Gerhard Schröder - biography, information, personal life. Biography of Gerhard Schroeder Life after politics
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder. Born April 7, 1944 in Blomberg. German politician, Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from October 27, 1998 to November 2005.
Gerhard Schroeder was born into a working-class family in Mossenberg, in what is now the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Schroeder's father, Fritz, was drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1940. At the end of 1943, he was on a short vacation at home, and in mid-1944 he received a letter from his wife Erica about the birth of their son Gerhard. On October 4, 1944, Fritz Schroeder died in Romania. Gerhard Schroeder never saw his father in his life, but he always keeps his photograph in military uniform on his desktop. On August 12, 2004, while in Romania, he first visited the mass grave in the Transylvanian commune of Ceanu Mare, where his father is buried.
Gerhard's mother worked on a farm.
He has four brothers and sisters. Older sister Gunhild, brother Lothar, second sister Heiderose, third sister Ilse.
He attended evening school, since 1958 he worked as an assistant to the seller of hardware, a builder in Göttingen.
In 1963 he joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
In 1971 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Göttingen, where he worked at the Department of Law in 1971-1977. From 1978 to 1990 he was in private law practice in Hannover. At the same time, in 1978, he became the leader of the Young Socialists, the youth section of the SPD.
In 1980 he was first elected to the Bundestag.
In 1986, he headed the SPD faction in the State Assembly of Lower Saxony.
Since 1989 - Member of the Presidium of the SPD. On June 21, 1990, he was elected Prime Minister of Lower Saxony.
In 1994, he was the SPD candidate for the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, but the party lost the election.
The Schroeder-led coalition of Social Democrats and the Greens came to power in October 1998 after 16 years in opposition with promises to modernize the economy, support entrepreneurship, and preserve the social safety net. The victory of the Social Democrats was due in no small part to the promise of the SPD to put an end to the rise in unemployment and to cope with the economic stagnation in the country.
During Schröder's first term, Joschka Fischer became Foreign Minister, Rudolf Scharping became Minister of Defense, Oscar La Fontaine became Minister of Economic Affairs, and Otto Schieli became Minister of the Interior.
On July 19, 2002, Peter Struck became the new Minister of Defense. In October 2002, Wolfgang Klement became Minister of Economic Affairs and Labor.
In leading the country, Schroeder had to choose between two concepts for overcoming the crisis - proposed by neo-liberal economists or the one insisted on by the left-wing social democrats led by Oscar Lafontaine (increasing taxation of the wealthier sections of society). Schröder chose the first option, which led to a break with La Fontaine, who left the leadership of the SPD. At the same time, Schroeder's attempt to launch a program of curtailing the social rights of citizens led to a rapid decline in support for the SPD from the population.
Failing to solve structural economic problems, Schröder narrowly missed the election on October 22, 2002. Only fierce opposition to the American invasion of Iraq and effective assistance to the victims of the floods in eastern Germany that year helped the SPD gain a slight advantage over the CDU. However, this position of Germany seriously worsened relations with the United States. A position similar to the German one was taken by France and Russia. As a result, they began to talk about the formation of a new axis - Berlin-Moscow-Paris, which condemned the American invasion of Iraq.
In March 2003, Schroeder launched a liberal economic reform program known as Agenda 2010. It provides for the liberalization of labor legislation in order to stimulate the creation of new jobs, limit spending on health care, pensions and social security.
By August 2004, Schroeder had achieved some success in the fight against unemployment: the number of unemployed in Germany had fallen to 3.7 million people, or 8.8% of the working population.
In 2004, a large number of leftist party members left the SPD. In 2005, together with the former communists of the GDR, they created the Left Party.
In 2004, Schröder resigned as head of the SPD and was succeeded by Franz Müntefering. On May 22, 2005, after losing the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, Schroeder announced the decision of the SPD to initiate early national elections in September 2005, that is, a year before the end of his term. The Social Democrats have ruled in North Rhine-Westphalia for the past 39 years, but on May 22 they received only 37.1% of the vote here, while the CDU - 44.8%. The defeat deprived Schroeder of the majority in the Bundesrat, which now belongs to the CDU-CSU coalition.
