Ludwig Erhard
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- "Erhard" redirects here. For the saint of this name, see Saint Erhard. For the founder of est see Werner Erhard.
| Ludwig Erhard | |
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| In office 16 October 1963 – 1 December 1966 |
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| Preceded by | Konrad Adenauer |
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| Succeeded by | Kurt Georg Kiesinger |
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| In office 29 October 1957 – 15 October 1963 |
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| Chancellor | Konrad Adenauer |
| Preceded by | Franz Blücher |
| Succeeded by | Erich Mende |
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| Born | 4 February 1897 Fürth, Germany |
| Died | May 5, 1977 (aged 80) Bonn, West Germany |
| Political party | CDU |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Religion | Protestant |
Ludwig Erhard (February 4, 1897–May 5, 1977) was a German politician (CDU) and Chancellor of West Germany from 1963 until 1966. He is notable for his leading role in German postwar economic reform and economic recovery, particularly in his role as Minister of Economics under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer after 1949.
[edit] Life and work
Born in Fürth, Germany, from 1913 to 1916 Erhard was a commercial apprentice. After his apprenticeship he worked as retail salesman in his father's draper's shop.
He joined the German forces during World War I 1916 as an artilleryman, fought in Romania and was seriously injured near Ypres in 1918. Erhard could no longer work as a draper and began to study economics, first in Nuremberg, later in Frankfurt am Main. He received his Dr. oec. from Franz Oppenheimer in 1925.
During his time in Frankfurt he married Luise Schuster. After his graduation they moved to Fürth and he became executive in his parents' company in 1925. After three years he became assistant at the Institut für Wirtschaftsbeobachtung der deutschen Fertigware, a marketing research institute. Later, he became deputy director of the institute.
Due to his injuries, Erhard did not have to join the German military forces during World War II. Instead, he worked on concepts for a postwar peace; however, such studies were forbidden by the Nazis, who had declared Total war. As a result, Erhard lost his job in 1942 but continued to work on the subject privately. In 1944 he wrote War Finances and Debt Consolidation (orig: Kriegsfinanzierung und Schuldenkonsolidierung). In this study he assumed that Germany had already lost the war. He sent his thoughts to Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, a central figure in the German resistance against the Nazi government, who recommended Erhard to his comrades.
After the war Erhard became economic consultant for the American military administration of Bavaria who made him Minister of Economics in the Bavarian cabinet of Wilhelm Hoegner. After the American and British administration had created the Bizone, Erhard became chairman of the Sonderstelle Geld und Kredit in 1947, an expert commission preparing the currency reform.
In 1948 he was elected Director of Economics by the Bizonal Economic Council. On June 20, 1948, the Deutsche Mark was introduced. Erhard abolished the price-fixing and production controls that had been enacted by the military administration. This exceeded his authority, but he succeeded with this courageous step. Former U.S. Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank Alan Greenspan gives much credit to Erhard's contributions to freeing of product and financial markets in Europe in 1948. Greenspan states in The Age of Turbulence that Ernhard's economic policy contributions were far more valuable to postwar Western Europe recovery than the Marshall Plan.
In 1949 he stood for election in a constituency in Baden-Württemberg for the first West German parliament after the war and gained a direct mandate. Later in the year he joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). In September, Erhard was appointed Minister of Economics in the first cabinet of Konrad Adenauer. His party made his concept of social market economy part of the party platform.
After the resignation of Adenauer in 1963, Erhard was elected Chancellor with 279 against 180 votes on October 16. In 1965 he was re-elected.
On October 26, 1966, Minister Walter Scheel (FDP) resigned, protesting against the budget released the day before. The other ministers who were members of the FDP followed his example — the coalition was broken. On December 1, Erhard resigned. His successor was Kurt Georg Kiesinger (CDU), who led a grand coalition.
Erhard continued his political work by becoming a member of the West German parliament up to his death in Bonn on May 5, 1977. He is buried in Gmund, near the Tegernsee. The Ludwig Erhard-Berufsschule (professional college) in Paderborn and Münster are named in his honour.
