Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg Bundesminister a. D.
Guttenberg in 2017
Minister of Defence
In office 28 October 2009 – 1 March 2011
Chancellor	Angela Merkel
Preceded by	Franz Josef Jung
Succeeded by	Thomas de Maizière
Minister for Economic Affairs and Technology
In office 10 February 2009 – 27 October 2009
Chancellor	Angela Merkel
Preceded by	Michael Glos
Succeeded by	Rainer Brüderle
Secretary General of the Christian Social Union
In office 3 November 2008 – 10 February 2009
Leader	Horst Seehofer
Preceded by	Christine Haderthauer
Succeeded by	Alexander Dobrindt
Member of the Bundestag for Kulmbach
In office 17 October 2002 – 3 March 2011
Preceded by	Bernd Protzner
Succeeded by	Emmi Zeulner (2013)
Personal details
Born	Karl-Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Joseph Sylvester Buhl-Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg (1971-12-05) 5 December 1971 (age 53) Munich, West Germany
Political party	Christian Social Union
Spouse	Stephanie zu Guttenberg ​ ​ (m. 2000; separated 2023)​
Children	2
Parents	Enoch zu Guttenberg Christiane zu Eltz
Alma mater	University of Bayreuth University of Southampton
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Germany
Branch/service	Bundeswehr
Years of service	1991–1992
Rank	Stabsunteroffizier der Reserve
Unit	Army (Heer) / Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (born 5 December 1971) is a German businessman, journalist, and podcaster. He was also a politician for the Christian Social Union (CSU) party. He served as a member of the Bundestag (Germany's parliament) from 2002 to 2011.

He held important government jobs, including Federal Minister for Economics and Technology in 2009. He was also the Federal Minister of Defence from 2009 to 2011. In 2011, he left politics after a controversy about his university degree.

After leaving politics, Guttenberg became involved in business and advising. He is the chairman and founder of Spitzberg Partners, a company in New York City. He also hosts a weekly podcast.

Early Life and Education

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg finished high school in 1991. After that, he completed his required military service and became a Sergeant. He then studied law at the University of Bayreuth.

In 1999, he passed his first big law exam. Instead of taking a second exam to become a lawyer, he decided to manage his family's businesses. He earned a Doctor of Law degree in 2007. However, this degree was later taken away due to issues with his research paper. In 2019, he earned another degree, a Doctor of Philosophy, from the University of Southampton.

Political Journey

Guttenberg was a member of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU). He held several important roles within the party.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In 2002, Guttenberg was elected to the Bundestag, which is Germany's parliament. He represented the area of Kulmbach. He was reelected in 2005 and again in 2009. In 2009, he won with a very high percentage of votes (68.1%). This was the highest percentage for any elected representative in Germany that year.

From 2005 to 2008, he led the CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee. He also spoke for his party on topics like disarmament and arms control.

What Were His Political Ideas?

Guttenberg had clear ideas on important issues.

• Turkey and the EU: In 2004, he suggested a "Privileged Partnership" for Turkey with the European Union. He thought this was a better idea than Turkey becoming a full member of the EU. He believed Turkey had not met all the requirements for full membership.
• Iran's Nuclear Program: He warned about the dangers of Iran's nuclear program. However, he believed in using international talks to solve the problem, not quick military action.
• Criticism of Far-Left Parties: He was a strong critic of the far-left party Die Linke. He accused them of having ties to certain groups he called "terrorists."

Secretary General of the CSU Party

In 2008, the CSU party lost many votes in a state election. Because of this, the party leaders stepped down. Horst Seehofer, the new CSU chairman, chose Guttenberg to be the secretary general of the CSU in November 2008.

As secretary-general, Guttenberg wanted to cut taxes and increase benefits for families. He also wanted to change the CSU party to allow more direct involvement from its members. He also focused on international issues.

Federal Minister of Economics

In February 2009, Guttenberg became the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology. He was the youngest economics minister in Germany after World War II. He took office during a difficult time, when the world was facing a big financial crisis.

During this crisis, some large German banks were in trouble. Guttenberg was careful about using government money to help companies. He wanted to make sure that companies asking for help were truly competitive and only needed temporary support.

One big challenge was the car company Opel. Guttenberg insisted that Opel's parent company, General Motors (GM), provide a clear plan for Opel's future. He believed a private investor was needed for Opel. He even suggested that Opel should go through a process called insolvency (where a company cannot pay its debts) rather than getting unconditional government help. This was different from what Chancellor Merkel wanted. The deal to sell Opel to another company later failed.

By the summer of 2009, Guttenberg had become one of the most popular politicians in Germany.

Federal Minister of Defence

Guttenberg with U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates in front of the Pentagon, 2009

After the 2009 elections, a new government was formed. Chancellor Merkel offered Guttenberg the choice between two important ministries: interior or defence. Guttenberg chose the defence role and became the defence minister in October 2009. He was the youngest German defence minister ever.

