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Willy Brandt




Willy Brandt (born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; December 18, 1913 - October 8,
1992) was the fourth Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor) of the Federal
Republic of Germany from 1969 to 1974 and recipient of the Nobel Prize for
Peace in 1971.

Born in LŸbeck, he joined the "Socialist Youth" in 1929 and the Social
Democratic Party (SPD) in 1930. In 1933 he adopted the name Willy Brandt and
had to leave Germany for Norway to escape Nazi persecution. He visited
Germany from September to December 1936 (disguised as a Norwegian student
named Gunnar Gaasland). In 1937 he worked in Spain as a journalist. In 1938
the German government revoked his citizenship, so he applied for Norwegian
citizenship. In 1940 he was arrested in Norway by occupying German forces,
but he was not identified (because he wore a Norwegian uniform) and on his
release he escaped to Sweden. In August 1940 he became a Norwegian citizen
(he got his passport from the Norwegian embassy in Stockholm, where he lived
until the end of the war).

In 1948 he began his political career with the Social Democratic Party of
Germany (SPD) in Berlin. From October 3 1957 to 1966 he was Mayor of West
Berlin, a particularly stressful time for the city. He became chairman of
the SPD in 1964 (a post he retained until 1987) and was the SPD candidate
for Chancellor in 1961 and 1965 before winning the elections in 1969 after
three weeks of negotiation with the other parties in the Bundestag. In the
elections of 1965, 1969 and 1972 the SPD did well, but Brandt's domestic
reforms were usually blunted by his coalition partners in the Bundestag or
the resistance of local governments (often CDU/CSU). In foreign affairs
Brandt had more scope to work his Ostpolitik and he was active in creating a
rapproachment, of a kind, with the German Democratic Republic and improving
relations with the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries.

His term as Chancellor was ended by the revelation that one of his personal
assistants, GŸnther Guillaume, was a spy. Brandt accepted responsibility and
resigned on May 7, 1974. He was succeeded by Helmut Schmidt.

After his term as Chancellor he was head of Socialist International from
1976--1992, a member of the European Parliament from 1979--1983, and
Honorary Chairman of the SPD from 1987--1992.

In 1972, he was made honorary citizen of his birth town LŸbeck.

        Preceded by:
         Kurt Georg        Chancellors of Germany       Succeeded by:
         Kiesinger                                     Helmut Schmidt

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