A social democrat who made reconciliation a politics of divided cities
After the Wall was built, he said: “The Wall must go, but until it goes, the city must live.”
Willy Brandt was a German social-democratic politician shaped by exile and resistance to the Nazi dictatorship. As Governing Mayor of West Berlin, he defended the city’s morale after the Wall was built and pressed the West to honor its responsibilities, helping popularize the name “Wall of Shame.” As chancellor, he pursued Ostpolitik and “change through rapprochement,” easing Cold War confrontation and earning the 1971 Nobel Peace Prize.
Career Timeline
- 1933–1945Exile and resistance activist against the Nazi dictatorship
- 1948–1953SPD representative in Berlin
- 1957–1966Governing Mayor of West Berlin
- 1964–1987Chairman of the SPD
- 1966–1969Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor
- 1969–1974Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1976–1992President of the Socialist International