Helmut Kohl

About Helmut Kohl

The Chancellor of German reunification. Kohl seized the opportunity when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 to push for rapid reunification in 1990. He worked with Gorbachev and Bush to secure international acceptance. Kohl was the longest serving Chancellor since Bismarck, governing from 1982 to 1998. He and Mitterrand were the architects of the Maastricht Treaty and the Euro currency. Kohl later faced scandal over illegal campaign financing. His legacy is defined by reunification, which he called a historic opportunity. He was the first Chancellor of reunited Germany.