Full name:

Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer

Date and place of birth:

5 January 1876, Cologne, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire

Date and place of death:

19 April 1967 (aged 91), Rhöndorf, West Germany

Education:

• After the final school examination in 1894, Konrad Adenauer studied law and politics at the universities of Freiburg, Munich and Bonn.
• He was involved in several Roman Catholic student associations.
• He graduated in 1900 and spent four years working as a lawyer at the court in Cologne.

Career:

• Adenauer's marriage into an influential family led him to become active in politics.
• 1906: He joined the Centre Party as a devout Catholic.
• 1917: He became Mayor of Cologne, a role that involved managing major projects such as the construction of Germany's first ever highway between Cologne and Bonn.
• The late 1920s: The Nazi Party began a slander campaign against Adenauer. He was blamed for having anti-German sentiments, wasting public funds, and being sympathetic towards the Zionist movement. After he refused to decorate the city with swastikas for a visit by Hitler in 1933, he was dismissed from office, and his bank accounts were frozen.
• 1944: After being arrested on several occasions during the war, Adenauer was imprisoned in the notorious Gestapo prison in Brauweiler.
• After World War II, Adenauer was reappointed as Mayor of Cologne by the Americans but removed shortly afterwards by the British, when Cologne was transferred into the British zone of occupation.
• After being dismissed from his position, Adenauer focused on establishing a new political party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), with the goal of uniting Protestant and Catholic Germans in one party.
• 1949: Adenauer became the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).
• 1963: He resigned as Chancellor and remained the head of CDU until his retirement at 90 years old.

Contribution to Europe:

• Support for the European Coal and Steel Community
  • Although the Treaty of Paris establishing the European Coal and Steel Community was unpopular in Germany, where it was seen as a French attempt to control German industry, Adenauer prioritized European integration over these concerns and signed it on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany. He was a strong advocate for European unity, believing it was crucial for ensuring lasting peace and stability.
  • Adenauer also signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957, as a supporter of European solidarity. He is claimed to be one of the "Founding fathers of the European Union".
• Rebuilding West Germany: Adenauer played a crucial role in the country's recovery after World War II. During his tenure, West Germany became a stable democracy and regained some sovereignty by integrating with the emerging Euro-Atlantic community (NATO and the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation).
• Franco-German Reconciliation: Konrad Adenauer worked for the reconciliation of Germany with its former enemies, especially France. On January 22, 1963, the Élysée Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Friendship, formalized this reconciliation, putting an end to centuries of conflict between the two countries. This was seen as a significant step towards making European unity a reality.

Vision for Europe:

• Konrad Adenauer's experiences during World War II shaped him into a political realist, making him focus on promoting pan-European cooperation. He remains one of the most distinguished figures in European history. For him, European unity was not only about lasting peace but also a way of reintegrating post-Nazi Germany into the international community.

The foundation of Konrad Adenauer:

• Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Useful links:

• The official site of EU
• His life - PDF document
• Wikipedia
• The Élysée Treaty

Image References:

• Profile picture
• First image
• Second image
• Third image
• Fourth image