Cold War Biographies | Konrad Adenauer Biography

Born January 5, 1876
Cologne, Germany
Died April 19, 1967
Rhoendorf, West Germany

West German chancellor

Konrad Adenauer was the first chancellor of West Germany, officially known as the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). He held the office from 1949 to 1963, taking West Germany from postwar military occupation to national independence. This was a critical period for reestablishing governmental relations with other nations and for encouraging economic recovery after Germany's defeat in World War II (1939–45). Adenauer's period of leadership coincided with the early years of the Cold War (1945–91). The Cold War was an intense political and economic rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted from 1945 to 1991.

Adenauer, a staunch anticommunist, created strong economic and military ties with the democratic West (Western Europe and the...