Early elections were held on September 18, 2005. Unexpectedly for all, the SPD (which was predicted to lose) and the CDU/CSU bloc received almost the same number of votes, but not enough to form a one-party government. During the negotiations on the creation of a "grand coalition" of the CDU / CSU and the SPD on October 10, 2005, it was decided that he would become the new chancellor of Germany.
In exchange for agreeing to Angela Merkel's chancellorship, the SPD received 8 ministerial portfolios in the cabinet: foreign affairs, finance, justice, labor, environmental protection, health, transport, and economic cooperation and development.
Gerhard Schroeder himself refused to participate in the government of Germany, refused a deputy mandate in the Bundestag, and from January 2006 went to work at Ringier, the largest concern in the field of Swiss media.
“Russia is important to us politically and economically. I really believe that the enlarged European Union is doing the right thing by forging a strategic partnership with Russia. I want to contribute to this cause, because I firmly believe that this partnership is necessary - including taking into account European history ... No one in Germany should be interested in instability in Russia, ”said Schroeder, being chancellor.
He confirmed this position more than once: “If you consider the situation in the region from the point of view of what political and economic consequences it may have for Germany, you will understand that no one can be interested in calling into question the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation” .
Schroeder called the rapprochement between Russia and the European Union one of the long-term prospects, since "it is impossible to guarantee the security and well-being of a united Europe without a strategic partnership with Russia."
In early September 2005, during the Russian president's visit to Germany, an agreement was signed on the construction of the North European Gas Pipeline (NEGP), a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
It was expected that the new gas pipeline could become a key factor influencing politics in the region. The signing of the agreement actually means the conclusion of a political union between Russia and Germany. The Baltic countries, Poland and Belarus, however, opposed the implementation of this project. Thus, the President of Belarus called the construction of the North European Gas Pipeline (NEGP) "the most stupid project of Russia."
In December 2005, following Schröder's resignation as Federal Chancellor of Germany, it was announced that he would chair the shareholders' committee of the North European Gas Pipeline Company, the operator of the North European Gas Pipeline. The Shareholders Committee will perform the functions of the board of directors, and its functions include "making all strategic decisions in all areas of the company's activities."
His acceptance of an offered paid position in a consortium dominated by Gazprom provoked criticism from society and parties in Germany, and a negative reaction from the German and foreign press.
Critics pointed out that Schroeder took a prominent position in the operator of the NEGP only 5 months after the Schroeder government agreed with Russia to build this gas pipeline.
The leader of the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) Guido Westerwelle accused Schroeder of corruption, in connection with which Schroeder obtained a court decision prohibiting Westerwelle from making such statements, which was appealed by the latter. On April 3, 2006, the Hamburg Regional Court banned Westerwelle from repeating his allegations that the ex-chancellor had a personal interest in the NEGP project.
In addition, Schroeder was accused of acting as a cover for the legalization of Russian assets of dubious origin - especially since around the same time there were reports of the intention of the Russian authorities to attract former US Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans as chairman of the board of directors of the state oil company. Rosneft before the planned placement of its shares among foreign investors (the latter refused the offer).
On September 8, 2007, Schroeder presented his memoirs in Russian in Moscow - “Decisions. My Life in Politics.
In an interview, Sabina Schwind von Egelstein, a former image adviser to the ex-chancellor, said that Gerhard Schroeder is one of the few male politicians (along with Ronald Reagan) who dyes their hair.
After that, a discussion on this topic began in the media.
Schroeder secured a legal ban from distributing quotes from interviews concerning his hair and threatened to sue anyone who claims he dyes his hair. After that, the discussion of his hair stopped.
- November 21, 2005
Johannes Rau,
Horst Köhler
2) Anne Taschenmacher (1972-1984)
3) Hiltrud Hansen (1984-1997)
4) Doris Schroeder-Kepf (1997-2018)
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder (German: Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder; born April 7, Mossenberg-Wöhren) is a German statesman and politician. Federal Chancellor of Germany (October 27 - November 2005). Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rosneft Oil Company PJSC since September 29, 2017. Foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2008).
