Erich Mende facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Erich Mende
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| Vice-Chancellor of Germany | |
| In office 17 October 1963 – 28 October 1966 |
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| President | Heinrich Lübke |
| Chancellor | Ludwig Erhard |
| Preceded by | Ludwig Erhard |
| Succeeded by | Hans-Christoph Seebohm |
| Federal Minister of All-German Affairs | |
| In office 17 October 1963 – 28 October 1966 |
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| Chancellor | Ludwig Erhard |
| Preceded by | Rainer Barzel |
| Succeeded by | Johann Baptist Gradl |
| Member of the Bundestag | |
| In office 7 September 1949 – 4 November 1980 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 October 1916 Groß Strehlitz, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 6 May 1998 (aged 81) Bonn, Germany |
| Political party | FDP CDU (from 1970) |
| Alma mater | University of Cologne, University of Bonn |
| Occupation | Soldier, politician |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Erich Mende (born October 28, 1916 – died May 6, 1998) was an important German politician. He was a leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) from 1960 to 1968. He also served as the Vice-Chancellor of West Germany from 1963 to 1966. The Vice-Chancellor is like a deputy head of government. Later in his career, he joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
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Early Life and Education
Erich Mende was born on October 28, 1916, in a town called Groß Strehlitz. This area was then part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Today, it is a town in Poland called Strzelce Opolskie. He was one of four children. His father was a school director.
Erich grew up in a region that saw a lot of fighting after World War I. He experienced the area being occupied by British, French, and Italian forces. After finishing school in 1936, he decided to become a professional soldier. He joined the German army, known as the Wehrmacht.
Military Service in World War II
Erich Mende became an infantry lieutenant. He was seriously wounded early in World War II during the German invasion of Poland in 1939. He was wounded two more times during the war.
In January 1945, as a major, he received a high military award called the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He earned this award for holding his position on the front lines. This action helped about 10,000 civilians and wounded soldiers escape from the advancing Red Army. Later, he managed to lead about 4,000 surviving soldiers to safety, where they became prisoners of war of the British.
Mende had a trusted relationship with his commanding general, Werner von Bercken. In 1944, he met Henning von Tresckow, who was part of the German resistance against Adolf Hitler. Mende shared his belief that Germany could not win the war. He thought the leaders needed to find a political solution and negotiate for peace.
Beginning His Political Career
After being released from British custody, Erich Mende studied law and political science. He earned his doctorate degree in 1949. Around the same time, he helped create the Free Democratic Party (FDP) in 1945.
The FDP was a political party that supported free markets. Mende was elected to the Bundestag in 1949. The Bundestag is the German parliament, similar to the House of Representatives in the United States. He quickly became a leader in his party. By 1960, he was the national chairman of the FDP. He held this important position until 1968.
As a member of parliament, Mende worked hard for former soldiers. This included those who were held as prisoners of war for a long time. He also had traditional views on how the new German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, should be organized and trained.
Erich Mende often disagreed with Konrad Adenauer, who was the Chancellor at the time. Adenauer's party, the Christian Democrats, was in a coalition government with the FDP. A coalition is when different political parties work together to form a government. After the FDP gained more votes in 1961, Mende urged his party not to join Adenauer in another coalition. However, the FDP did not follow his advice. Mende himself refused to take a government position until Ludwig Erhard replaced Adenauer as Chancellor in 1963.
Vice-Chancellor and Minister
Under Chancellor Ludwig Erhard, Erich Mende served as the Vice-Chancellor of West Germany. He was also the Minister for All-German Affairs. His job was to improve relations with Communist East Germany, also known as the German Democratic Republic. At that time, West Germany did not officially recognize East Germany as a separate country.
During his time in office, some important things happened:
- In December 1963, people from West Berlin were allowed to cross the Berlin Wall for Christmas visits for the first time.
- From 1964, older citizens from East Germany were allowed to visit West Germany.
- Mende helped create agreements for building roads, especially a major highway near Hof. This helped improve travel and communication with West Berlin.
- More than 4,000 political prisoners held in East German prisons were "bought free" by West Germany.
The FDP lost its government role in 1966 when Chancellor Erhard's government fell. The new Chancellor, Kurt Georg Kiesinger, formed a new coalition with the Social Democrats.
Later Political Life
After leaving government, Mende focused on his finances and worked for an American investment bank. His party, the FDP, started to move more to the left in its political views. He was replaced as party leader in January 1968. He left the Bundestag in 1969.
In 1970, the FDP joined a new government coalition with the Social Democrats. This new government, led by Willy Brandt, started a new policy called Ostpolitik. This policy aimed to improve relations with Eastern European countries and recognized the border between Germany and Poland. Erich Mende disagreed strongly with these changes. Because of this, he left the FDP in 1970 and joined the Christian Democrats. He served in the Bundestag again as a CDU member from 1972 to 1980.
Personal Life
Erich Mende was married twice. He met his second wife, Margot Hansen, in 1947 at an FDP meeting. They married a year later. Margot Mende was very involved in her husband's political career. His son, Walter Mende, was the Lord Mayor of Leverkusen from 1994 to 1999.
Awards
- German Cross in Gold (1942)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (1945)
- Great Cross of Merit
See also
In Spanish: Erich Mende para niños
