Helmut Schmidt: Perspectives On Politics

Helmut Schmidt: Perspectives On Politics

Author: Wolfram F. Hanrieder

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-02-26

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 0429724535

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Helmut Schmidt, chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is one of the most remarkable and prominent political figures on the contemporary-world stage. His many years of public service in a wide range of government and party positions have coincided with the growth of the Federal Republic; one might say that he and West Germany have grown to maturity together. The various responsibilities that he has undertaken—as a member of the Bundestag, as senator of the city-state of Hamburg, as floor leader of his party in the Bundestag, as minister of defense, as minister of economics and finance, and as chancellor—have kept Schmidt in close contact with the major concerns of the Federal Republic. There is hardly an important issue in West German foreign or domestic policy in which Helmut Schmidt has not participated. Chancellor Schmidt's masterful use of language, developed in the critical forum of parliamentary debate and sharpened over the decades as an instrument of explanation and persuasion, has made his public voice one of the most articulate of our time. The speeches, interviews, and essays collected in this book—the first such collection presented to an English-speaking readership— reflect the broad spectrum of Chancellor Schmidt's experience as well as his political temperament. Many of the chapters focus on practical matters of public policy, but in the more philosophical essays, the reader will find Helmut Schmidt speaking in a reflective, contemplative voice, providing insight into the underlying moral sensibility and personal view of public life that tie his world of thought to his world of action.


The Global Chancellor

The Global Chancellor

Author: Kristina Spohr

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 0198747799

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Helmut Schmidt is the neglected chancellor of modern German history, overshadowed by 'the greats' - Bismarck, Adenauer, Brandt and Kohl. This volume retrieves Schmidt's true significance as a pivotal figure who helped reshape the global order during the crisis-ridden 1970s. This major reinterpretation, based on detailed research in Schmidt's private papers and numerous archives in Europe and America, reveals him as a leader equally skilled in economics and security, and adept at personal diplomacy, who dared to act as a 'double interpreter' between the superpowers during the nadir of the Cold War. Schmidt was no mere 'crisis-manager': in fact he brought to the chancellorship a depth of reflection, evident in two decades of writings and speeches that justifies considering him an intellectual statesman on a par with Henry Kissinger. His achievements were prodigious. Hailed as the 'world economist', Schmidt helped create the G7 forum for global economic governance and the European Monetary System at a time when capitalism seemed on the rocks. And as the 'strategist of balance', he designed NATO's 'dual-track' response to the crisis caused by the massive Soviet arms buildup of Euro-missiles. This decision, Kristina Spohr argues, played a crucial part in holding together the Western alliance and paved the way to defusing the Cold War in Europe. Schmidt brought his country to the top table of world politics - what he unashamedly called Weltpolitik - as an equal of the wartime victor powers. It was through his Chancellorship that West Germany came of age on the global stage.


Men and Powers

Men and Powers

Author: Helmut Schmidt

Publisher: Random House (NY)

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 458

ISBN-13:

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Former chancellor of West Germany Helmut Schmidt writes a candid account of his encounters and confrontations with key leaders of the United States, the Soviet Union and China. 32 pages of halftones and 5 maps.


Helmut Schmidt and British-German Relations

Helmut Schmidt and British-German Relations

Author: Mathias Haeussler

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-06-11

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 9781108710800

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The former West German chancellor Helmut Schmidt grew up as a devout Anglophile, yet he clashed heavily and repeatedly with his British counterparts Wilson, Callaghan, and Thatcher during his time in office. Helmut Schmidt and British-German Relations looks at Schmidt's personal experience to explore how and why Britain and Germany rarely saw eye to eye over European integration, uncovering the two countries' deeply competing visions and incompatible strategies for post-war Europe. But it also zooms out to reveal the remarkable extent of simultaneous British-German cooperation in fostering joint European interests on the wider international stage, not least within the transatlantic alliance against the background of a worsening superpower relationship. By connecting these two key areas of bilateral cooperation, Mathias Haeussler offers a major reinterpretation of the bilateral relationship under Schmidt, relevant to anybody interested in British-German relations, European integration, and the Cold War.


The Diplomacy of Détente

The Diplomacy of Détente

Author: Stephan Kieninger

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-05-20

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 1351013297

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This book investigates the underlying reasons for the longevity of détente and its impact on East–West relations. The volume examines the relevance of trade across the Iron Curtain as a means to facilitate mutual trust, as well as the emergence of new habits of transparency regardless of recurring military crises. A major theme of the book concerns Helmut Schmidt’s foreign policy and his contribution to the resilience of cooperative security policies in East–West relations. It examines Schmidt’s crucial role in the Euromissile crisis, his Ostpolitik diplomacy and his pan-European trade initiatives to engage the Soviet Union in a joint perspective of trade, industry and technology. Another key theme concerns the crisis in US–Soviet relations and the challenges of meaningful leadership communication between Washington and Moscow in the absence of backchannel diplomacy during the Carter years. The book depicts the freeze in US–Soviet relations after the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan, the declaration of martial law in Poland, and Helmut Schmidt’s efforts to serve as a mediator and interpreter working for a relaunch of US–Soviet dialogue. Eventually, the book highlights George Shultz’s pivotal role in the Reagan Administration’s efforts to improve US-Soviet relations, well before Mikhail Gorbachev’s arrival. This book will be of interest to students of Cold War studies, diplomatic history, foreign policy and international relations.


