Word: barzel
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Throughout his 8'½ years as leader of the Christian Democrats in parliament, Ranier Barzel, 48, had to fend off steady criticism from both his Social Democratic Party foes and his colleagues within the alliance of the Christian Democratic Union and Bavaria's Christian Social Union. He has been assailed as an ambitious opportunist with an all too obvious thirst for power and condemned for his irritating, seemingly insincere political style. As one S.D.P. leader put it: "After every 5,000 words, he has to have his oil changed...
Nonetheless, the cool, intelligent Barzel managed to expand his power. He won election as C.D.U. chairman in October 1971, and was chosen to be that party's candidate for the chancellorship, running a losing race against Willy Brandt in the November 1972 general elections. He was re-elected to a one-year term as parliamentary leader of the C.D.U.-C.S.U. last December. Last week Barzel suddenly quit as floor leader, and his days as party chairman appeared to be numbered. Said Barzel: "I cannot represent as chairman a majority decision on an important matter which was taken against...
...Barzel's resignation came after the majority of C.D.U.-C.S.U. members in the Bundestag rejected his seemingly contradictory stand on two important -and related-questions. One issue was the party's position on ratification of Brandt's basic-relations treaty with East Germany, which was signed last December. The second was a bill empowering the West German government to apply for membership in the U.N.-a move that would coincide with East Germany's application. In a party caucus, Barzel won support for C.D.U. opposition to the treaty, but lost narrowly on his advocacy...
...Barzel's fall is closely connected with his wavering stance on Ostpolitik. Last year, when Bonn's treaties with Moscow and Warsaw came up for ratification in the Bundestag, he failed for months to make up his mind what party policy should be. Just before the Bundestag debate on the treaties, he decided that the C.D.U.-C.S.U. deputies should vote against ratification; then, after a bipartisan policy declaration had been worked out, he said he would allow a free vote. Under pressure from C.S.U. Leader Franz Josef Strauss, he changed his mind again and said that the opposition...
Despite his resignation as floor leader, Barzel will probably remain as chairman of the C.D.U. until the party convention in October. Clearly, though, his effective political career is over. One possible successor is Rhineland-Palatinate Minister-President Helmut Kohl, 43, who lost a battle for party leadership to Barzel in 1971. Defense Minister Kai Uwe Von Hassel, 60, may become floor leader. For the moment, however, Barzel's replacement on the floor is 69-year-old Kurt Georg Kiesinger, West Germany's Christian Democratic Chancellor from 1966 to 1969. Late last week Kiesinger watched his party go down...