Biography [ | ] Early years [ | ]
Born into a working-class family in Mossenberg, in what is now the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Father Fritz Schroeder died in Romania on October 4, 1944, Gerhard's mother worked on a farm. He attended evening school, since 1958 he worked as an assistant to the seller of hardware, a builder in Göttingen. In 1963 he joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
Political career [ | ]In leading the country, Schroeder had to choose between two concepts for overcoming the crisis - proposed by neo-liberal economists or the one insisted on by the left-wing social democrats led by Oscar Lafontaine (increasing taxation of the wealthier sections of society). Schröder chose the first option, which led to a break with La Fontaine, who left the leadership of the SPD. At the same time, Schroeder's attempt to launch a program of curtailing the social rights of citizens led to a rapid decline in support for the SPD from the population.
Gerhard Schroeder, 2005
After failing to resolve structural economic problems, Schröder narrowly missed the 22 October election. Only fierce opposition to the American invasion of Iraq and effective aid to victims of the floods in eastern Germany that year helped the SPD gain a slight edge over the CDU. However, this position of Germany seriously worsened relations with the United States. A position similar to the German one was taken by France and Russia. As a result, they began to talk about the formation of a new axis - Berlin-Moscow-Paris, which condemned the American invasion of Iraq.
In March 2003, Schroeder launched the liberal economic reform program known as "" (Agenda 2010). It provides for the liberalization of labor legislation in order to stimulate the creation of new jobs, limit spending on health care, pensions and social security. By August 2004, Schroeder had achieved some success in the fight against unemployment: the number of unemployed in Germany had fallen to 3.7 million people, or 8.8% of the working population.
Family [ | ]
Schroeder's father was drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1940. At the end of 1943, he was on a short vacation at home, and in mid-1944 he received a letter from his wife Erica about the birth of their son Gerhard. On October 4, 1944, Fritz Schroeder died in Romania. Gerhard Schroeder never saw his father in his life, but he always keeps his photograph in military uniform on his desktop. On August 12, 2004, while in Romania, he first visited the mass grave in the Transylvanian commune of Ceanu Mare, where his father is buried. Gerhard Schroeder has a brother and three sisters: older sister Gunhild, brother Lothar, middle sister Heiderose, younger Ilse.
Studying English. Likes table tennis and jazz.
Gerhard Schroeder has been married four times, but he has no children of his own. In 1968-1972, his wife was Eva Schubach, in 1972-1984 - Anna Taschenmacher, in 1984-1997 - Hiltrud Hampel, in 1997-2018 - Doris Koepf.
In 2004, Schroeder and Koepf adopted a three-year-old orphan girl taken from an orphanage in St. Petersburg. The girl's name is Victoria. In 2006, the Schroeder family adopted an orphan boy from the same orphanage. The boy's name is Gregor. In 2016, there were reports in the press that the couple was breaking up, in 2017 Gerhard and Doris began divorce proceedings.
At the beginning of 2018, Gerhard Schroeder announced his intention to marry a Korean woman Kim So-yeon (b. 1969), a professional translator whom he met several years ago. The wedding is to take place in 2018.
Germany and Russia [ | ]The attitude of the German press and opposition parties to the Russian authorities (see managed democracy) deteriorated sharply after Vladimir Putin took a series of measures aimed at centralizing state power in the fall of the year.
However, the German federal government did not support the opposition's demands to reconsider the partnership between Germany and Russia. Gerhard Schroeder himself stated in a newspaper interview:
| Russia is important to us politically and economically. I really believe that the enlarged European Union is doing the right thing by forging a strategic partnership with Russia. I want to contribute to this cause, because I firmly believe that this partnership is necessary - including taking into account European history ... No one in Germany should be interested in instability in Russia ... I currently do not see any partners in Chechnya, with whom the Russian president could talk. |
Later, talking to reporters Suddeutsche Zeitung, Schroeder reaffirmed that he had no intention of changing the government's policy towards Russia:
| If you consider the situation in the region from the point of view of what political and economic consequences it may have for Germany, then you will understand that no one can be interested in calling into question the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation.” Schroeder called the rapprochement between Russia and the European Union one of the long-term prospects, since “it is impossible to guarantee the security and well-being of a united Europe without a strategic partnership with Russia. |
In early September 2005, during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Germany, an agreement was signed on the construction of the North European Gas Pipeline (NEGP), a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
It was expected that the new gas pipeline could become a key factor influencing politics in the region. The signing of the agreement actually meant the conclusion of a political union between Russia and Germany. The Baltic countries, Poland and Belarus, however, opposed the implementation of this project. Thus, the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko called the construction of the North European gas pipeline "the most stupid project in Russia."
