Helmut Kohl (Cinco De Mayo)

Helmut Kohl (born April 30, 1930) was a German Christian Democrat politician who served as the __th Chancellor of the German Empire from 1982 until 1998, a reign of sixteen years (the second-longest after Otto von Bismarck). He took control of Parliament after the 1982 general election landslide and won four consecutive elections, a record for democratically elected German governments. Kohl, regarded as one of the most influential German politicians in the history of the country, came to power at a time of poor economic fortunes in Germany, mistrust within the NATO bloc, a volatile period in the Cold War with several British Prime Ministers coming to and leaving power in the early 1980's, and with Germany still reeling from a volatile 20 years. In Kohl's sixteen years in office, the German economy was deregulated and expanded rapidly, the country saw the rise of Russia, Japan and the United States on the global stage, Kohl reached a detente with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher - which resulted in the ending of the Cold War. Post Cold-War, Kohl reigned over a seven years of uncharacteristic world peace. Kohl was defeated in his bid for a fifth term in 1998 by the left-wing Gerhard Schroeder, a defeat many compare to the stunning defeat of Adolf Hitler and the War Government in 1945 during World War II.