Richard von Weizsäcker
Encyclopedia
Richard Karl Freiherr
von Weizsäcker (born 15 April 1920), known as Richard von Weizsäcker, is a German
politician (CDU
). He served as Governing Mayor
of West Berlin
from 1981 to 1984, and as President of the Federal Republic of Germany
from 1984 to 1994. During his period in office German unity was accomplished through the incorporation of the territory of the former German Democratic Republic into the Federal Republic of Germany, and he thus became the first president of the reunited Germany.
in Stuttgart
, the son of diplomat Ernst von Weizsäcker
and Marianne, née von Graevenitz, a member of the noted Weizsäcker family. Ernst von Weizsäcker was a career diplomat and a high-ranking official in the Foreign Ministry of Nazi Germany
. Richard von Weizsäcker had two brothers, the physicist and philosopher Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker
and Heinrich von Weizsäcker, who was killed in action
in World War II
in 1939. In 1967, his sister, Elisabeth married Dr. Konrad Raiser
, the former General Secretary of the World Council of Churches
(WCC). His grandfather Karl von Weizsäcker
was Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Württemberg
, and was ennobled in 1897 and raised to the hereditary title of Baron
(Freiherr) in 1916. Because his father was a career diplomat, he spent much of his childhood in Switzerland
and Scandinavia
. The family lived in Basel
1920-1924, in Copenhagen
1924-1926, in Oslo
1931-1933, and in Bern 1933-1936, where Richard von Weizsäcker attended the Swiss Gymnasium Kirchenfeld. The family relocated to Berlin
in 1936.
When he was 17 years old, he moved to Britain, where he studied philosophy and history at Balliol College, Oxford
. He subsequently also studied at the University of Grenoble
in France
. After the outbreak of World War II
, he served in the German Army
, ultimately as a Captain in the Reserves. He was wounded in East Prussia
in 1945 and transported home to Stuttgart. Then he continued his study of history in Göttingen and eventually studied law. In 1947, when Ernst von Weizsäcker was a defendant in the Ministries Trial
for his role in the deportation of Jews from occupied France, Richard von Weizsäcker served as his father's assistant defence counsel.
He took his first legal state exam in 1950, the second in 1953, and earned his doctorate (doctor juris) in 1955. In 1953 he married Marianne von Kretschmann; they have four children: Robert Klaus von Weizsäcker, a Professor of Economics at the University of Munich, Andreas von Weizsäcker, an art professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, Beatrice von Weizsäcker, a lawyer and journalist, and Fritz Eckart von Weizsäcker, a Professor of Medicine.
Richard von Weizsäcker worked for Mannesmann
1950-1958, as a scientific assistant until 1953, as a legal counsel from 1953 and as head of the department for economic policy from 1957. From 1958 to 1962, he was head of the Waldthausen Bank, a bank owned by relatives of his wife. From 1962 to 1966, he served on the board of directors of Boehringer Ingelheim, a pharmaceutical company.
in 1954, becoming a member of the Bundestag
(German Parliament) in 1969, serving until 1981. In 1981 he was elected vice president of the Bundestag (1979–1981) and then Governing Mayor (Regierender Bürgermeister) of West Berlin
(1981–1984). He was elected President of Germany by the Bundesversammlung
(Federal Convention) in 1984, succeeding Karl Carstens
.
Weizsäcker is known for his speeches. Because of the high esteem in which he is held by Germany's political establishment, Weizsäcker is so far the only candidate to have stood for elections for the office of President uncontested; he was elected in such a way to a second term of office on 23 May 1989. He took office for his second presidential term on 1 July 1989. His second term oversaw the end of the Cold War
and Reunification of Germany
. Upon reunification, Weizsäcker became the first all-German Head of State since the end of World War II.
Weizsäcker stretched the traditionally ceremonial position of Germany’s president to reach across political, national, and generational boundaries to address a wide range of controversial issues.
In his public addresses and writings, Weizsäcker has been a strong and articulate advocate of democratic principles, tolerance, and social responsibility. He has been actively involved in food aid activities targeted at relieving global hunger problems.
He was a member of the Synod and the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany
from 1967-1984.
Although now an elder statesman, Weizsäcker is still involved in politics and charitable affairs. He was the chair of a commission installed by the then Social Democratic-Green government for reforming the Bundeswehr
.
