Rainer Barzel

Rainer Candidus Barzel (June 20 1924 – August 26 2006) was a German politician of the CDU.

Born in Braunsberg (Braniewo), East Prussia, Barzel served as Chairman of the CDU from 1971 and 1973 and ran as the CDU's candidate for Chancellor of Germany in the 1972 federal elections, losing to Willy Brandt's SPD.

The 1972 election is commonly regarded as an indirect referendum on Chancellor Brandt's Ostpolitik (eastern policy), which called for normalized relations with the GDR and the USSR, and which Barzel vehemently opposed. In May 1972, an attempt by Barzel and the CDU/CSU to call a motion of no confidence against Brandt's government failed by two votes because of Stasi bribes. Following the motion, Barzel would have succeeded Brandt as Chancellor of Germany. The government, in consideration of the fact that it had lost its parliamentary majority and that parliamentary work was stalled, reacted by calling new elections, which it won decisively - 1972 was the only time before 1998 and after World War II that the SPD outpolled the CDU, it still represents the SPD's highwater mark as a vote share, and these elections had the highest turnout ever.

Within the CDU group of the German parliament, Barzel's credibility suffered when it became apparent that he had lied about substantial extra-income from work as a lawyer outside parliament.

Barzel served as Minister of All-German Affairs (1962-63) under Konrad Adenauer, as Parliamentary group leader of the CDU/CSU (1964-1973), as Minister of Intra-German Relations (1982-83) in Helmut Kohl's cabinet, and as President of the Bundestag (1983-84).

It was not the lost non-confidence motion, nor the lost parliamentary elections that on May 8, 1973 eventually prompted Barzel to resign from both the CDU party chair and the leadership of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, but the refusal by the parliamentary group to support a government bill for the accession of both Germany's to the United Nations.

He resigned from politics in 1984 after he was accused of being entangled in the Flick scandal - a charge which was rebutted by the Flick inquiry committee and the prosecuting authorities two years later.

Barzel died in Munich, Bavaria, after a long illness, on August 26, 2006.

The implications of this election were far-reaching. The initial reaction to Brandt was that he, along with his policy of Ostpolitik, was finished. German trade unions went on strike in anticipation of his loss in the no confidence motion. However, the final tally only received 247 votes, whereas 249 were needed to expel Brandt from office. Later it was found out that two members of Parliament, Julius Steiner (CDU) and Leo Wagner (CSU) had been bribed by the East German Ministry for State Security. [From Yalta to Berlin, Smyser, Page 266]

Literature

Michael F. Feldkamp (ed.), "Der Bundestagspräsident. Amt - Funktion - Person." 16. Wahlperiode, München 2007, ISBN 978-3-7892-8201-0

Persondata
NAME= Barzel, Rainer
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Barzel, Rainer Candidus
SHORT DESCRIPTION=German politician of the CDU
DATE OF BIRTH=June 20 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH=Braunsberg (Braniewo), East Prussia
DATE OF DEATH=August 26 2006
PLACE OF DEATH=Munich, Bavaria, Germany

References