Konrad Adenauer
About Konrad Adenauer
The first Chancellor of West Germany, serving from 1949 to 1963. Adenauer was 73 when he took office and governed until age 87. He guided West Germany from postwar devastation to economic miracle and democratic stability. Adenauer aligned West Germany firmly with the West, joining NATO and reconciling with France. He was a firm anti communist who supported integration with Western Europe. Adenauer was mayor of Cologne before the war and was persecuted by the Nazis. His long governance established the democratic traditions of the Federal Republic. He is considered one of the greatest Germans of the 20th century.
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