150 years since Konrad Adenauer (1876 – 1967): First Federal Chancellor

Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (1876–1967) was a German politician of the CDU and a jurist. From 1949 to 1963, he was the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. Adenauer became famous for the Élysée Treaty. Do you have Konrad Adenauer in your collection, and are you aware that a special commemorative coin was issued for his 150th birthday, as well as the 2 euro coin?

Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967)

The first Federal Chancellor of West Germany: Konrad Adenauer. Played an important role in the reconstruction of West Germany after the Second World War. Konrad Adenauer was born on January 5, 1867, in Cologne. His father was a lawyer. Adenauer studied at the universities of Feiburg, Munich, and Bonn and subsequently became a lawyer. In 1917, he became Mayor of Cologne, a position he held until 1933. Additionally, he was a member of the House of Prussia from 1917 to 1918 and President of the Prussian State Council from 1920 to 1932.

In Germany, Adenauer presented himself as an opponent of the Nazis. As mayor, for example, he forbade Nazis from displaying flags bearing the swastika. In 1933, Adenauer was dismissed from all his positions by the Nazis, and a year later he was thrown into prison. He was accused of having collaborated in an assassination attempt against Hitler. Adenauer spent a large part of the Second World War in prison.

After the Allies liberated Cologne, the Americans believed that Adenauer was suitable to become Mayor of Cologne again. He took up the position in 1945 but was soon removed from office by the British. Adenauer then turned his attention to founding a new political party: the Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (Christian Democratic Union of Germany).

With his new party, Adenauer was elected Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany on September 15, 1949. He wanted to dedicate himself in particular to the transition of West Germany to a sovereign, democratic state. Economically, Adenauer attempted to cooperate as much as possible with the capitalist West. America supported West Germany through the Marshall Plan, a plan aimed at the economic reconstruction of the war-torn countries in Europe. However, the influence of the Marshall Plan on West Germany's economy was limited because the country had to pay far more reparations to America than it received in aid.

The period of reconstruction that largely took place in West Germany under Adenauer is also known as the Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle). It was a very successful period. An important factor in the recovery of West Germany was the introduction of a new currency: the Deutsche Mark (1948). Adenauer formed a right-leaning cabinet and also led foreign policy from 1951 onwards. In Europe, he continued to seek rapprochement with the West and was an opponent of the Soviet Union. This was to the frustration of his greatest political opponent, the socialist Kurt Schumacher. Schumacher was unhappy with Adenauer's choice to unilaterally align himself with the West and shouted during a speech by Adenauer: “Sie sind der Kanzler der Alliierten!” (You are the Chancellor of the Allies!).

 

Adenauer succeeded in turning West Germany into an autonomous state. On May 23, 1949 (Petersburg Agreement), West Germany was established as the Federal Republic of Germany, and on May 9, 1955, West Germany joined NATO.

Konrad Adenauer held the reins firmly in his own country. His position was strengthened when his only major political enemy, Schumacher, died in 1952. In addition, he enjoyed a great deal of confidence because West Germany was experiencing a surprising period of economic growth. Consequently, Adenauer was re-elected as Federal Chancellor in 1953 and developed into one of the most authoritative politicians in Europe. In September 1957, Adenauer was re-elected as Federal Chancellor for the second time.

Around the 1960s, Adenauer sought to align himself more closely with the anti-American course of his French counterpart, Charles de Gaulle. During this period, he viewed attempts at reconciliation between Eastern and Western Europe with suspicion, causing his relationship with American President John F. Kennedy to cool. The fact that relations between France and West Germany were improving was officially demonstrated to the world on January 22, 1962, when the countries signed a friendship treaty. Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer agreed to meet every six months from then on.

In September 1961, Adenauer began his fourth term as Federal Chancellor. Following pressure from coalition parties and his own party, the 87-year-old stepped down in October 1963. He remained party chairman and was succeeded as Federal Chancellor by Ludwig Erhard, who had previously made a major contribution to the Economic Miracle as Minister of Economic Affairs. Incidentally, Adenauer was not in favor of Erhard succeeding him and made no secret of it.

Konrad Adenauer remained party chairman of the CDU until 1966. He died on April 20, 1967, after a brief bout of flu. He had previously suffered three heart attacks. The first Federal Chancellor of West Germany received a state funeral after his death. He is buried in the Waldfriedhof cemetery in Rhöndorf.

 

Élysée Treaty

The Élysée Treaty was a treaty of friendship between France and West Germany, signed by President Charles de Gaulle and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer on January 22, 1963, at the Élysée Palace in Paris. With the signing of this treaty, Germany and France laid a new foundation for relations, bringing an end to centuries of Franco-German enmity and wars.

Franco-German relations were long dominated by the idea of ​​Franco-German enmity, which posited that a natural rivalry existed between the two nations. Germany started the Second World War by invading Poland in 1939. France subsequently declared war on Germany, which led to the German invasion and occupation of France from 1940 to 1944. Afterwards, France participated in the Allied occupation of Germany from 1945 to 1949. Post-war West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer made rapprochement between the historical rivals one of his priorities.

The treaty stipulated that France and West Germany had to hold regular consultations on all important issues relating to defense, education, and youth affairs. It also required regular summit meetings between high-ranking officials, which meant that the heads of state and government had to meet at least twice a year and the ministers of foreign affairs every three months, to ensure close cooperation between the two states.

The first meeting between the two heads of state took place in September 1958 at General de Gaulle's private home in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. Since then, the French and German heads of state have maintained the strong relationship, which is often considered the driving force of European integration.

In addition, an interministerial commission was established to coordinate and oversee Franco-German cooperation. It consisted of high-ranking officials from each ministry involved. Adenauer and De Gaulle wanted to intensify bilateral relations and agreed that the German and French governments would henceforth hold regular consultations with each other regarding, among other things, security issues and foreign policy.

A 2-euro commemorative coin is also in circulation to commemorate this treaty in 2013.

 

<strong> More info: </strong>

Konrad Adenauer: https://duitslandinstituut.nl/naslagwerk/228/konrad-adenauer