Content deleted Content added
fix link |
No edit summary |
||
Line 31:
}}</ref> he studied [[law]] and [[philosophy]] in [[Munich]] and [[Tübingen]], where he graduated in 1960.
From 1967 to June 1977,
From 1982 to 1985 Geißler served as federal minister, heading the [[Bundesministerium für Jugend, Familie und Gesundheit]] (youth, family, and health) for [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]] Kohl.
From being a [[conservative]] [[right-wing]]er until the early 1990s, Geißler became increasingly [[Left-wing politics|leftist]] in his views as far as [[social policy]] and [[globalization]] are concerned. In 2007, he announced he had become a member of the [[Association pour la taxation des transactions pour l'aide aux citoyens|attac]] network.<ref name="SPON attac">{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,483275,00.html|title=G-8-GIPFEL Heiner Geißler tritt Attac bei|accessdate=2007-05-26|date=2007-05-16|work=Spiegel.de|publisher=[[Der Spiegel]] / asc/[[Agence France-Presse|AFP]]|language=German}}</ref> This happened weeks before the [[33rd G8 summit|2007 G8 summit]], which Germany, holding the 2007 G8 presidency, was hosting. Geißler himself said that his joining of attac had to be seen in the context of the upcoming G8 summit.<ref name="SPON interview">{{cite web▼
From 1977 to 1989, Geißler was Secretary General of the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]] under the leadership of Kohl, shaping strategy and running election campaigns.<ref>[http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article172785786.html Heiner Geissler, top aide to Germany's Kohl, dies at 87] ''[[Miami Herald]]'', September 12, 2017.</ref> He was widely regarded as a principal architect of Kohl's rise to the chancellorship in 1982.<ref>Ferdinand Protzmann (August 22, 1989), [http://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/22/world/kohl-replaces-party-official-after-losses-to-the-far-right.html Kohl Replaces Party Official After Losses to the Far Right] ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref> In the following years, he kept the party on a centrist tack, hoping to attract moderate voters among the opposition Social Democrats alarmed by the gains of the [[The Republicans (Germany)|Republicans]] and the environmentalist Green Party.<ref>Ferdinand Protzmann (August 22, 1989), [http://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/22/world/kohl-replaces-party-official-after-losses-to-the-far-right.html Kohl Replaces Party Official After Losses to the Far Right] ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref>
Despite becoming a major figure in the CDU, differing and increasingly left-leaning views eventually strained relations with Kohl.<ref>[http://www.dw.com/en/heiner-geissler-political-force-who-shaped-german-cold-war-relations-dies/a-40467183 Heiner Geissler, political force who shaped German Cold War relations, dies] ''[[Deutsche Welle]]'', September 12, 2017.</ref> Reports that Geißler would be replaced cropped up after the Christian Democrats lost elections in West Berlin and Frankfurt in 1989 and polled only 37.6 percent in the [[European Parliament election, 1989 (West Germany)|European elections]] that year, a drop of 8.2 percentage points from the 1984 elections.<ref>Ferdinand Protzmann (August 22, 1989), [http://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/22/world/kohl-replaces-party-official-after-losses-to-the-far-right.html Kohl Replaces Party Official After Losses to the Far Right] ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref> In late 1989, he joined forces with [[Kurt Biedenkopf]], [[Lothar Späth]], [[Rita Süssmuth]] and others in an unsuccessful effort to oust Kohl as CDU chairman.<ref>Harry Luck (January 28, 2010), [http://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/tid-17008/biedenkopf-koenig-kurt-und-kohls-rivale_aid_474699.html Biedenkopf: „König Kurt“ und Kohls Rivale] ''[[Focus (German magazine)|Focus]]''.</ref> Geissler was subsequently forced to resign as Secretary General.
Geißler remained a member of the Bundestag until 2002 as a member of parliament for his home state Rhineland-Palatinate.<ref>[http://www.dw.com/en/heiner-geissler-political-force-who-shaped-german-cold-war-relations-dies/a-40467183 Heiner Geissler, political force who shaped German Cold War relations, dies] ''[[Deutsche Welle]]'', September 12, 2017.</ref> From 1991 until [[German federal election, 1998|1998]], he served as deputy chairman of the [[CDU/CSU]] parliamentary group under the leadership of chairman [[Wolfgang Schäuble]].
In addition to his parliamentary work, Geißler also served as Vice-President of the [[Centrist Democrat International|Christian Democrat and People's Parties International]] from 1986 until 1993.
Geißler later became a sought-after arbitrator in wage and other disputes.<ref>[http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article172785786.html Heiner Geissler, top aide to Germany's Kohl, dies at 87] ''[[Miami Herald]]'', September 12, 2017.</ref>
==Political positions==
During the 1991 parliamentary vote to move the seat of federal government from Bonn to Berlin, the country's historic capital, Geißler proposed a two-city capital as a compromise.<ref>Stephaen Kinzer (June 21, 1991), [http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/21/world/berlin-to-regain-full-capital-role.html Berlin to regain full capital role] ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref>
▲From being a [[conservative]] [[right-wing]]er until the early 1990s,
| url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,483296,00.html | title=ATTAC-NEUMITGLIED HEINER GEISSLER "Die Globalisierung läuft aus dem Ruder" | accessdate=2007-05-26|author=interview with Björn Hengst|date=2007-05-16|work=Spiegel.de| publisher=[[Der Spiegel]] | language=German}}</ref>
==Other activities==
* Aktion Courage, Chairman (2002-2005)
* Barmenia Versicherungen, Member of the Advisory Board
==Personal life==
Geißler was married and had three children. Since 1980 he lived in [[Gleisweiler]]. He died on 12 September 2017, aged 87.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/eil-cdu-politiker-heiner-geissler-ist-tot-1.3659139|title=CDU-Politiker Heiner Geißler ist tot|last=Prantl|first=Heribert|date=2017-09-12|work=sueddeutsche.de|access-date=2017-09-12|language=de|issn=0174-4917}}</ref>
| |||