Weizsäcker has served on many international commissions. He was chairman of the Independent Working Group on the future of the United Nations
and was one of three "Wise Men" appointed by European Commission
President Romano Prodi
to consider the future of the European Union
.
Weizsäcker's publications include Von Deutschland aus; Die deutsche Geschichte geht weiter; Von Deutschland nach Europa; and Vier Zeiten. His memoirs have been published as From Weimar to the Wall: My Life in German Politics (1999). He has received many honors in his career, including an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins University
in 1993 and the creation of the Richard von Weizsäcker Professorship at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
(SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University
and the Robert Bosch
Foundation of Stuttgart in 2003, and more than 11 other honorary doctorates, ranging from the Weizmann Institute in Israel to Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard
universities, the Charles University in Prague
and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, the Leo Baeck Prize from the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and the Buber
-Rosenzweig
Medallion from the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation.
Freiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
von Weizsäcker (born 15 April 1920), known as Richard von Weizsäcker, is a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
politician (CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
). He served as Governing Mayor
Governing Mayor of Berlin
The Governing Mayor of Berlin is the head of government in the city-state of Berlin, one of the States of Germany. It is the equivalent of the Ministers-President of the other German states except the two other city-states of Hamburg and Bremen, where the heads of government are called "First...
of West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
from 1981 to 1984, and as President of the Federal Republic of Germany
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
from 1984 to 1994. During his period in office German unity was accomplished through the incorporation of the territory of the former German Democratic Republic into the Federal Republic of Germany, and he thus became the first president of the reunited Germany.
Early life
Weizsäcker was born in the New CastleNew Castle (Stuttgart)
The New Palace is a building which stands on the south edge of Schlossplatz, the central square in Stuttgart, Germany. The castle is built in late Baroque style....
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, the son of diplomat Ernst von Weizsäcker
Ernst von Weizsäcker
Ernst Freiherr von Weizsäcker was a German diplomat and politician. He served as State Secretary at the Foreign Office from 1938 to 1943, and as German Ambassador to the Holy See from 1943 to 1945...
and Marianne, née von Graevenitz, a member of the noted Weizsäcker family. Ernst von Weizsäcker was a career diplomat and a high-ranking official in the Foreign Ministry of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Richard von Weizsäcker had two brothers, the physicist and philosopher Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker
Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker
Carl Friedrich Freiherr von Weizsäcker was a German physicist and philosopher. He was the longest-living member of the research team which performed nuclear research in Germany during the Second World War, under Werner Heisenberg's leadership...
and Heinrich von Weizsäcker, who was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939. In 1967, his sister, Elisabeth married Dr. Konrad Raiser
Konrad Raiser
Konrad Raiser is a former General Secretary of the World Council of Churches .Born in Magdeburg, Germany on 25 January 1938, Konrad Raiser studied spent his childhood in Schwerin, Göttingen and Bad Godesberg...
, the former General Secretary of the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
(WCC). His grandfather Karl von Weizsäcker
Karl von Weizsäcker
Karl Hugo Freiherr von Weizsäcker was a German politician who served as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Württemberg, and a member of the prominent Weizsäcker family....
was Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
, and was ennobled in 1897 and raised to the hereditary title of Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
(Freiherr) in 1916. Because his father was a career diplomat, he spent much of his childhood in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. The family lived in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
1920-1924, in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
1924-1926, in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
1931-1933, and in Bern 1933-1936, where Richard von Weizsäcker attended the Swiss Gymnasium Kirchenfeld. The family relocated to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1936.
When he was 17 years old, he moved to Britain, where he studied philosophy and history at Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. He subsequently also studied at the University of Grenoble
University of Grenoble
University of Grenoble or Grenoble University was a university in Grenoble, France until 1970, when it was split into several different institutions:...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. After the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he served in the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
, ultimately as a Captain in the Reserves. He was wounded in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
in 1945 and transported home to Stuttgart. Then he continued his study of history in Göttingen and eventually studied law. In 1947, when Ernst von Weizsäcker was a defendant in the Ministries Trial
Ministries Trial
The Ministries Trial was the eleventh of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone in Germany in Nuremberg after the end of World War II. These twelve trials were all held before U.S...
for his role in the deportation of Jews from occupied France, Richard von Weizsäcker served as his father's assistant defence counsel.
