Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl, (1930- ). German statesman; chancellor of West Germany (1982-90) and of Germany (1990- ). The son of a conservative Roman Catholic family, Kohl joined the Christian Democratic Union as a teenager. After taking a doctorate in political science (1958), he worked in regional politics for many years. He became chairman of the CDU in 1973 and stood unsuccessfully for the chancellorship three years later. On the fall of Helmut Schmidt’s coalition in 1982 Kohl became chancellor; he retained the post after elections in 1983 and 1987. In office he has pursued free-market economic policies and shown a strong commitment to greater European integration. Following the reunion of Ger-many and his election as chancellor of the united country in 1990, he became one of the most powerful statesmen in the Western world.
