Hans-Dietrich Genscher
| Hans-Dietrich Genscher | |
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Hans-Dietrich Genscher, 1978
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Vice Chancellor of Germany (West Germany until 1990) |
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In office 1 October 1982 – 17 May 1992 |
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| Preceded by | Egon Franke |
| Succeeded by | Jürgen Möllemann |
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In office 17 May 1974 – 17 September 1982 |
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| Preceded by | Walter Scheel |
| Succeeded by | Egon Franke |
| Foreign Minister of Germany | |
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In office 1 October 1982 – 17 May 1992 |
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| Preceded by | Helmut Schmidt (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Klaus Kinkel |
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In office 17 May 1974 – 17 September 1982 |
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| Preceded by | Walter Scheel |
| Succeeded by | Helmut Schmidt (acting) |
| Minister of the Interior of Germany | |
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In office 22 October 1969 – 16 May 1974 |
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| Preceded by | Ernst Benda |
| Succeeded by | Werner Maihofer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
21 March 1927 Reideburg, Weimar Republic |
| Died | 31 March 2016 (aged 89) Wachtberg, Germany |
| Political party | Free Democratic Party of Germany (1952–2016) |
| Other political affiliations |
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (GDR) (1946–52) |
| Spouse(s) |
Luise Schweitzer (1958–66) Barbara Genscher (née Schmidt) (1969–2016) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Signature |  |
| Website | www |
Luise Schweitzer (1958–66)
Hans-Dietrich Genscher (21 March 1927 – 31 March 2016) was a German statesman and a member of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), who served as the Minister of the Interior of West Germany from 1969 to 1974, and as the Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of West Germany and then the reunified Germany from 1974 to 1992 (except for a two-week break in 1982), making him the longest-serving occupant of either post. In 1991 he was chairman of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
A proponent of Realpolitik, Genscher has been called "a master of diplomacy." He is widely regarded as having been a principal "architect of German Reunification." In 1991, he played a pivotal role in the breakup of Yugoslavia by successfully pushing for international recognition of Croatia, Slovenia and other republics declaring independence, in an effort to halt "a trend towards a Greater Serbia." After leaving office, he worked as a lawyer and international consultant. He was President of the German Council on Foreign Relations and was involved with several international organisations, and with former Czech President Václav Havel, he called for a Cold War museum to be built in Berlin.
Genscher was born on 21 March 1927 in Reideburg (Province of Saxony), now a part of Halle, in what later became East Germany. He was the son of Hilda Kreime and Kurt Genscher. His father, a lawyer, died when Genscher was nine years old. In 1943, he was drafted to serve as a member of the Air Force Support Personnel (Luftwaffenhelfer) at the age of 16. At age 17, close to the end of the war, he and his fellow soldiers became members of the Nazi Party due to a collective application (Sammelantrag) by his Wehrmacht unit. He later said he was unaware of it at the time.
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Wikipedia