Germany's Role in Afghanistan

One of his first big challenges was dealing with the Kunduz airstrike in Afghanistan. At first, he defended the airstrike. But after getting more information, he changed his mind and took action, dismissing some military leaders.

Guttenberg also openly said that the situation for German soldiers in Afghanistan was "war." Before him, German leaders had only called it a "stabilization deployment." Calling it "war" helped improve the legal standing of German soldiers.

Guttenberg in Kunduz Province in December 2009

He tried to show the public how important the mission in Afghanistan was. He often attended funerals for fallen soldiers and visited the troops in Afghanistan nine times. He even brought journalists with him to help people understand the mission better. In 2010, he created the Combat Action Medal of the Bundeswehr to honor soldiers for their bravery.

Guttenberg was against setting fixed dates for troops to leave Afghanistan. He believed that withdrawal should depend on the security situation on the ground. He also wanted countries like Russia, India, and China to be more involved in solving the conflict.

Changes to the German Army (Bundeswehr)

In 2010, Guttenberg pushed for big changes to the Bundeswehr (German armed forces). His goal was to make the army more effective and save money. He suggested reducing the number of active soldiers and stopping the draft (where young people are required to serve in the military).

These ideas caused a lot of debate, even within his own party. But in the end, his plan to stop the draft was approved by a large majority. This was the biggest change to the Bundeswehr since it was founded in 1955.

Controversy and Resignation

In 2011, Guttenberg faced a big controversy. People found parts of his university research paper that were copied from other sources without being properly credited. This is called plagiarism.

At first, Guttenberg said the accusations were "absurd" but admitted he might have made mistakes in his footnotes. It also came out that he had used research from the German parliament's department without saying where it came from. On February 23, 2011, he apologized in parliament for the flaws in his paper but denied that he had intentionally tried to trick anyone.

On the same day, the University of Bayreuth took away his doctorate degree. The scandal continued to grow, and many academics and politicians criticized him. On March 1, 2011, Guttenberg announced that he was resigning from all his political jobs, including his role as Minister of Defense and his seat in parliament.

Later, a university committee concluded that Guttenberg had intentionally copied passages and changed them to hide their origin. The legal case against him for copyright violations was closed after he paid money to a charity. This scandal also led to other politicians' degrees being checked for similar issues.

Return to German Politics?

In 2017, Guttenberg returned to German politics for a short time. He gave a speech during the 2017 German federal election where he praised Chancellor Angela Merkel. This speech was seen by many as a possible sign of his return to politics. However, Guttenberg himself has always said he would not make a comeback.

Life After Politics

After leaving politics, Guttenberg joined the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington in September 2011. He also published a book called Vorerst gescheitert (Failed for Now), where he talked about his political career and the plagiarism scandal.

In 2013, Guttenberg started his own consulting and investment company called Spitzberg Partners LLC. He also advises other companies, including Deutsche Lufthansa on new ideas.

Guttenberg is a strong critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin's foreign policy. He has called for Western countries, especially Europe, to take strong action against Russia's actions.

Since 2022, Guttenberg has worked with RTL Television. He has made documentaries about Vladimir Putin and the power of the church in Germany. In 2022, he also co-hosted a popular annual review show. Since 2023, he has a weekly podcast with politician Gregor Gysi called "Gysi gegen Guttenberg – Der Deutschland-Podcast."

Family and Personal Life

Stephanie zu Guttenberg, Guttenberg's wife (2010)

Guttenberg comes from the House of Guttenberg, a very old family first mentioned in 1158. They were given the title of baron in 1700. In Germany, noble titles are now part of a person's name, not special privileges.

His grandfather, Karl Theodor Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg (1921–1972), was also a CSU politician. He was known for being a strong conservative during the Cold War. During World War II, he bravely refused to kill Jewish people. Other family members also resisted the Nazi regime.

The family castle in Guttenberg, Bavaria

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was born in Munich. He lived at his family's castle in Guttenberg, which has been owned by his family since 1482. He also lived in Berlin.

His father, Enoch zu Guttenberg, was a famous conductor. He received many awards for his contributions to classical music. His mother, Christiane zu Eltz, is from the Eltz family. She later remarried Adolf Richard Barthold von Ribbentrop. Karl-Theodor grew up mostly with his father.

In 2000, Guttenberg married Stephanie Gräfin von Bismarck-Schönhausen. She is a great-great-granddaughter of Otto von Bismarck, who was the first Chancellor of Germany. They have two daughters. Guttenberg is Catholic, and his wife is Protestant. In 2011, his family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut in the United States.

Awards and Recognition

Guttenberg has received several awards for his work:

• In 2009, he won the "Politikaward," which is a German award for "Politician of the Year."
• In 2010, the German news magazine Focus named him "Man of the Year."
• In 2011, a carnival association in Aachen gave him the "Order Against Dead Seriousness" award. His younger brother accepted it for him.

Images for kids

• 

  Guttenberg with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 2010

See also

In Spanish: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg para niños