Imperialism

Imperialism

Author: Richard Koebner

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1964-01-03

Total Pages: 462

ISBN-13: 0521054915

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This is a comprehensive study examining the changing concepts of Empire and Imperialism from the nineteenth century to the beginning of the 1960s. This study is not simply the biography of a word, but a history of political consciousness, important to historians and political scientists alike.


Zhu Rongji on the Record

Zhu Rongji on the Record

Author: Rongji Zhu

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Published: 2013-08-26

Total Pages: 488

ISBN-13: 081572537X

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China's explosive transformation from a planned economy to a more market-oriented one over the past three decades owes much to the charismatic reformer Zhu Rongji. His pragmatism and strong work ethic have been key forces in China's drive to greater modernization and global stature. He served as the mayor and party chief in Shanghai from 1987 to 1991, as vice premier of China from 1991 to 1998, and then as premier until 2003. This monumental collection brings together, for the first time in English, over one hundred important speeches, articles, letters, and instructions written during his term as vice premier, when he had major responsibility for fulfilling Deng Xiaoping's vision and setting China on a new and fruitful course. During this time, Zhu embarked on a plan to reduce the size of government and reform the heavily indebted banking system and state-owned enterprises as well as the housing and health care systems. His sweeping efforts ranged from lobbying for the establishment of stock exchanges to revitalizing agriculture through the introduction of a modern grain market. The ramifications of these reforms are still being felt throughout China and the globe, and Zhu Rongji on the Record provides a real-time look at these plans as they were being formulated during the 1990s. These pages also reflect the forthright personality that gained great popularity with the Chinese public. Zhu vows to speak the truth and avoid "empty talk," as he tells his compatriots. "We must tackle [reform] with both hands, and both hands must be strong." To this end, he provides lists of "musts" and "mustn'ts" that will ensure a "soft landing" during China's transition and calls for swift and resolute action, both in reform and in fighting corruption. In addition to revealing the evolution of Zhu's thinking and demonstrating how he helped transform the world's most populous nation, this book provides insight into the course of China's economic refor


Helmut Schmidt

Helmut Schmidt

Author: Hartmut Soell

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-12-13

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 3319038680

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On the occasion of the 95th birthday of Helmut Schmidt, West German Chancellor 1974–1982, his biographer Hartmut Soell, Professor of History at Heidelberg University and former member of the German Parliament (1980–1994), presents H. Schmidt as a Pioneer of International Economic and Financial Cooperation. Influenced by the catastrophes of the early 20th century (global economic crisis, dictatorship and war), Schmidt entered politics as a trained economist and was one of the most innovative policymakers from the 1960s to the 1980s. As minister of defense, economy and finance and as Chancellor he was able to implement many of his ideas for closer cooperation between Western industrial states on currency issues and energy policy during the 1970s. Together with French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing he launched the G7 summits in 1975 and his proposals for a European currency system (1978–79) paved the way for the European economic and currency union. As editor of Die Zeit, he would later become an influential commentator.


NATO 2030

NATO 2030

Author: Jason Blessing

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Published: 2021-11-30

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1947661116

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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the world’s largest, most powerful military alliance. The Alliance has navigated and survived the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the post-9/11 era. Since the release of the 2010 Strategic Concept, NATO’s strategic environment has again undergone significant change. The need to adapt is clear. An opportunity to assess the Alliance’s achievements and future goals has now emerged with the Secretary General’s drive to create a new Strategic Concept for the next decade—an initiative dubbed NATO 2030. A necessary step for formulating a new strategic outlook will thus be understanding the future that faces NATO. To remain relevant and adjust to new circumstances, the Alliance must identify its main challenges and opportunities in the next ten years and beyond. This book contributes to critical conversations on NATO’s future vitality by examining the Alliance’s most salient issues and by offering recommendations to ensure its effectiveness moving forward. Written by a diverse, multigenerational group of policymakers and academics from across Europe and the United States, this book provides new insights about NATO’s changing threat landscape, its shifting internal dynamics, and the evolution of warfare. The volume’s authors tackle a wide range of issues, including the challenges of Russia and China, democratic backsliding, burden sharing, the extension of warfare to space and cyberspace, partnerships, and public opinion. With rigorous assessments of NATO’s challenges and opportunities, each chapter provides concrete recommendations for the Alliance to chart a path for the future. As such, this book is an indispensable resource for NATO’s strategic planners and security and defense experts more broadly.


The Architects of International Relations

The Architects of International Relations

Author: Jan Stöckmann

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2022-03-03

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 1009062387

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Based on extensive archival research, this book provides a new and stimulating history of International Relations (IR) as an academic discipline. Contrary to traditional accounts, it argues that IR was not invented by Anglo-American men after the First World War. Nor was it divided into neat theoretical camps. To appreciate the twists and turns of early IR scholarship, the book follows a diverse group of men and women from across Europe and beyond who pioneered the field since 1914. Like architects, they built a set of institutions (university departments, journals, libraries, etc.) but they also designed plans for a new world order (draft treaties, petitions, political commentary, etc.). To achieve these goals, they interacted closely with the League of Nations and its bodies for intellectual cooperation, until the Second World War put an end to their endeavour. Their story raises broader questions about the status of IR well beyond the inter-war period.