In December 2005, following Schroeder's resignation as Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, it was announced that he would chair the shareholders' committee of the North European Gas Pipeline Company, the operator of the North European Gas Pipeline. The Committee of Shareholders performs the functions of the board of directors, and its functions include "making all strategic decisions in all areas of the company's activities."
His acceptance of an offered paid position in a consortium dominated by Gazprom provoked criticism from society and parties in Germany, and a negative reaction from the German and foreign press. Critics have pointed out that Schröder rose to prominence with the NEGP operator just five months after the Schröder government agreed with Russia to build the pipeline. Leader of the Free Democratic Party of Germany ( FDP) Guido Westerwelle accused Schroeder of corruption. Schroeder obtained a court order forbidding Westerwelle from making such statements, which was appealed by the latter; On April 3, 2006, the Hamburg Regional Court banned Westerwelle from repeating his allegations that the ex-chancellor had a personal interest in the NEGP project.
Criticism of politics [ | ]The incident received wide publicity when Lantos publicly accused the German ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of "political prostitution". The scandalous statement was made at the opening of a memorial to the victims of communist regimes in Washington.
Work in Russia [ | ]On September 29, 2017, at an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of PJSC NK Rosneft in St. Petersburg, Gerhard Schroeder was unanimously elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of NK Rosneft.
Memoirs [ | ]Memoirs in Russian (“Decisions. My life in politics”) were presented in Moscow on September 8, 2007 by Schroeder himself. The foreword was written by Dmitry Medvedev, at that time - Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. The book fuses a retelling of key events in recent history, described as the history of Germany in a global context, with brief reflections on the present and future of Europe.
Laconically, ironically and very emotionally, Schroeder talks about his childhood, about his personal qualities, about his steps in big politics and about his decisions. In his memoirs, the ex-chancellor does not make sensational statements and does not pretend to reveal political secrets. But his story puts in the reader's mind a picture of the real political situation in modern Europe, making things confusing for an outside viewer understandable.
Other information [ | ]An interview with the chancellor's image adviser Sabine Schwind von Egelstein appeared in a number of media outlets, from which it followed that Gerhard Schroeder is one of the few male politicians (along with Ronald Reagan) who dyes their hair. After that, a discussion on this topic began in the media. Schroeder, through a court case (which lasted 10 minutes, Schroeder himself was not present), obtained a ban on the distribution of quotes from interviews regarding his hair, and threatened to sue anyone who claims that he dyes his hair. After that, the discussion of his hair stopped.
In the book of Mikhail Zygar "All the Kremlin's army" Mikhail Saakashvili's story is given, how
Mossenberg-Wöhren, North Rhine-Westphalia, Third Reich
2) Anne Taschenmacher (1972-1984)
3) Hiltrud Hansen (1984-1997)
4) Doris Schroeder-Kepf (since 1997)
three adopted children
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schroeder (ur. Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schroder; April 7, Mossenberg-Wöhren) - German politician, Federal Chancellor of Germany from October 27 to November 2005. Foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2008).
Born into a working-class family in Mossenberg, in what is now the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Father Fritz Schroeder died in Romania on October 4, 1944, Gerhard's mother worked on a farm. He attended evening school, since 1958 he worked as an assistant to the seller of hardware, a builder in Göttingen. In 1963 he joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
Political careerIn leading the country, Schroeder had to choose between two concepts for overcoming the crisis - proposed by neo-liberal economists or the one insisted on by the left-wing social democrats led by Oscar Lafontaine (increasing taxation of the wealthier sections of society). Schröder chose the first option, which led to a break with La Fontaine, who left the leadership of the SPD. At the same time, Schroeder's attempt to launch a program of curtailing the social rights of citizens led to a rapid decline in support for the SPD from the population.
Gerhard Schroeder
After failing to resolve structural economic problems, Schröder narrowly missed the 22 October election. Only fierce opposition to the American invasion of Iraq and effective aid to victims of the floods in eastern Germany that year helped the SPD gain a slight edge over the CDU. However, this position of Germany seriously worsened relations with the United States. A position similar to the German one was taken by France and Russia. As a result, they began to talk about the formation of a new axis - Berlin-Moscow-Paris, which condemned the American invasion of Iraq.
