Erich Ollenhauer
| Erich Ollenhauer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany | |
|
In office 1952–1963 | |
| Preceded by | Kurt Schumacher |
| Succeeded by | Willy Brandt |
| President of the Socialist International | |
|
In office 1963–1963 | |
| Preceded by | Alsing Andersen |
| Succeeded by | Bruno Pittermann |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
27 March 1901 Magdeburg |
| Died |
14 December 1963 (aged 62) Bonn |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party of Germany |
Erich Ollenhauer (27 March 1901 – 14 December 1963) was the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) 1952–1963.
Early political career and exile
Ollenhauer was born in Magdeburg and joined the SPD in 1920. When the Nazis took power in 1933 he fled Germany for Prague. After the outbreak of WW2 Ollenhauer travelled across Europe in order to avoid Nazi persecution, first going to Denmark, then France, Spain, Portugal, and eventually London, where he remained until the end of the war. In London, he kept close ties to the Labour Party, which financially supported the expatriate SPD (called SoPaDe), of which Ollenhauer was a member. He also worked with the Union of German Socialist Organisations in Great Britain.[1]
In February 1946, Ollenhauer returned to Germany. In May the same year, he was voted deputy leader of the SPD, behind Kurt Schumacher. Ollenhauer entered the Bundestag after the 1949 German federal elections.
Leadership of the SPD
After Schumacher's unexpected death in 1952, the SPD elected Ollenhauer as its leader. He ran as the SPD's candidate for Chancellor of Germany in the 1953 and 1957 German elections, both of which were lost to Konrad Adenauer's CDU.
In 1957, Ollenhauer called for a trans-European security alliance (in place of NATO and the Warsaw Pact), in which a reunified Germany would serve as an equal partner. While the plan was denounced as radical at the time, it helped pave the way for Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik, as well as indirectly influencing some developments within the European Union, such as a European common security policy) and the eventual reunification of Germany. Ollenhauer's proposal is also known as the Ollenhauer Plan.
In 1961, Ollenhauer declined to run for Chancellor a third time, instead supporting the candidacy of Berlin mayor Willy Brandt.
Ollenhauer died in Bonn on 14 December 1963 from pulmonary embolism.
References
- ↑ Erich Ollenhauer, "Möglichkeiten und Aufgaben" Friedrich Ebert Foundation, official website. Presentation at the Union membership meeting, London. (December 6, 1942) Retrieved July 20, 2010 (German)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Erich Ollenhauer. |
- Biography of Erich Ollenhauer (German)
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kurt Schumacher |
Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1952–1963 |
Succeeded by Willy Brandt |
| Preceded by Alsing Andersen |
President of the Socialist International 1963 |
Succeeded by Bruno Pittermann |
Chairmen of the Social Democratic Party of Germany | ||
|---|---|---|
| SPD (1890–1933) |
|  |
| SPD-in-exile (1933–1945) | ||
| SPD (since 1946) | ||