Helmut Schmidt

Political leader, chancellor of West Germany

• Born: December 23, 1918
• Place of Birth: Place of birth: Hamburg, Germany
• Died: November 10, 2015
• Place of Death: Place of death: Hamburg, Germany

Education: University of Hamburg

Significance: A West German political leader, Helmut Schmidt served as that country’s minister of defense, minister of economics, and minister of finance before his election to chancellor in 1974. He was an elected leader of a major European country during the Cold War era.

Background

Helmut Schmidt was born on December 23, 1918, in Hamburg, Germany. He was the older of two sons born to Ludovica Koch and Gustav Ludwig Schmidt. Both of his parents were teachers. When Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933, Schmidt’s father revealed a secret: Although the family was Protestant in the Lutheran tradition, Schmidt’s paternal grandfather was Jewish. The family obtained false papers to hide their heritage and protect their lives in the face of Nazi ethnic cleansing efforts.

Although he qualified to attend university, Schmidt was conscripted into the army and served with the artillery. He was briefly captured by the British in Belgium just before World War II ended in 1945 and was discharged as a first lieutenant. Schmidt received an Iron Cross for his service.

After the war, he studied economics and politics at the University of Hamburg and qualified to teach after he graduated in 1949. However, he chose instead to join the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and pursue a career in politics. Schmidt became the party’s parliamentary executive. His well-honed skills in public speaking and debate propelled his career through several more political offices.

Life’s Work

In 1953, Schmidt was elected to the German legislature, which is known as the Bundestag. He was known as a ruthless attacker of opposing viewpoints and put his debate and oratory skills to use frequently and with success. He remained in the Bundestag until joining the Hamburg Senate and serving as senator of the interior from 1961 to 1965. During the deadly Elbe River floods in 1962, Schmidt was widely praised and greatly appreciated for his efforts to bring aid to the people of Hamburg, despite the fact that he overstepped his authority as a senator on several occasions. His actions during the flood and elsewhere in his duties earned him a reputation as a doer, and Schmidt was reelected in 1965.

By 1968, Schmidt was made deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party, a position he held until 1983. Under the administration of Chancellor Willy Brandt, Schmidt was also the defense minister and instituted several key initiatives that improved both the numbers and quality of military recruits. July 1972 saw Schmidt become the minister of economics and finance. He gave up the lead role in the government’s economics in November of that same year when it was decided to make economics and finance separate government entities.

In 1974, when Brandt’s administration was rocked by a spying scandal after it was discovered one of his personal assistants was an East German spy, Brandt resigned and Schmidt took his place. The early days of his administration were troubled by a worldwide recession, and Schmidt adopted a strict government spending policy to help the country recover. Working with the French president and other government leaders, he signed the Helsinki Accords aimed at reducing tensions in the Cold War and assumed a leadership role in the establishment of intergovernmental cooperation between European countries.

During his first full term after reelection in 1976, Schmidt faced down Palestinian terrorists who hijacked a Lufthansa plane in an effort to gain freedom for a group of Red Army Faction (RAF) extremists who were being held for violent acts against the state. Schmidt refused to give in to the demands of the terrorists, and the situation ended with the plane’s eighty-six passengers safely recovered and three of the four terrorists dead.

His second full term after the 1980 elections saw Schmidt dealing with the rising tensions with the Soviet Union over nuclear weapons by encouraging the addition of more nuclear missiles in Western Europe should the Soviets continue their military buildup. This decision was not popular, nor was Schmidt’s move to curtail deficit spending by increasing what German residents paid toward unemployment benefits and health care. In early October 1982, the German parliament approved a vote of no confidence and removed Schmidt from office, the first time such a removal had occurred.

After the end of his political career, Schmidt became co-publisher of the weekly newspaper Die Zeit and wrote several books on politics and foreign policy. A lifelong smoker, Schmidt developed a blood clot in his leg and underwent surgery to treat it in September 2015. On November 10, 2015, he died at his home in Hamburg. A state funeral was held in St. Michael’s Lutheran church in Hamburg, and he was buried in Ohlsdorf Cemetery.

Impact

Schmidt helped post–World War II Germany recover and rise again on the international stage. He helped establish the forerunners of the policies that would allow the European economies to join in the European Union, and he aided in setting the groundwork for the war on terrorism that would come after his term in office.

In 1973, Schmidt, then serving as West Germany’s defense minister, founded a military university to train West German officers. The facility was renamed Helmut Schmidt University in 2003. A year after Schmidt’s death, the Hamburg Airport was also named in his honor as the Hamburg Airport Helmut Schmidt.

Personal Life

In 1942, Schmidt married Hannelore "Loki" Glaser. The couple remained married until her death in 2010. They had two children: Susanne and Helmut Walter. In 2012, Schmidt announced he was in a relationship with Ruth Loah, who remained his companion until his death.

Bibliography

"About Helmut Schmidt." Helmut Schmidt University, 2 June 2021, www.hsu-hh.de/en/university/helmut-schmidt. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.

Berman, Russell A. "Helmut Schmidt, 1918–2015: A German ‘Macher.’" Hoover Institution, 10 Nov. 2015, www.hoover.org/research/helmut-schmidt-1918-2015-german-macher. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.

Elliot, Larry. "Helmut Schmidt: ‘Britain’s Empire Has Gone, Though You Think It Still Exists.’" Guardian, 22 Dec. 2013, www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/22/helmut-schmidt-europe-crisis-interview. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.

"German Ex-Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Dies at 96." BBC, 10 Nov. 2015, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34778565. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.

Kandell, Jonathan. "Helmut Schmidt, Assertive West German Chancellor, Dies at 96." New York Times, 10 Nov. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/11/11/world/europe/helmut-schmidt-assertive-west-german-chancellor-dies-at-96.html. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.