In March 2003, Schroeder launched a liberal economic reform program known as Agenda 2010. It provides for the liberalization of labor legislation in order to stimulate the creation of new jobs, limit spending on health care, pensions and social security. By August 2007, Schroeder had achieved some success in the fight against unemployment: the number of unemployed in Germany had fallen to 3.7 million people, or 8.8% of the working population.
Schroeder's father was drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1940. At the end of 1943, he was on a short vacation at home, and in mid-1944 he received a letter from his wife Erica about the birth of their son Gerhard. October 4, 1944 Fritz Schroeder died. Gerhard Schroeder has never seen his father in his life, but he always keeps his photograph in military uniform on his desktop.
Studying English. Likes table tennis and jazz.
The new gas pipeline is expected to be a key factor influencing politics in the region. The signing of the agreement actually means the conclusion of a political union between Russia and Germany. The Baltic countries, Poland and Belarus, however, opposed the implementation of this project. Thus, the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko called the construction of the North European Gas Pipeline (NEGP) "Russia's most stupid project."
In December 2005, following Schröder's resignation as Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, it was announced that he would chair the shareholders' committee of the North European Gas Pipeline Company, the operator of the North European Gas Pipeline. The Shareholders Committee will perform the functions of the board of directors, and its functions include "making all strategic decisions in all areas of the company's activities."
His acceptance of an offered paid position in a consortium dominated by Gazprom provoked criticism from society and parties in Germany, and a negative reaction from the German and foreign press. Critics pointed out that Schroeder took a prominent position in the operator of the NEGP only 5 months after the Schroeder government agreed with Russia to build this gas pipeline. Leader of the Free Democratic Party of Germany ( FDP) Guido Westerwelle accused Schroeder of corruption, in connection with which Schroeder obtained a court decision prohibiting Westerwelle from making such statements, which was appealed by the latter; On April 3, 2006, the Hamburg Regional Court banned Westerwelle from repeating his allegations that the ex-chancellor had a personal interest in the NEGP project.
The newspaper "Tagesspiegel" expressed the opinion that Schröder called early elections for September in order to have time to complete the NEGP project and secure a profitable position for himself there. The NEGP agreement was signed just ten days before the elections.
In addition, Schroeder was accused of acting as a cover for the legalization of Russian assets of dubious origin - especially since around the same time there were reports of the intention of the Russian authorities to attract former US Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans as chairman of the board of directors of the state oil company. Rosneft before the planned placement of its shares among foreign investors (the latter refused the offer).
In mid-December 2005, the question of Schroeder's appointment was brought up for discussion in the Bundestag. Representatives of the ruling coalition demanded that he provide the public with all the details of the agreement on the construction of the NEGP.
Fritz Kuhn, chairman of the Green Party faction in the Bundestag, accused Schroeder of intending
Policy criticismThe incident received wide publicity when Lantos publicly accused the German ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of "political prostitution". The scandalous statement was made at the opening of a memorial to the victims of communist regimes in Washington.
MemoirsMemoirs in Russian (“Decisions. My life in politics”) were presented in Moscow on September 8, 2007 by Schroeder himself. The foreword was written by Dmitry Medvedev, at that time - Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. The book fuses a retelling of key events in recent history, described as the history of Germany in a global context, with brief reflections on the present and future of Europe.
Laconically, ironically and very emotionally, Schroeder talks about his childhood, about his personal qualities, about his steps in big politics. About your decisions. In his memoirs, the ex-chancellor does not make sensational statements and does not pretend to reveal political secrets. But his story puts in the reader's mind a picture of the real political situation in modern Europe, making things confusing for an outside viewer understandable.
Some media outlets have claimed that Gerhard Schroeder is one of the few male politicians who dyes their hair (along with Ronald Reagan). Gerhard Schroeder proved that He does not dye his hair! After that, speculation on this issue ceased.
NotesSchroeder Gerhard Fritz Kurt (Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder, born April 7, 1944, Blomberg, Third Reich) - German politician, Federal Chancellor of Germany from October 27, 1998 to November 2005. Foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2008). Since September 2017 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of NC "".
