Egon Karl-Heinz Bahr (; 18 March 1922 – 19 August 2015) was a German
SPD politician.
The former journalist was the creator of the ''
Ostpolitik
''Neue Ostpolitik'' (German for "new eastern policy"), or ''Ostpolitik'' for short, was the normalization of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, or West Germany) and
Eastern Europe, particularly the German Democratic Republ ...
'' promoted by
West German Chancellor
Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and served as the chancellor of West Ger ...
, for whom he served as Secretary of State in the
German Chancellery
The German Chancellery (german: Bundeskanzleramt, , more faithfully translated as ''Federal Chancellery'' or ''Office of the Federal Chancellor'') is an agency serving the executive office of the chancellor of Germany, the head of the federal go ...
from 1969 until 1972. Between 1972 and 1990 he was an MP in the
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Comm ...
of the
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
and from 1972 until 1976 was also a Minister of the Federal Government.
Bahr was a key figure in multiple negotiation sessions between not only
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
and West Germany, but also West Germany and the Soviet Union. In addition to his instrumental role in ''
Ostpolitik
''Neue Ostpolitik'' (German for "new eastern policy"), or ''Ostpolitik'' for short, was the normalization of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, or West Germany) and
Eastern Europe, particularly the German Democratic Republ ...
'', Bahr was also an influential voice in negotiating the
Treaty of Moscow, the
Treaty of Warsaw, the
Transit Treaty of 1971, and the
Basic Treaty of 1972.
Life and career
Bahr was born in
Treffurt
Treffurt () is a small town in the western region of the Wartburgkreis district which belongs to the federal state of Thuringia. The former municipality Ifta was merged into Treffurt in January 2019. The town lies near the Werra and is surrounded ...
, in the
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
n
Province of Saxony
The Province of Saxony (german: link=no, Provinz Sachsen), also known as Prussian Saxony () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg.
It was formed by the merg ...
, the son of Hedwig and Karl Bahr, a high school teacher.
After completing his secondary education in 1940, Bahr continued his education as an industrial specialist at the
Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in ...
-Borsig armament corporation in Berlin. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Bahr served as a soldier in the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
from 1942 until 1944, ultimately in the capacity of “
Fahnenjunker
''Fahnenjunker'' (short Fhj or FJ, en, officer cadet; ) is a military rank of the Bundeswehr and of some former German armed forces. In earlier German armed forces it was also the collective name for many officer aspirant ranks. It was establi ...
” (
cadet
A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
) in the Luftkriegsschule VI in
Kitzingen
Kitzingen () is a town in the German state of Bavaria, capital of the district Kitzingen. It is part of the Franconia geographical region and has around 21,000 inhabitants. Surrounded by vineyards, Kitzingen County is the largest wine producer ...
. He was, however, demoted after being accused of being non-
Aryan
Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ...
(on account of his Jewish grandmother) and, thus, having “sneaked into the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
”.
Thereafter, he received a posting as an armaments worker at Rheinmetall-Borsig.
After the war, Bahr worked as a
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
at the ''
Berliner Zeitung
The ''Berliner Zeitung'' (, ''Berlin Newspaper'') is a daily newspaper based in Berlin, Germany. Founded in East Germany in 1945, it is the only East German paper to achieve national prominence since reunification. It is published by Berliner ...
'', one of
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
’s prominent daily newspapers. He later worked at two other West Berliner periodicals, the ''Allgemeine Zeitung'' (West Berlin) and ''
Der Tagesspiegel
''Der Tagesspiegel'' (meaning ''The Daily Mirror'') is a German daily newspaper. It has regional correspondent offices in Washington D.C. and Potsdam. It is the only major newspaper in the capital to have increased its circulation, now 148,000, ...
'' (West Berlin).
From 1950 to 1960, he served as chief commentator of the
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
bureau of
RIAS, (“'' Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor''”, or “Broadcasting in the American Sector”). In 1959, he received his posting as press attaché to the West German Embassy in
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...
. From 1984 to 1994, Bahr served as the Director of the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vo ...
, from which he received an honorary professorship in 1984. Bahr was married and had three children. On August 19, 2015 Bahr died at the age of 93.
Political activity
Bahr was a member of the
SPD from 1956 until his death in 2015. From 1960 to 1966 Bahr was the head of the Press and Information Office for the
Land
Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...
of
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
(at that time,
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
). In that capacity, Bahr served as the spokesman for the
Senate of Berlin
The Senate of Berlin (german: Berliner Senat) is the executive body governing the city of Berlin, which at the same time is a state of Germany. According to the the Senate consists of the Governing Mayor of Berlin and up to ten senators appoint ...
, which was led at the time by
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and served as the chancellor of West Ger ...
. From 1966 to 1969 Bahr served as an ambassador and as Ministerial Director of the Planning Staff of the
German Foreign Office
, logo = DEgov-AA-Logo en.svg
, logo_width = 260 px
, image = Auswaertiges Amt Berlin Eingang.jpg
, picture_width = 300px
, image_caption = Entrance to the Foreign Office building
, headquarters = Werderscher Mark ...
