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Franz-Josef Strauss

Franz Josef Strauss
Franz Josef Strauß 1982.jpg
Strauss in 1982
Minister President of Bavaria
In office
6 November 1978 – 3 October 1988
Preceded by Alfons Goppel
Succeeded by Max Streibl
Federal Minister of Finance
In office
2 December 1966 – 22 October 1969
Preceded by Kurt Schmücker
Succeeded by Alex Möller
Federal Minister of Defence
In office
16 October 1956 – 16 December 1962
Preceded by Theodor Blank
Succeeded by Kai-Uwe von Hassel
Federal Minister for Atomic Affairs
In office
21 October 1955 – 16 October 1956
Succeeded by Siegfried Balke
Federal Minister for Special Affairs
In office
1953–1955
Personal details
Born (1915-09-06)6 September 1915
Munich
Died 3 October 1988(1988-10-03) (aged 73)
Regensburg
Nationality German
Political party CSU
Spouse(s) Marianne Zwicknagl
Children Max Josef
Franz Georg
Monika
Alma mater University of Munich
Religion Roman Catholicism
Signature

Franz Josef Strauss (German: Franz Josef Strauß, IPA: [ˈfʁants ˈjoːzɛf ˈʃtʁaʊs]; 6 September 1915 – 3 October 1988) was a German politician. He was the chairman of the Christian Social Union, member of the federal cabinet in different positions and long-time minister-president of the state of Bavaria. Strauss is also credited as a co-founder of European aerospace conglomerate Airbus.

After the 1969 federal elections, West Germany's conservative alliance found itself out of power for the first time since the founding of the Federal Republic. At this time, Strauss became more identified with the regional politics of Bavaria. While he ran for the chancellorship as the candidate of the CDU/CSU in 1980, for the rest of his life Strauss never again held federal office. From 1978 until his death in 1988, he was the head of the Bavarian government. His last two decades were also marked by a fierce rivalry with CDU chairman Helmut Kohl.

Born in Munich on 6 April 1915, as the second child of a butcher, Strauss studied German letters, history and economics at the University of Munich from 1935 to 1939.

In World War II, he served in the Wehrmacht on the Western and Eastern Fronts. While on , he passed the German state exams to become a teacher. After suffering from severe frostbite on the Eastern Front in early 1943, he served as an Offizier für wehrgeistige Führung, relabelled in November 1943 Nationalsozialistischer Führungsoffizier (NSFO), both terms designating a political commissar responsible for the National Socialist education of the troops, at the antiaircraft artillery school in Altenstadt Air Base, near Schongau. He held the rank of Oberleutnant at the end of the war.


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