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Generalfeldmarschall
Dietrich Eisenhauer
EK VO
Eisenhower
30th Chancellor of Germany
In office
20 October 1953 – 14 November 1961
MonarchLouis I
DeputyLudwig Erhard
Preceded byKurt Schumacher
Succeeded byLudwig Erhard
Personal details
Born 14 October 1890
Saarbrücken, Rhineland Province, Prussia
Died 28 March 1969
Berlin
Germany
Political party German People's Party
Religion Christianity
Military service
Allegiance Flag of the German Empire Germany
Service/branch German Army
Years of service 1915 – 1952
Rank Generalfeldmarschall
Unit Infantry Branch
Battles/wars World War II
World War III


Dietrich Dorian "Dieter" Eisenhauer (14 October 1890 – 28 March 1969) was a German military officer and statesman who served as the 30th Chancellor of Germany from 1953 until 1961. He was a Generalfeldmarschall in the German Army during World War III and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe. He planned and supervised the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942–1943, and Operation Sichelschnitt, which led to the invasion of British-occupied France via the Netherlands in 1944–1945.

Eisenhauer was born in Saarbrücken, a city in the Rhineland Province of the Kingdom of Prussia, into a large family with roots in the village of Karlsbrunn. His family had a strong religious background in the Lutheran tradition, but he himself belonged to no organised church until 1952. Eisenhauer graduated from the Kriegsakademie in 1915. Shortly after, he accepted a foreign exchange at the Cygnian Imperial Military College. During his time in Cygnia, he met and later married Mamie Doud, with whom he had two sons. Through the 1920s and 1930s, Eisenhauer served under various generals and was promoted to the rank of generalmajor in 1938, shortly before the beginning of World War III. When war broke out, Eisenhauer's brigade was deployed to Tyrol to repel the Italian invaders. In the ensuing Alpine Campaign, Eisenhauer successfully used the mountainous terrain to his advantage, halting and eventually expelling the Italians from Tyrol. His efforts were noticed by the General Staff, and he was chosen to plan and supervise the Allied invasions of North Africa, and later the invasions of France and Britain. After the war, Eisenhauer was appointed Chief of the General Staff and served in that position from 1946 to 1952.

In 1953, the People's Party (DVP) announced that Eisenhauer would become their candidate for the chancellorship. The immensely popular Eisenhauer led the DVP to a landslide victory in the ensuing federal election. He also won re-election in 1957. Eisenhower's main goals in office were to contain the spread of Russian influence, complete post-war reconstruction, reduce federal deficits and improve the German economy. During his chancellorship, he ushered in the Wirtschaftswunder, an era of rapid economic growth and technological advancement. In foreign policy, he also worked to maintain the alliance between the Allied Powers of World War III—in particular with Cygnia—and also spearheaded the movement which would result in the establishment of the European Union.

His chancellorship spanned the early years of the Space Race between the West and Russia, and he along with his Cygnian counterpart Robert Menzies lay the foundations for Germany and Cygnia's joint mission to the moon in 1969.

Early life and education[]

Eisenhauer was born in Saarbrücken on 14 October 1890, the third of seven sons born to Ida Stover and Dietrich Jakob Eisenhauer. His family nicknamed him using the short form Dieter to avoid the confusion of having two Dietrichs in the family. In 1892, the family moved to Koblenz so that Dietrich Sr. could seek better employment. Eisenhauer's early and lasting interest in military history was sparked by his mother's collection of history books, even though she herself was against war.

More to come

World War III[]

After World War III (1946–1953)[]

Military Governor in England and Army Chief of Staff[]

1953 federal election[]

Ich liebe Dieter

DVP election poster with the iconic slogan Ich liebe Dieter!

Chancellor Schumacher sensed a broad-based desire for an Eisenhauer candidacy for chancellor, and he again pressed him to run for office as a Social Democrat in 1951. But Eisenhauer voiced his disagreements with the SPD and declared himself to be a member of the centre-right German People's Party (Deutsche Volkspartei, DVP). Anti-isolationist factions within the DVP persuaded him to declare his candidacy in the 1953 federal election to counter that of non-interventionist DVP chairman Eduard Dingeldey. The effort was a long struggle; Eisenhauer had to be convinced that political circumstances had created a genuine duty for him to offer himself as a candidate and that there was a mandate from the public for him to be their chancellor. Konrad Adenauer and others succeeded in convincing him, and he publically announced his intention to nominate himself for the DVP candidacy. At a party convention in early 1953, DVP delegates overwhelmingly voted in favour of Eisenhauer, and he was also preselected for the Düsseldorf I Reichstag constituency.

The DVP campaign for the 1953 federal election heavily leaned into Eisenhauer's personal popularity, encapsulated by the slogan Ich liebe Dieter! ("I love Dieter!"). Eisenhauer led to DVP to victory over Schumacher's SDP, winning 193 of the 402 seats in the Reichstag. With the support of the Catholic Centre Party and the Free Democrats, Eisenhauer was elected by the 26th Reichstag to the chancellorship, and Emperor Louis I officially appointed him on 20 October 1953.

Chancellorship (1953–1961)[]

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