Helmut Schmidt

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.