He took his first legal state exam in 1950, the second in 1953, and earned his doctorate (doctor juris) in 1955. In 1953 he married Marianne von Kretschmann; they have four children: Robert Klaus von Weizsäcker, a Professor of Economics at the University of Munich, Andreas von Weizsäcker, an art professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, Beatrice von Weizsäcker, a lawyer and journalist, and Fritz Eckart von Weizsäcker, a Professor of Medicine.
Richard von Weizsäcker worked for Mannesmann
Mannesmann
Mannesmann AG was a German corporation with headquarters in Düsseldorf. The company was founded in 1890 originally to produce seamless steel tubes. It was traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company had 130,860 employees worldwide and revenues of €23.27 billion.Over time, Mannesmann...
1950-1958, as a scientific assistant until 1953, as a legal counsel from 1953 and as head of the department for economic policy from 1957. From 1958 to 1962, he was head of the Waldthausen Bank, a bank owned by relatives of his wife. From 1962 to 1966, he served on the board of directors of Boehringer Ingelheim, a pharmaceutical company.
Political career
Weizsäcker joined the CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
in 1954, becoming a member of the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
(German Parliament) in 1969, serving until 1981. In 1981 he was elected vice president of the Bundestag (1979–1981) and then Governing Mayor (Regierender Bürgermeister) of West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
(1981–1984). He was elected President of Germany by the Bundesversammlung
Bundesversammlung (Germany)
The Federal Convention is a special body in the institutional system of Germany, convened solely for the purpose of electing the German Federal President , either every five years or within 30 days of a president's resignation, death or removal from office.The Bundesversammlung includes the entire...
(Federal Convention) in 1984, succeeding Karl Carstens
Karl Carstens
Karl Carstens was a German politician. He served as President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1979 to 1984.-Biography:...
.
Weizsäcker is known for his speeches. Because of the high esteem in which he is held by Germany's political establishment, Weizsäcker is so far the only candidate to have stood for elections for the office of President uncontested; he was elected in such a way to a second term of office on 23 May 1989. He took office for his second presidential term on 1 July 1989. His second term oversaw the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and Reunification of Germany
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
. Upon reunification, Weizsäcker became the first all-German Head of State since the end of World War II.
Weizsäcker stretched the traditionally ceremonial position of Germany’s president to reach across political, national, and generational boundaries to address a wide range of controversial issues.
In his public addresses and writings, Weizsäcker has been a strong and articulate advocate of democratic principles, tolerance, and social responsibility. He has been actively involved in food aid activities targeted at relieving global hunger problems.
He was a member of the Synod and the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
from 1967-1984.
Although now an elder statesman, Weizsäcker is still involved in politics and charitable affairs. He was the chair of a commission installed by the then Social Democratic-Green government for reforming the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
.
Weizsäcker has served on many international commissions. He was chairman of the Independent Working Group on the future of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and was one of three "Wise Men" appointed by European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
President Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...
to consider the future of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Weizsäcker's publications include Von Deutschland aus; Die deutsche Geschichte geht weiter; Von Deutschland nach Europa; and Vier Zeiten. His memoirs have been published as From Weimar to the Wall: My Life in German Politics (1999). He has received many honors in his career, including an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in 1993 and the creation of the Richard von Weizsäcker Professorship at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies , a division of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's leading and most prestigious graduate schools devoted to the study of international affairs, economics, diplomacy, and policy research and...
(SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
and the Robert Bosch
Robert Bosch
Robert Bosch was a German industrialist, engineer and inventor, founder of Robert Bosch GmbH.-Biography:...
Foundation of Stuttgart in 2003, and more than 11 other honorary doctorates, ranging from the Weizmann Institute in Israel to Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
universities, the Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, the Leo Baeck Prize from the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and the Buber
Martin Buber
Martin Buber was an Austrian-born Jewish philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of religious existentialism centered on the distinction between the I-Thou relationship and the I-It relationship....
-Rosenzweig
Franz Rosenzweig
Franz Rosenzweig was an influential Jewish theologian and philosopher.-Early life:Franz Rosenzweig was born in Kassel, Germany to a middle-class, minimally observant Jewish family...
Medallion from the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation.