Helmut Schmidt: a German model of clarity, discipline and public responsibility

Among the political figures of the German postwar period, Helmut Schmidt has always been, for me, the most coherent and intellectually solid. Born in Hamburg on 23 December 1918 and passing away in the same city on 10 November 2015, he belonged to the generation that helped shape the Federal Republic into a stable state grounded in pragmatism and a strong sense of civic duty. His affiliation with the SPD, the Social Democratic Party of Germany, anchored him in a long-standing political tradition committed to reform, social balance and secular public service. Within this party, Schmidt distinguished himself early through analytical rigor and technical expertise, qualities that were essential in an era marked by reconstruction, the Cold War and the consolidation of democratic institutions. He served as Minister of Defence in 1969, then as Minister of Economic Affairs and later Minister of Finance, confronting issues such as infrastructure modernization, the consequences of the 1973 oil crisis and the strategic positioning of West Germany within the international alliances of the time. From 16 May 1974 until 1 October 1982 he was Chancellor of the Federal Republic, succeeding Willy Brandt, and he faced some of the most difficult challenges in modern German history, from domestic terrorism carried out by the Red Army Faction to global tensions between NATO and the Soviet bloc, always with a pragmatic, sober and responsibility-driven approach. After leaving active politics, he did not disappear from public life. On the contrary, he became one of the most respected intellectual voices in reunified Germany thanks to his books, public lectures and his central role at the weekly newspaper Die Zeit, where he contributed deep historical insight and a rare clarity of thought. His television appearances, marked by controlled calm and the famous cigarette between his fingers, became a reference point for many Germans in the 1990s and 2000s because they combined experience, economic knowledge, military awareness and the ability to explain complex issues without rhetorical simplifications. What continues to strike me about Schmidt is his personal style: sober, firm, effective and free of any theatricality. He spoke out of responsibility, not out of a desire for applause, and this gave him an authority that feels increasingly rare today. In an age in which public communication is dominated by slogans and impulsive reactions, his voice remains an example of what a statesman capable of thinking, arguing and assuming the weight of decisions can still be.

 

Roberto Minichini, February 2026