(''Auswärtiges Amt''). Bahr is considered to have been one of the most important and most influential advisors to Willy Brandt, especially with respect to the latter's policy of ''
Ostpolitik
''Neue Ostpolitik'' (German for "new eastern policy"), or ''Ostpolitik'' for short, was the normalization of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, or West Germany) and
Eastern Europe, particularly the German Democratic Republ ...
'' (“Eastern Policy”, also known as “‘’Entspannungspolitik’’”, the German equivalent of "
détente
Détente (, French: "relaxation") is the relaxation of strained relations, especially political ones, through verbal communication. The term, in diplomacy, originates from around 1912, when France and Germany tried unsuccessfully to reduce ...
").
Following the
West German federal election of 1969, Bahr became
Secretary of State of the
German Chancellery
The German Chancellery (german: Bundeskanzleramt, , more faithfully translated as ''Federal Chancellery'' or ''Office of the Federal Chancellor'') is an agency serving the executive office of the chancellor of Germany, the head of the federal go ...
as well as ''Bevollmächtigter'' (“commissioner” or “appointed representative”) of the
Federal Cabinet of Germany in Berlin. It was in this capacity that Bahr served as an emissary to and negotiator with
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
with respect to the
1970 Treaty of Moscow and the
1970 Treaty of Warsaw, as well as the
Transit Treaty of 1971 and the
Basic Treaty of 1972 that were concluded with the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**G ...
. On the basis of his success in guiding these treaties to successful conclusion, Bahr is often referred to as “Architect of the Eastern Treaties”. He is also credited with two of the Brandt government's most influential mottos describing West Germany's relationship with the German Democratic Republic, “''Wandel durch Annäherung''” ("change through rapprochement", a speech at the
Evangelische Akademie Tutzing
The ' (Protestant Academy of Tutzing) is an education and conference center in Tutzing, Bavaria, run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria. It was founded in 1947. The main building is Schloss Tutzing on Lake Starnberg. The academy awards ...
) and “''Politik der kleinen Schritte''” (“policy of small steps”).
With respect to ''Ostpolitik'', Bahr's field of work was mostly behind the curtains to prepare treaties. This secrecy was broken once, however. Bahr was in Moscow holding talks with
Andrei Gromyko
Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko (russian: Андрей Андреевич Громыко; be, Андрэй Андрэевіч Грамыка; – 2 July 1989) was a Soviet communist politician and diplomat during the Cold War. He served as ...
, and materials from these talks found their way, via an unknown leak, to the tabloid newspaper ''
Bild
''Bild'' (or ''Bild-Zeitung'', ; ) is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays, its sister paper '' Bild am Sonntag'' ("''Bild on Sunday''") is published instead, which ...
''. On July 1, 1970, they appeared in two issues. This unauthorized publication became known as the "Bahr Paper".
Following Willy Brandt's
resignation
Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...
of the Chancellery, Bahr also relinquished his position in the cabinet. He was, however, reappointed by Brandt's successor,
Helmut Schmidt
Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (; 23 December 1918 – 10 November 2015) was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), who served as the chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982.
Before becoming Ch ...
(SPD), to the
Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. On 14 December 1976, following the
federal elections that had taken place two months earlier, Bahr left his position in the Federal Government permanently.
Bahr served from 1972 until 1990 as a member of the German
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Comm ...
. He was directly elected in 1976 and 1980 as the representative of the
Schleswig-Flensburg
Schleswig-Flensburg (; da, Slesvig-Flensborg) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the districts of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Dithmarschen and Nordfriesland, the Region Syddanmark in Denma ...
electoral district; in the remaining elections, he was elected from the SPD's
party list
An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...
. Bahr also served as chairman of the Sub-Committee for Disarmament and Arms Control. In 1980, Bahr became a member of the Independent Commission for Disarmament and Security under the chairmanship of Swedish politician
Olof Palme
Sven Olof Joachim Palme (; ; 30 January 1927 – 28 February 1986) was a Swedish politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1969 to 1976 and 1982 to 1986. Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 until ...
. The Commission published its findings in a 1982 report titled “Common Security”. Among the report's recommendations was the concept of a
nuclear-free corridor in Central Europe.
From 1976 until 1981, he served as the executive director (''Bundesgeschäftsführer'') of the SPD. During his tenure in that position, Bahr drew attention amid the uproar surrounding the expulsion of
Klaus Uwe Benneter, who at that time had been serving as the Federal Chairman of
Jusos
Working Group of Young Socialists in the SPD (german: Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Jungsozialistinnen und Jungsozialisten in der SPD, Jusos) is a volunteer youth organization of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
As of 2021, there are over ...
(''JungsozialistInnen in der SPD'', or “
Young Socialists in the SPD”. Benneter had piqued much political ire by expressing the view that the
German Communist Party
The German Communist Party (german: Deutsche Kommunistische Partei, ) is a communist party in Germany. The DKP supports left positions and was an observer member of the European Left. At the end of February 2016 it left the European party.
His ...
could be a potential coalition partner for the
SPD, a statement that put the status of the youth organization into jeopardy.
