Rainer Barzel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rainer Barzel
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Barzel in 1962
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| President of the Bundestag West Germany |
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| In office 29 March 1983 – 25 October 1984 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Stücklen |
| Succeeded by | Philipp Jenninger |
| Federal Minister of Intra-German Relations | |
| In office 4 October 1982 – 29 March 1983 |
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| Chancellor | Helmut Kohl |
| Preceded by | Egon Franke |
| Succeeded by | Heinrich Windelen |
| In office 14 December 1962 – 11 October 1963 All-German Affairs |
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| Chancellor | Konrad Adenauer |
| Preceded by | Ernst Lemmer |
| Succeeded by | Erich Mende |
| Leader of the Christian Democratic Union | |
| In office 5 October 1971 – 12 June 1973 |
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| General Secretary | Kurt Biedenkopf |
| Preceded by | Kurt Georg Kiesinger |
| Succeeded by | Helmut Kohl |
| Leader of the CDU/CSU Group in the Bundestag | |
| In office 1 December 1964 – 9 May 1973 |
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| First Deputy | Franz Josef Strauß Richard Stücklen |
| Preceded by | Heinrich von Brentano |
| Succeeded by | Karl Carstens |
| Member of the Bundestag for North Rhine-Westphalia |
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| In office 4 November 1980 – 18 February 1987 |
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| Constituency | Party-list proportional representation |
| Member of the Bundestag for Paderborn – Wiedenbrück |
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| In office 15 October 1957 – 4 November 1980 |
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| Preceded by | Maria Niggemeyer |
| Succeeded by | Heinrich Pohlmeier |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Rainer Candidus Barzel
20 June 1924 Braunsberg, East Prussia, Germany (Weimar Republic) |
| Died | 26 August 2006 (aged 82) Munich, Bavaria, Germany |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Union |
| Spouses |
Kriemhild Kölner
(m. 1948; died 1980)Helga Henselder
(m. 1983; died 1995)Ute Cremer
(m. 1997) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Cologne |
Rainer Candidus Barzel (born June 20, 1924 – died August 26, 2006) was an important German politician. He was a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. Barzel served as the eighth President of the Bundestag (the German parliament) from 1983 to 1984.
He was a leader of his party's group in parliament. He also served as a federal minister. In 1969, his party went into opposition. After that, Barzel became the chairman of the CDU party. He tried to become the leader of Germany in 1972. He was the first person in West Germany to try to become chancellor this way. He lost by only two votes.
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Rainer Barzel's Political Journey
Rainer Barzel was born in Braunsberg, which was in East Prussia (now Poland). He became the Chairman of the CDU party from 1971 to 1973. In the 1972 federal elections, he ran to become Chancellor of Germany. However, he lost to Willy Brandt and his SPD party.
Key Roles in Government
Barzel held several important positions. From 1962 to 1963, he was the Minister of All-German Affairs under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. This role focused on relations between West and East Germany.
He also led the CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag from 1964 to 1973. Later, he was the Minister of Intra-German Relations again from 1982 to 1983. This was in Helmut Kohl's government. His final major role was President of the Bundestag from 1983 to 1984.
The 1972 Election and Ostpolitik
The 1972 election was very important for Germany. Many people saw it as a vote on Chancellor Brandt's "Ostpolitik" (Eastern Policy). This policy aimed to improve relations with East Germany and the Soviet Union. Rainer Barzel strongly disagreed with this policy.
On April 27, 1972, Barzel and his CDU/CSU party tried to remove Brandt from power. They used a special process called a "constructive vote of no confidence". If this vote had passed, Barzel would have become the new Chancellor. On paper, the CDU had enough support to win.
A Close Vote
The vote was very close. Many people thought Brandt would lose. Some German trade unions even went on strike because they expected him to be removed. But when the votes were counted, Brandt received 247 votes. He needed 249 votes to be removed. This meant he stayed in office, missing removal by just two votes.
Later, there were suspicions that some politicians might have been influenced by money from East Germany. However, it's not fully clear how much this affected the vote. The close result was a big surprise.
After this, Brandt's government realized it had lost its strong support in parliament. To allow new elections, they deliberately lost a vote of confidence. This allowed the President of Germany, Gustav Heinemann, to call early elections. Brandt and the SPD won these elections easily. The 1972 election had a very high turnout, with 91.1% of people voting.
Later Political Roles
Barzel's standing within his party was affected when questions arose about his earnings outside of parliament. On May 8, 1973, Barzel resigned from his leadership roles. He stepped down as CDU party chairman and as the leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. This happened because the parliamentary group refused to support a government bill. The bill was about both German states joining the United Nations. Barzel was the first CDU leader who resigned without ever becoming Chancellor.
In 1982, Barzel married political scientist Helga Henselder-Barzel.
Retirement and Legacy
Rainer Barzel left politics in 1984. He had faced questions about a financial investigation, but was later cleared of any wrongdoing two years later.
He passed away in Munich, Germany, on August 26, 2006, at the age of 82, after a long illness.
See also
In Spanish: Rainer Barzel para niños