[edit] Erhard's First Ministry (16 October 1963 - 26 October 1965)
- Ludwig Erhard (CDU) - Chancellor
- Erich Mende (FDP) - Vice Chancellor and Minister of All-German Affairs
- Gerhard Schröder (CDU) - Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Kai-Uwe von Hassel (CDU) - Minister of Defense
- Hermann Höcherl (CSU) - Minister of the Interior
- Rolf Dahlgrün (FDP) - Minister of Finance
- Ewald Bucher (FDP) - Minister of Justice
- Kurt Schmücker (CDU) - Minister of Economics
- Theodor Blank (CDU) - Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
- Werner Schwarz (CDU) - Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry
- Hans-Christoph Seebohm (CDU) - Minister of Transport
- Paul Lücke (CDU) - Minister of Construction
- Bruno Heck (CDU) - Minister of Family and Youth
- Elisabeth Schwarzhaupt (CDU) - Minister of Health
- Hans Lenz (FDP) - Minister of Scientific Research
- Walter Scheel (FDP) - Minister of Economic Cooperation
- Heinrich Krone (CDU) - Minister of Special Tasks
- Richard Stücklen (CSU) - Minister of Posts and Communications
- Ernst Lemmer (CDU) - Minister of Displaced Persons, Refugees, and War Victims
- Alois Niederalt (CSU) - Minister of Bundesrat and State Affairs
- Werner Dollinger (CSU) - Minister of Federal Treasure
Changes
- 16 June 1964 - Ludger Westrick (CDU) succeeds Krone as Minister of Special Tasks.
- 1 April 1965 - Karl Weber (CDU) succeeds Bucher as Minister of Justice.
[edit] Erhard's Second Ministry (26 October 1965 - 1 December 1966)
- Ludwig Erhard (CDU) - Chancellor
- Erich Mende (FDP) - Vice Chancellor and Minister of All-German Affairs
- Gerhard Schröder (CDU) - Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Kai-Uwe von Hassel (CDU) - Minister of Defense
- Paul Lücke (CDU) - Minister of the Interior
- Rolf Dahlgrün (FDP) - Minister of Finance
- Richard Jaeger (CSU) - Minister of Justice
- Kurt Schmücker (CDU) - Minister of Economics
- Hans Katzer (CDU) - Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
- Hermann Höcherl (CSU) - Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry
- Hans-Christoph Seebohm (CDU) - Minister of Transport
- Ewald Bucher (FDP) - Minister of Construction
- Bruno Heck (CDU) - Minister of Family and Youth
- Elisabeth Schwarzhaupt (CDU) - Minister of Health
- Gerhard Stoltenberg (CDU) - Minister of Scientific Research
- Walter Scheel (FDP) - Minister of Economic Cooperation
- Richard Stücklen (CSU) - Minister of Posts and Communications
- Johann Baptist Gradl (CDU) - Minister of Displaced Persons, Refugees, and War Victims
- Alois Niederalt (CSU) - Minister of Bundesrat and State Affairs
- Werner Dollinger (CSU) - Minister of Federal Treasure
Changes
- 28 October 1966 - Hans-Christoph Seebohm (CDU) succeeds Mende as Vice Chancellor, remaining also Minister of Transport. Rainer Barzel (CDU) succeeds Mende as Minister of All-German Affairs. The other FDP ministers, Dahlgrün and Scheel, also resign.
- 8 November 1966 - Kurt Schmücker succeeds Dahlgrün as Minister of Finance. Werner Dollinger (CSU) succeeds Scheel as Minister of Economic Cooperation, remaining also Minister of Federal Treasure.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Konrad Adenauer |
Chancellor of Germany 1963–1966 |
Succeeded by Kurt Georg Kiesinger |
| Preceded by Franz Blücher |
Vice Chancellor of Germany 1957–1963 |
Succeeded by Erich Mende |
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Erhard, Ludwig |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Chancellor of West Germany from 1963 until 1966 |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 4, 1897 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fürth, Germany |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 5, 1977, aged 80 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Bonn |
