders across the globe. Events moved rapidly. Germany's eminent post-WWII chancellor, Helmut Kohl, guided 78 million anxious Germans (East and West) into a new era—unification came in October 1990. An export-oriented economy attracted migrants from around the world while the nation remained engaged with its former Warsaw Pact neighbors. It is stunning to realize that a decade ago in 2014, Germany's trade surplus was $250 billion, seven percent of the country's GDP. The United States last had an external trade surplus in 1975. The changing times The decade-long war in Syria led to 850,000 refugees from that nation entering Germany. Following a 2015 visit to a refugee camp in Dresden, Chancellor Angela Merkle said confidently, 'Wir schaffen das' (We can do this). The quote became a political albatross as her migration policies turned unpopular and the economy slowed, particularly in the east. Her CDU Party sank in regional and national polls. Germany is now the third-largest refugee-hosting country in the world and the largest in the EU. Three-and-a-half million refugees and asylum seekers from all over the world reside in Germany, including one million from Ukraine over the past few years. The rapid demographic changes seemed to foster domestic anxiety over Germany's national identity. Inflation arrived in 2023, and trade patterns shifted. Chinese consumers are eager to buy domestic high-end automobiles after decades of dominance by BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. The shift has led to the planned layoff of thousands of automotive workers in Germany. A recent national survey showed 68% of Germans fear an extended economic downturn as the nation's economy has contracted for two consecutive years. Along with uneven economic performance in the lands of the former East Germany, public safety issues have given momentum and meaning to the right-wing populist Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party. The country's unsettled political situation culminated in the recent drama in Germany's Bundestag. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel (Christian Democratic Union) said it was wrong for current CDU party leader Friedrich Merz to acquiesce to AfD support in the Bundestag as legislation was considered that strengthened migration laws in the country. Merz, still the frontrunner to become the next German chancellor, wanted a legislative victory on immigration, the most important issue to Germans according to recent polls. But he had seemingly broken a widely accepted but unwritten rule about cooperating with the AfD. The legislation lost the support of several CDU party members and failed to pass. Welcome or not, the migration debate in Berlin seemingly represented a paradigm shift in German politics. Confident of victory over Chancellor Olav Scholz's SDU party, Merz needs only to look to the United States for further inspiration. Donald Trump's victory and his ability to upend establishment orthodoxy, particularly on migration and border control issues, may resonate with conservative voters. A recent Le Monde analysis noted Merz's reputation for being 'more Atlanticist than European' due to his work experience, including with the investment management firm BlackRock. The CDU campaign slogan? 'A Germany we can be proud of again.' Merz might be the one EU political leader in 2025 who can turn trans-Atlantic alliance challenges into headline-grabbing policies that find a level of congruity with Trump administration priorities, from migration policy to taxation, defense spending to national identity. Migration and Engagement Migration is not a new phenomenon in Germany either. Over 350,000 refugees escaped to Germany during the Balkan wars of the early and mid-1990s. Germany is also home to the world's largest Turkish community overseas – more than three million. The attraction to Germany is widespread and growing across the Mediterranean region, too. During a visit to Berlin by Morocco's foreign minister last year, German Development Minister Svenja Schulze called Morocco 'a close partner' on a variety of economic, green energy, and security issues. Germany has pledged to invest Є4 billion in Africa's green energy/hydrogen through 2030. A 2023 Arab Youth Survey of young adults across the MENA region named Germany a magnet for migration. Germany placed third, just behind Canada and the United States and ahead of both France and Turkey, as a preferred destination for young Arab men and women who sought to migrate. A decade ago, Germany began to engage in efforts that challenged national taboos about military deployments outside Germany – it contributed hundreds of military personnel for stabilization efforts as part of the United Nations stabilization mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Last year, Bundeswehr troops set up the first permanent German army base on foreign soil (Lithuania) since the Second World War – a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine. Nearly unimaginable deployments just a generation ago. A New Post-Cold War Germany? No matter the outcome of the election, the AfD will have played a role in setting both the agenda and tone for current German political discourse, not unlike Geert Wilders's Freedom Party in the Netherlands in 2023. And like the Netherlands, German politicians must acknowledge a demographic reality that will inform domestic policy: declining birthrates. In 2024, there were 8.2 births per 1,000 inhabitants in Germany, lower than a decade ago. Migration is crucial for workforce participation and sustained economic growth as the German population continues to age. A big victory by Friedrich Merz and the CDU would bring some clarity to a political system adrift in coalition intrigue. There are several coalition possibilities for the CDU if they win, and the potential for a dramatic change in Germany's tax, energy, migration, and security policies. Alternatively, frustrated voters may punish the CDU and SPD, two establishment parties facing ideological challenges from their respective right and left flanks. Will the AfD maintain 80-some seats or add more in the Bundestag? Will the Greens recover their lost momentum? Much depends on the depth of frustration among German voters and who they see as being able to provide genuine solutions to real problems. With a population approaching 85 million, Germany is perhaps at a historic crossroads. Domestic and foreign events, along with demographic trends, may be reshaping Germany's national identity as well as its foreign policy priorities. A nation at the center of a continent undergoing significant political and social change – just like 1989.
