
Norbert Blüm (21 July 1935 – 23 April 2020)
was a German politician who served as a
federal legislator
A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for e ...
from
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhab ...
, chairman of the
CDU North Rhine-Westphalia (1987–1999), and
Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.
Blüm was the only cabinet member who served in his function for all sixteen years of
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (; 3 April 1930 – 16 June 2017) was a German politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to 1998. Kohl's 16-year tenure is the longes ...
's time as
Chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
of Germany. He served as a member of the
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the German Federalism, 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 Representat ...
from 1972 to 1981 and again from 1983 to 2002. Blüm was part of the left wing of the conservative
Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
Early life and education
Born in
Rüsselsheim am Main
Rüsselsheim am Main is the largest city in the Groß-Gerau district in the Rhein-Main region of Germany. It is one of seven special status cities (implementing several functions that counties normally provide) in Hessen and is located on the Mai ...
, Blüm attended the ''
Volksschule
The German term ''Volksschule'' generally refers to compulsory education, denoting an educational institution every person (i.e. the people, ''Volk'') is required to attend.
In Germany and Switzerland it is equivalent to a combined primary ...
''. In 1950, aged 15, Blüm joined the CDU.
This year he also joined the
IG Metall
IG Metall (; IGM; German: ''Industriegewerkschaft Metall'', "Industrial Union of Metalworkers'") is the dominant metalworkers' union in Germany, making it the country's largest union as well as Europe's largest industrial union. Analysts of Ge ...
. That's why he often was nicknamed ''Herz-Jesu-Marxist''. He trained and worked locally as a toolmaker for
Opel
Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA ...
from 1949 to 1957.
He was engaged in the factory as a youth representative.
During this time, he was a founding member of the local Boy Scouts affiliation, the
Deutsche Pfadfinderschaft Sankt Georg. In 1961 he passed his Abitur at an
Abendgymnasium
An Abendgymnasium or "Evening Gymnasium" is a German class of secondary school for adults over the age of 19 which allows them to gain the Abitur
''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of ...
in Mainz, thereby obtaining the university entrance qualification.
He studied German language and literature, history, philosophy and theology at the
University of Bonn
The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...
and
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne (german: Universität zu Köln) is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in the year 1388 and is one of the most prestigious and research intensive universities in Germany. It was the sixth university to ...
until 1967.
One of his teachers was
Joseph Ratzinger
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
.
In 1967, he received his
doctorate of philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
(PhD) in Bonn with the dissertation ''Willenslehre und Soziallehre bei
Ferdinand Tönnies
Ferdinand Tönnies (; 26 July 1855 – 9 April 1936) was a German sociologist, economist, and philosopher. He was a significant contributor to sociological theory and field studies, best known for distinguishing between two types of social ...
. Ein Beitrag zum Verständnis von "
Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft
''Gemeinschaft'' () and ''Gesellschaft'' (), generally translated as "community and society", are categories which were used by the German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies in order to categorize social relationships into two types. The Gesellschaf ...
"''.
Career
From 1977 to 1987 Blüm was chairman of the
Christian Democratic Employees' Association.
He was a member of the CDU federal executive committee from 1969 to 2000. He was chairman of the CDU of the state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhab ...
from 1987 to 1999.
Blüm was a member of the
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the German Federalism, 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 Representat ...
for the CDU from 1972 to 1981 and from 1983 to 2002.
From 1981 to 1982 he was
Senator of Berlin.
He was vice chairman of the federal CDU from 1981 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 2000.
Blüm was
Federal Minister for Labour and Social Affairs from 1982 to 1998.
As minister, he was responsible for reforms and changes in the pension system.
His greatest political success was the introduction of
long-term care insurance (''Pflegeversicherung'') in 1995,
after those reform plans were hotly and controversially debated in the Bundestag.
Political positions
Blüm adhered to Christian values and belonged to the left wing of the generally centre-right CDU.
Blüm was strongly influenced by the
Jesuit social philosopher
Oswald von Nell-Breuning, one of the founders of the modern
Catholic social teaching
Catholic social teaching, commonly abbreviated CST, is an area of Catholic doctrine concerning matters of human dignity and the common good in society. The ideas address oppression, the role of the state, subsidiarity, social organization, ...
who lectured in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...
. Nell-Breuning taught Blüm about the main three pillars "subsidiarity", "solidarity" and "charity".
During his time in office, Blüm held out and pushed back against demands by fellow CDU politicians to raise the federal retirement age from 65 to 70.
