“Poles can be proud of Pope John Paul II. At the last papal election, we said We are the pope! But please—not like this.”
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Hans-Dietrich Genscher
Hans-Dietrich Genscher was a German statesman and a member of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), who served as Federal Minister of the Interior from 1969 to 1974, and as Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs and Vice Chancellor of Germany from 1974 to 1992, making him the longest-serving occupant of either post and the only person to have held one of these positions under two different Chance…
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politics · German politician (1927–2016) · politician · lawyer · assessor · university teacher · non-fiction writer · military personnel · foreign minister · also Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Hans Dietrich Genscher, Genscher
Born 21 March 1927 · Died 31 March 2016 · Q106235
78 published statements · 0 followers
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2026· 2 entries
auswaertiges-amt.de: Grußwort von Staatsminister Michael Georg Link zur Verleihung des Weißen Doppelkreuzes an Hans-Dietrich Genscher in der slowakischen Botschaft in Berlin
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2025· 1 entry
EUobserver: Hans-Dietrich Genscher — The overlooked German guru behind the single currency
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2021· 1 entry
welt.de: Feier: "Hans-Dietrich Genscher ist gelebte Geschichte"
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2020· 1 entry
JSTOR Daily: Hans-Dietrich Genscher, das Auswärtige Amt und die deutsche Vereinigung
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2019· 1 entry
Fr: Hans-Dietrich Genscher ist tot
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2016· 7 entries
The Nation: Remembering Hans-Dietrich Genscher
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World Socialist Web Site: Hans-Dietrich Genscher: Trailblazer for German great power politics
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Los Angeles Times: Hans-Dietrich Genscher, architect of German reunification, dies at 89
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The Washington Post: Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German foreign minister during reunification, dies at 89
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CNN: Ex-German Foreign Minister Genscher, architect of reunification, dies at 89
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Bloomberg L.P.: Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German Unity Architect, Dies at 89
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Died 2016-03-31.
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2014· 2 entries
Awarded Leipzig International Mendelssohn Prize (2014).
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To be a member of the Southern Corridor Advisory Panel, a BP-led consortium which includes former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Peter Sutherland, chairman of Goldman Sachs International
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2013· 2 entries
Awarded Grand Officer of the Order of the White Double Cross presented by Ivan Gašparovič (2013).
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“This is a deep moral and political question. It is about respect for the victims of crimes against humanity”
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2012· 1 entry
German Chancellor Angela Merkel instructed her officials to lobby for the president to meet Genscher
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2009· 2 entries
Won Urania Medal (2009).
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Genscher expressed public concern at Pope Benedict XVI's lifting of excommunication of the bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X
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2008· 1 entry
Genscher joined former Czech President Václav Havel, former United States Ambassador to Germany John Kornblum and several other well-known political figures in calling for a Cold War museum to be built at Checkpoint Char
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2007· 1 entry
Awarded Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia (2007).
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2006· 1 entry
Awarded Freedom Prize presented by Friedrich Naumann Foundation (2006).
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2004· 1 entry
Awarded Erich-Kästner award (2004).
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2002· 2 entries
Awarded Honorary doctor of the University of Szczecin (2002).
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And had chaired a conference at which Khodorkovsky blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin's pursuit of his oil company
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2001· 1 entry
Genscher headed an arbitration that ended a monthlong battle between German airline Lufthansa and its pilots' union and resulted in an agreement on increasing wages by more than 15 percent by the end of the following yea
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2000· 1 entry
Awarded Courage Award (2000).
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1998· 1 entry
Awarded Ring of Honour of the city Wuppertal (1998).
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1995· 1 entry
ISBN 978-3-88680-453-5; Goldmann, München 1997, ISBN 978-3-442-12759-7
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1994· 2 entries
Career landmark: member of the German Bundestag (1994–1998).
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Genscher proclaimed his lack of interest in the position, but was nonetheless widely considered a leading contender
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1993· 3 entries
Awarded honorary doctor of the Leipzig University (1993).
