Memorial Page for Rainer Barzel (née Rainer Candidus Barzel)

Rainer Candidus Barzel (20 June 1924 in Braunsberg, East Prussia; died 26 August 2006 in Munich) was a German CDU politician, lawyer and author. He served for decades in the German Bundestag, led the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, was a federal minister, CDU federal chairman and, from 1983 to 1984, President of the Bundestag.

Background and profession

Barzel grew up in East Prussia and Berlin. After military service and captivity, he studied law and political science in Cologne. He received his doctorate in 1948. He then worked in the orbit of North Rhine-Westphalian state and federal politics, including for Karl Arnold. He joined the CDU in 1954 and entered the Bundestag for the first time in 1957.

CDU and German policy

In Konrad Adenauer's government, Barzel served from 1962 to 1963 as Federal Minister for All-German Affairs. He then became one of the central Union politicians in the Bundestag. From 1964 he led the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. During the Social Liberal coalition, he took a firm opposition line against Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik, in particular against the treaties with Moscow and Warsaw.

1972

On 27 April 1972, the CDU/CSU opposition brought a constructive vote of no confidence against Chancellor Willy Brandt. Barzel was designated as Brandt's successor, but received 247 votes and missed the absolute majority by two votes. Later findings about payments by the East German Ministry for State Security to individual members of parliament form part of the history of that vote.

Later offices

After the 1972 federal election, Barzel initially remained CDU chairman but gave up the party leadership in 1973. In 1982 he became Federal Minister for Inner-German Relations in Helmut Kohl's cabinet. On 29 March 1983, the Bundestag elected him President of Parliament. In 1984 he resigned from that office in connection with allegations from the Flick affair; in 1987 he left the Bundestag.

Author and later years

Barzel published political books and memoirs, including Ein gewagtes Leben. After leaving parliament, he remained present as a speaker and commentator on German unity, the CDU/CSU and parliamentary work. Rainer Barzel died on 26 August 2006 in Munich.