A popular quotation attributed to him is "Die Rente ist sicher" (loosely translated as: "Pensions are safe"), based on the governmental slogan he wielded in 1986: "Eins ist sicher: Die Rente" ("One thing is safe: pensions").
This quotation quickly gained notoriety in Germany and became a popular target for
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term ori ...
, as well as a cynical reference that would be used by his opponents and critics for years to come.
The politician was a fervent supporter of human rights. On a trip to Chile in 1987, he accused former dictator
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...
of torture.
Blüm once said that "politics is a struggle". "Whoever is in search of harmony must look for another profession. (...) But if you want to change something, you cannot please everybody."

Core issues of his politics were
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...
and the fight against
unemployment
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refer ...
. For Blüm, "the little people" were important, which is why he tried to prevent a division of society into rich and poor with his politics.
He saw social peace threatened by the
Agenda 2010 that was later passed by the German government.
Blüm was an outspoken critic of
Scientology
Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religious movement. The most recent published census data i ...
. As a consequence, he was targeted by Scientology advocates, who would claim that the organization was a victim of religious
discrimination in Germany.
Despite his good relationship with Helmut Kohl, Blüm criticized his handling of the
CDU donations scandal.
After his departure from the Bundestag in 2002, he continued to comment on political issues publicly. Because of his criticism of
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
in the
Middle East conflict, he was sometimes accused of
antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
, which he rejected.
In 2016, he criticised the CDU's refugee policy because of the cold-hearted discussion about refugees. During the refugee crisis, the former minister visited the Greek refugee camp
Idomeni
Idomeni or Eidomene ( el, Ειδομένη, ) is a small village in Greece, near the border with North Macedonia. The village is located in the municipality of Paeonia, Kilkis regional unit of Central Macedonia (Greece).
The village is built a ...
in 2016 and heavily criticized the EU's treatment of refugees ("This kind of brutality is unworthy of European culture"). Out of solidarity he slept one night in the
refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displaced pe ...
.
In 2016 he opposed an unconditional
basic income
Universal basic income (UBI) is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive an unconditional transfer payment, that is, without a means test or need to work. It would be received independently of a ...
, on which
Switzerland held a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of ...
at this time. It would be "unfair" and an "attempted escape from welfare state responsibility".
Personal life
Blüm married Marita Blüm (née Binger) in 1964.
The couple had three children, a son and two daughters.
Blüm was a practising
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
.
After
blood poisoning
Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...
in 2019, Blüm became paralysed in his arms and legs.
He commented in a guest article for the German weekly ''
Die Zeit
''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles.
History
Th ...
'' in March 2020 about his new life in a wheelchair due to his paralysis, in which he compared his position to that of a puppet whose strings were pulled so that its parts dangled incoherently in the air: "Like a thief in the night, disaster broke into my life in the form of insidious blood poisoning".
Blüm died in Bonn on 23 April 2020.
Other activities
* Member of the Advisory Board of the Hans Böckler Prize of the City of Cologne
* Green Helmets, Member of the Board of Trustees
*
Bonn Minster
Bonn Minster (german: Bonner Münster) is a Roman Catholic church in Bonn. It is one of Germany's oldest churches, having been built between the 11th and 13th centuries. At one point the church served as the de facto cathedral for the Archbishopric ...
, Member of the Board of Trustees
* St. Maria zur Wiese, Member of the Board of Trustees
*
IG Metall
IG Metall (; IGM; German: ''Industriegewerkschaft Metall'', "Industrial Union of Metalworkers'") is the dominant metalworkers' union in Germany, making it the country's largest union as well as Europe's largest industrial union. Analysts of Ge ...
, Member (since 1949)
Awards
* 2000:
Münchhausen Prize
* 2001:
Leipzig Human Rights Award
* 2005:
Leopold Kunschak Prize
Notes
References
External links
*
*
The 2001 Leipzig Human Rights Award video coverage of the event at ''
Xenu TV'', 9 June 2001
Kabinettsprotokolle Online "Blüm, Norbert"(in German) bundesarchiv.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blum, Norbert
1935 births
2020 deaths
People from Rüsselsheim
Christian Democratic Union of Germany politicians
People from the People's State of Hesse
Labor ministers (Germany)
Social Affairs ministers of Germany
Members of the Bundestag for North Rhine-Westphalia
Members of the Bundestag 1998–2002
Members of the Bundestag 1994–1998
Members of the Bundestag 1990–1994
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
Members of the Bundestag for Rhineland-Palatinate
Senators of Berlin
University of Bonn alumni
Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany