All twelve Federal Presidents since 1949 at a glance

• Domestically Steinmeier proved himself in 2017 when Jamaican dreams were shattered. The Federal President becomes mediator and maneuvers the SPD into another, unpopular grand coalition.
• foreign policy he is committed to more German and European responsibility in the world.

On March 18, 2012, the Federal Assembly elected Joachim Gauck as the eleventh and first independent Federal President.

• Co-initiator of the Prague Declaration and the Declaration on the Crimes of Communism
• Gauck was chairman of the “Association against forgetting – for democracy”

“The freedom of adults means responsibility” – under this guiding principle Gauck encouraged people to take responsibility for themselves and others.

Christian Wulff was elected the youngest Federal President at the age of 51.

• “Islam now also belongs to Germany”: In October 2010, Wulff gave a speech that was intended to become a symbol of his presidency.
• The beginning of the end of his tenure is the initiation of a preliminary investigation against Wulff suspicion of corruption.

After only 598 days in office, Wulff announced his resignation. A personal loan and a scandalous phone call had brought him down.

Horst Köhler wanted to be an uncomfortable Federal President. This earned him sympathy points in the population.

• Domestically he devoted himself primarily to the question of how sustainable jobs can be created.
• foreign policy he campaigned for humane globalization with reliable rules. That’s why he stood up for them poverty alleviation one.

He resigned with immediate effect after making a controversial statement about the justification for foreign deployments by the Bundeswehr.

Like his time as Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Johannes Rau’s term of office was under the motto “Reconciliation instead of division”.

• Rau campaigned for them Integration of people with a migration background and for minorities.
• In his first Berlin speech, he advocated one regulated immigration policy.

The road to his election was rocky. The newspapers wrote that he was too old. The fact that the Federal Assembly did not choose a woman and no one from the East was criticized.

Roman Herzog was the first Federal President to have his official residence in Bellevue Palace right from the start.

• foreign policy he worked to ensure that the reunified Germany also took on international responsibility.
• In 1996 he spoke out against everyone Claims to former German eastern territories from which he not only made friends with the displaced persons.

His words about the “jolt” that had to go through Germany stuck in many people’s minds. In 1997 he had used this term to stimulate more willingness to reform and change.

Richard von Weizsäcker gave his most famous speech on the 40th anniversary of the end of the war. In it he pointed out that May 8, 1945 was a day of liberation.

• He spoke for Reconciliation with the Soviet Union and the GDR out. He saw himself as the president of everyone and therefore spoke to the citizens of the GDR.
• After the fall of the Berlin Wall, he campaigned for Berlin as the capital of the united Germany.

After the CDU nominated Karl Carstens as a candidate, the press accused him of his former nominal NSDAP membership. Despite this, Carstens won the 1979 election.

• Domestically his hikes through the Federal Republic are known and those donated by him Eichendorff badge for hiking clubs.
• foreign policy he gave the good one relations with the USA Priority.

Walter Scheel became well-known in 1973 when he sang the song “Hoch auf dem Gelben Wagen” (High on the Yellow Car) on a record for the Sorgenkind campaign (today: Aktion Mensch).

• Domestically Scheel campaigned for more social participation rights. He often turned to young people who learn from the mistakes of older generations should.
• foreign policy he emphasized the importance of a united Europe for maintaining peace and democracy.

In 1976 he placed Richard Wagner on an equal footing with a number of other well-known composers, pointing out that the Germans should have learned not to be totally submissive to either a man, a work or a nation. In doing so, he clearly rejected the Wagner myth.

Gustav Heinemann said in an interview that he would rather be a “citizen president” than a “state president”. That’s why he introduced the tradition of inviting “simple” citizens to New Year’s receptions.

• Domestically he emphasized how important it is that people actively support liberal democracyrule of law and social justice.
• foreign policy he sat down for the Reconciliation with neighboring European countries and the promotion of peace in Europe.

As a former Nazi persecutee, Heinrich Lübke was effortlessly “denazified” in 1945. Towards the end of his second term, however, the GDR launched a campaign against him, in which they defamed him as a “concentration camp master builder” because of his work for the architectural office Schlempp.

• Domestically he wanted them Include SPD in government responsibility. This became reality in the form of the Grand Coalition between 1966 and 1969.
• foreign policy he made up for them Development Assistance strong and fighting world hunger.

In 1949 Theodor Heuss was elected the first Federal President. He appeared to many to be the ideal Federal President, so that in 1959 an amendment to the Basic Law was considered to enable him to serve a third term. Heuss rejected this plan.

• Domestically was his most well-known action Determination of the national anthem.
• foreign policy Heuss tried that bad reputation of Germany improve in global public opinion.