Born into a working-class family in what is now the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. His father, Fritz Schroeder, died in Romania on October 4, 1944, Gerhard's mother worked on a farm. He attended night school, since 1958 he worked as an assistant hardware salesman and builder in Göttingen. In 1963 he joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
In 1971 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Göttingen, where he worked at the Department of Law in 1971-1977. From 1978 to 1990 he was in private law practice in Hannover. At the same time, in 1978, he replaced Klaus Uwe Benneter as leader of the Young Socialists, the youth section of the SPD. In 1980 he was first elected to the Bundestag. In 1986, he headed the SPD faction in the State Assembly of Lower Saxony. Since 1989 he has been a member of the Presidium of the SPD. On June 21, 1990, he was elected Prime Minister of Lower Saxony. The Schroeder-led coalition of Social Democrats and the Greens came to power in October 1998 after 16 years in opposition with promises to modernize the economy, support entrepreneurship, and preserve the social safety net.
After the early elections to the Bundestag in 2005 and the defeat of the SPD in them, Gerhard Schroeder refused to participate in the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, refused a deputy mandate in the Bundestag and, from January 2006, went to work at Ringier, the largest concern in the field of Swiss media. On September 29, 2017, at the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of PJSC NK Rosneft in St. Petersburg, Gerhard Schroeder was unanimously elected Chairman of the Board of Directors.
He was married four times, but has no children of his own. Adopted a boy and a girl from a Russian orphanage in St. Petersburg.
Related articlesRosneft to pay $600,000 to Gerhard Schroeder
The ex-chancellor of Germany took the post of chairman of the board of directors of the company in September 2017 and then it was said that he would work for free.
Proved usefulness: why was the ex-Chancellor of Germany invited to Rosneft
The ex-Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder was invited to the board of directors of Rosneft as an independent director. He retains influence in the West and is known for his friendship with Russia, experts remind.
Siberian Independent Institute
Essay on political scienceSubject: "Gerhard Schroeder, biography and political views"
Completed by: 3rd year student
FIA, gr. G-01
Tupkova E.A.
Novosibirsk, 2003
Introduction…………………………………………………………………...2
Main part……………………………………………………………..3Conclusion……………………………………………………………………6
References………………………………………………………...7
Introduction
The topic of this essay is “Characteristics of one of the political leaders of the XX century. Gerhard Schroeder. This topic is interesting because G. Schroeder is today one of the most influential representatives of the countries of the European Union.
Center-left parties have been in power in most EU countries for several years. The social democratic euphoria that gripped Europe as a result of the victory in the parliamentary elections of the British Labor Party and the French Socialists in May 1997 and the German Social Democrats in September 1998 has subsided. It turned out that there are no easy ways to solve the problems inherited by the new governments.
The political present and future of social democratic Europe largely depends on the activities of its leading leaders, the Big Four - British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alem The successful implementation of their reformist plans largely depends on how much they manage to unite their efforts and agree on joint actions.
The modern revival of social democracy in many countries has a common beginning. It was a response to the previous period, when the control over the activities of market forces was greatly weakened. The reason for this was not only the formation of a post-industrial society. Neoliberals believed that the left, including the social democratic, was historically doomed. But just as the accumulated problems of capitalist development at the beginning of the 20th century led to bourgeois reformism, so now social democracy is called upon to play the role of a stabilizer of the world market economy.
Main part
Gerhard Schroeder was born on April 7, 1944 into a poor Protestant family in the city of Mossenburg (Lower Saxony). His father died in the war. There were five children in the Schroeder family, they were raised by their mother, she worked as a cleaner.When Gerhard Schroeder was 14 years old, he was forced to leave school and go to work as a junior salesman. He later entered the University of Göttingen (Faculty of Law), from which he graduated in 1976.
After graduating from university, Schröder began working as a lawyer, from 1978 to 1990 he had a private law practice in Hannover.
Since 1963, Schröder has been an activist in the Social Democratic Party (SPD). In 1978 he was elected leader of the youth section of the SPD. And in 1980 he was first elected to the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament.
At first, Schroeder collaborated with the ultra-left wing of the SPD, but gradually his political views became more moderate. During the 1990s, he became more positive about the business environment. He was a member of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen.
In 1986, Schröder was leader of the SPD faction in the Lower Saxon parliament. Then he began to work in the head structure of the SPD party.
When the SPD entered into a coalition with the Green Party in 1990, Gerhard Schröder became Minister-President of Lower Saxony and remained so until 1998. Gerhard Schroeder is married to journalist Doris Kopf, who is 18 years younger than him, and has a daughter from a previous marriage. Was married four times.