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Won Reinhold Maier Medal (1993).
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That he would "in no case" accept the presidency
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1992· 2 entries
Won Golden Schlitzohr (1992).
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Genscher, together with his Danish colleague Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, took the initiative to create the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and the EuroFaculty
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1991· 4 entries
Was chairman of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
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Genscher successfully pushed for Germany's recognition of the Republic of Croatia in the Croatian War of Independence shortly after JNA entered Vukovar
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Genscher proposed to press for a war crimes trial for President Saddam Hussein of Iraq, accusing him of aggression against Kuwait, using chemical weapons against civilians and condoning genocide against the Kurds
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Played a pivotal role in international diplomacy surrounding the breakup of Yugoslavia by successfully pushing for international recognition of Croatia, Slovenia and other republics declaring independence, in an effor
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1990· 4 entries
Awarded Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation (1990).
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Awarded Theodor Heuss Award (1990).
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With his counterpart from the GDR, Markus Meckel
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Career landmark: member of the German Bundestag (1990–1994).
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1988· 1 entry
Appointed Jürgen Hellner as West Germany's new ambassador to Libya, a post that had been vacant since the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing, a tragedy which U
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1987· 1 entry
Career landmark: member of the German Bundestag (1987–1990).
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1985· 2 entries
Awarded honorary doctorate of the University of Salamanca (1985).
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Gave up the post of national chairman
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1984· 1 entry
Genscher became the first Western foreign minister to visit Tehran since the Iranian Revolution of 1979
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1983· 1 entry
Career landmark: member of the German Bundestag (1983–1987).
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1982· 5 entries
Awarded Order of Karl Valentin (1982).
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The party switched sides from its coalition with the SPD to support the CDU/CSU in their Constructive vote of no confidence to have incumbent Helmut Schmidt replaced with opposition leader Helmut Kohl as Chancellor
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Career landmark: Vice-Chancellor of Germany (1982–1992).
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After the FDP had left the Third Schmidt cabinet), making him the longest-serving occupant of either post and the only person to have held one of these positions under two different Chancellors of the Federal Republic of
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Career landmark: Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs (1982–1992).
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1980· 1 entry
Career landmark: member of the German Bundestag (1980–1983).
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1979· 2 entries
Awarded Grand Cross 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1979).
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Awarded Orden wider den tierischen Ernst (1979).
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1977· 1 entry
Awarded Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (1977).
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1976· 1 entry
Career landmark: member of the German Bundestag (1976–1980).
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1975· 1 entry
Awarded Great Cross with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1975).
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1974· 3 entries
Became foreign minister and vice chancellor, both posts he would hold for 18 years
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Career landmark: Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs (1974–1982).
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Career landmark: Vice-Chancellor of Germany (1974–1982).
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1973· 1 entry
Awarded Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1973).
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1972· 2 entries
Career landmark: member of the German Bundestag (1972–1976).
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While minister for the interior, Genscher rejected Israel's offer to send an Israeli special forces unit to Germany to deal with the Munich Olympics hostage crisis
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1969· 2 entries
Career landmark: member of the German Bundestag (1969–1972).
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Career landmark: Federal Minister of the Interior (1969–1974).
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1965· 3 entries
Career landmark: Chief Whip (1965–1969).
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Genscher was elected on the North Rhine-Westphalian FDP list to the West German parliament and remained a member of parliament until his retirement in 1998
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Career landmark: member of the German Bundestag (1965–1969).
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1952· 1 entry
Genscher fled to West Germany, where he joined the Free Democratic Party (FDP)
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1949· 1 entry
Studied at Leipzig University (1949).
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1946· 1 entry
Studied at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (1946).
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1943· 1 entry
Was drafted to serve as a member of the Air Force Support Personnel (Luftwaffenhelfer) at the age of 16
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1927· 1 entry
Born 1927-03-21.
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