On 27 November 1988 he described the demands for
German reunification
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
as "Sunday talk, (...) lies, hypocrisy that poisoned us and others, political pollution." On 1 November 1989, in an interview in the ''
Vorwärts
''Vorwärts'' (, "Forward") is a newspaper published by the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Founded in 1876, it was the central organ of the SPD for many decades. Following the party's Halle Congress (1891), it was published daily as ...
'', Bahr said: “For heaven’s sake, let’s stop dreaming and blathering about German unity”; the
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the gover ...
fell only eight days later on 9 November 1989. Five days after the fall of the Berlin Wall, he called it a "delusion to talk about reunification."
Bahr went on to publish various writings about the future of German foreign policy following the end of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
(see “Publications” below). He advocated among other things for Europe and Germany to exercise greater influence in the world as a “Civilian power” (“''Zivilmacht''"). In 1991, Bahr promoted discussion of the creation of a potential German peace corps.
In an interview with the ''
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' (; ''FAZ''; "''Frankfurt General Newspaper''") is a centre-right conservative-liberal and liberal-conservativeHans Magnus Enzensberger: Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen' (in German). ''Deutschland Radio'', ...
'' in 2005, Bahr confessed that, as a teenager, he had felt a “certain pride” that Poland, France, Denmark, and Norway had been conquered so quickly by the German ''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
''.
[‘’FAZ’’ interview with Egon Bahr, 29 April 2005](_blank)
(in German)
Quotes
Selected honors
In 1973, Bahr was awarded the
Bundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
(“Federal Cross of Merit”). He was named an honorary citizen of Berlin in 2002. In 2007, Bahr was honored with the
Willy Brandt Prize
The Willy Brandt Prize is an annual prize awarded by the Norwegian-German Willy Brandt prize foundation (in German: ''Norwegisch-Deutsche Willy-Brandt-Stiftung'') since 2000. It is awarded to persons or institutions that make significant contribut ...
by the German-Norwegian Willy-Brandt-Foundation and in 2008 with both the and the . Bahr received an honorary doctorate in 2008 from the Internationales Hochschulinstitut
Zittau
Zittau ( hsb, Žitawa, dsb, Žytawa, pl, Żytawa, cs, Žitava, Upper Lusatian Dialect: ''Sitte''; from Slavic "'' rye''" (Upper Sorbian and Czech: ''žito'', Lower Sorbian: ''žyto'', Polish: ''żyto'')) is the southeasternmost city in the Ge ...
in recognition of his service to the process of unifying Europe.
In January 2010, he received the
Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia
The Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Verdienstorden des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen) is a civil order of merit, of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia was founded on 11 March 19 ...
.
Published works
* ''Zu meiner Zeit''. Blessing, Munich 1996, (Bahr's autobiography)
* ''Willy Brandts europäische Außenpolitik'' (Schriftenreihe der Bundeskanzler-Willy-Brandt-Stiftung, Heft 3). Berlin 1999,
* ''Deutsche Interessen: Streitschrift zu Macht, Sicherheit und Außenpolitik''. Goldmann, Munich 2000,
* ''Der deutsche Weg: Selbstverständlich und normal''. Blessing, Munich 2003,
* "Plädoyer für eine transatlantische Arbeitsteilung". In: Jäger, Thomas / Höse, Alexander / Oppermann, Kai (eds.) 2005: ''Transatlantische Beziehungen: Sicherheit – Wirtschaft – Öffentlichkeit'', VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden pp. 489–495,
* ''Ostwärts und nichts vergessen! Kooperation statt Konfrontation.'' VSA-Verlag, Hamburg 2012, .
* ''„Das musst du erzählen“ – Erinnerungen an Willy Brandt.'' Propyläen, Berlin 2013, .
* ''Das Prinzip Apfelbaum: 11 Persönlichkeiten zur Frage „Was bleibt?“'' herausgegeben von der Initiative „Mein Erbe Tut Gutes. Das Prinzip Apfelbaum“. Fotografien von Bettina Flitner. Vergangenheitsverlag, Berlin 2014, .
Literature
* Andreas Vogtmeier: ''Egon Bahr und die deutsche Frage. Zur Entwicklung der sozialdemokratischen Ost- und Deutschlandpolitik vom Kriegsende bis zur Vereinigung.'' (Reihe Politik- und Gesellschaftsgeschichte, Band 44), Bonn 1996.
*
Daniel Friedrich Sturm: '"Metternich" in Moskau. Egon Bahrs Wandel durch Annäherung". In: ''Deutschland Archiv'', Jg. 42, Nr. 5, 2009, pp. 841–846.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahr, Egon
1922 births
2015 deaths
People from Wartburgkreis
People from the Province of Saxony
German people of Jewish descent
Economic Cooperation ministers of Germany
Federal government ministers of Germany
Members of the Bundestag for Schleswig-Holstein
Members of the Bundestag 1987–1990
Members of the Bundestag 1983–1987
Members of the Bundestag 1980–1983
Members of the Bundestag 1976–1980
Members of the Bundestag 1972–1976
Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor people
Members of the Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Luftwaffe personnel of World War II