Schroeder's political views are closer to the CDU than to classical social democracy. He put a lot of effort into changing the image of the SPD, which was unattractive to the voter, to bring the party out of a long stagnation, for which opponents from the left wing repeatedly accused him of moving away from the ideals of social democracy. At the same time, opponents do not forget to point out the personal shortcomings of the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony - inconsistency, unpredictability, the desire to achieve power at any cost. Schroeder replies to critics that everyone has weaknesses. He called his fourth marriage (which, for example, in the USA for a potential head of state is impossible in principle), he called evidence of his consistency.
In April 2000, the SPD nominated Schroeder for the post of Chancellor of Germany. The SPD won the national elections on September 27, 2000, effectively ending the political career of Helmut Kohl, who had been chancellor for 16 years. As you know, the party won this election.
In order to see the whole picture of the political views of Gerhard Schroeder, it is necessary to consider the election program of the party in which he is the leader.
The election campaign of the SPD was carried out under the slogan "Innovation and Justice". The main task of the Social Democrats is to convince the people that the principle of justice will not be violated in the course of future changes.
The fundamental direction of the SPD in the economic sphere is the reduction of unemployment. On this score, the Social Democrats do not have unambiguous solutions, since the problem is multifaceted. First, the SPD proposes to slow down the growth of unemployment, and then proceed to reduce it. Labor in Germany is very expensive. The upward trend is caused by an increase in the so-called side costs, which include health insurance, old age and pension insurance. They, in the opinion of the Social Democrats, must be reduced.
In addition, they promise that after coming to power they will ensure the adoption of new tax legislation. First of all, this refers to an increase in the tax on energy consumption, which will finance the creation of new jobs and support for families with low or moderate incomes. The Social Democrats intend to set the lower limit of DEM income at 2.5 thousand. Thus, in their opinion, it is possible to increase the purchasing power of the population and, again, create new jobs.
The party's election platform also includes a 10-point program dedicated to the eastern lands. In particular, the SPD advocates maintaining the "solidarity" tax paid by West Germans to finance structural transformations in the eastern states.
The Social Democrats clearly have an advantageous position, since any government is always full of shortcomings. The SPD believes that the ruling coalition is pursuing an unsolid and unbalanced tax policy, which has led to a state budget deficit of DEM 30-40 billion. And it allows attacks on the social achievements of the state. This refers to the elimination of social consensus between entrepreneurs and trade unions.
In foreign policy, the differences between the ruling coalition and the opposition are minimal. German foreign policy outside the European context does not exist as such. It is always coordinated with other EU states and implemented within the European Union. In terms of foreign policy, the SPD declares the principle - to make the world more stable.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that Gerhard Schroeder is one of the brightest figures in the world political arena. As shown by three years, the party, and with it the Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, are trying to fulfill their promises, improving life not only in the country, but also actively participating in international politics. As mentioned above, Germany follows the principle of "make the world stable". The proof of this is the example of their attitude towards the Iraqi crisis. Schroeder and his party believe that war should not be carried out with the help of weapons and violence, but at the diplomatic level.
Gerhard Schroeder can be attributed to:
1. according to M. Weber: to the rational-legal, because he was democratically elected;
2. according to the theory of the collective image: to the fireman leader, because in his policy, he focuses on pressing problems (for example, reducing unemployment);
3. according to N. Machiavelli: left-fox, because by the power of his authority he was able to lead the party out of "stagnation";
4. according to O. Comte: scientist, because proposed a whole scientifically developed program to reduce unemployment and did not say that everything would happen overnight;
5. according to the typology of the relationship between managers and subordinates: to the democratic type, because tries to express the opinion of the whole group;
6. according to Jenixon: superman, because tries to carry out reforms in both domestic and foreign policy, takes responsibility;
7. according to the theory of Marxism: to the bourgeois leader, because the main thing in his policy is the maintenance of the middle class and the development of entrepreneurship;
8. according to the classical typology: ordinary, because not trying to change the course of history.
Bibliography
1. mediasprut . en / germ / artikel / Schroeder . shtml
2. www.vestu.ru/files.html?id=2365
3. www.gromyko.ru/Russian/CPE/alex7.htm
