Helmut Kohl (Romanov World)

Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (April 3, 1930 - June 16, 2017) was a German politician and statesman who served as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germans (West Germany) from 1982 until 1990.

Prior to becoming Chancellor Kohl served as Minister-President of the Rhineland-Palatinate from 1969 until 1976. He was elected Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in 1973, retaining the position until 1991. When his predecessor the Social Democrat Helmut Schmidt lost the support of his Free Democratic Party coalition partners Kohl was elected his successor, joining forces with the FDP.

As Chancellor Kohl sought to promote european integration, particularly emphasising strong relations with France and the United States. In domestic policy Kohl expanded the German welfare state. In his final term in office Kohl faced leadership tensions, and narrowly retained the CDU leadership at the September 1989 party convention. The 1990 Federal election saw the SPD emerge as the largest party in the Bundestag, and the formation of an SPD minority government led by Oskar Lafontaine.