Gustav Stresemann was a politician from Germany who was the Chancellor of Weimar and then the Foreign Minister of the Weimar Republic until he died. As a strong nationalist, he was a big part of getting Weimar Germany out of its bad hyperinflation period and into the better “Golden Years of Weimer.” He was a member of the Reichstag and was elected leader of the “National Liberal Party.” A few years later, he started the “German People’s Party” with most of the center and right wings of the “National Liberal Party” and became its chairman. He signed the “Versailles Treaty” because he wanted Germany to get better economically and get its place back in the rest of Europe after World War I. His plan worked, and he got allies from Western Europe. His most important accomplishment was his policy of negotiating and making peace with France. This led to France sponsoring Germany’s entry into the “League of Nations.” In 1926, he and the French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand shared the Nobel Peace Prize for their work to make things better between Germany and France, especially after World War I.
Early years and childhood
He was born in Berlin, Germany, on May 10, 1878, to a family from the lower middle class. Ernst Stresemann, his father, sold beer and ran a small bar. He also rented out rooms to make extra money.
He was a good student and went to high school and college, where he got a good education. He was very good at German literature and poetry, and he also seemed to be interested in modern history. People like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Napoleon were important to him.
In 1897, he went to the “University of Berlin” to study political economy. There, he learned about nationalist and liberal ideas, as well as socialist principles and ideas.
During college, he was an active member of the German student movement called the “Burschenschaften.” In April 1898, he became the editor of the newspaper Allgemeine Deutsche Universitäts-Zeitung, where he often criticized other political parties. He used to write down his mix of liberal and nationalist ideas.
In order to get his Ph.D., he moved from the University of Berlin to the University of Leipzig in 1898. In January 1901, he turned in his thesis, which was about the beer-bottling business in Berlin.
Gustav Stresemann’s Career
His career began in a business group, and his quick rise in business led to his first step into politics. From 1901 to 1904, he worked as the administrative assistant for the “German Chocolate Makers’ Association.” During that time, he became known as a good coordinator and negotiator who worked hard.
In 1902, he set up the “Saxon Manufacturers’ Association,” and he was the group’s legal representative until 1911.
He joined the “National Liberal Party” in 1903 and did a good job of representing the party in Saxony.
Stresemann was elected to the Dresden city council in 1906 and worked there until 1912, where he learned a lot about how cities work. During that time, he was also the editor of the Dresden magazine “Sachsische Industrie” and was known for his economics writings. In the end, he was in charge of Saxony’s “National Liberal Party.”
In 1907, he entered national politics when he was elected to represent the Annaberg district in the Reichstag, which is the German parliament. Stresemann became the parliament’s youngest representative.
He got close to Ernst Bassermann, the leader of the party, and Bassermann helped him move up in politics. But in 1912, he had to quit his job as a member of the party’s executive committee because he was at odds with the more conservative part of the party over his support for laws that gave more money to people who needed it.
In 1912, he lost his bids for the Reichstag and the town council. After that, he went to the United States with a few business leaders to learn about the economy there. Later, he started something called the “German-American Economic Association.”
In a special election in December 1914, he was sent back to the Reichstag. This time, he became the leader of the National Liberals in the Reichstag because Bassermann wasn’t there, either because he was sick or because he was in the army.
When World War I broke out in Europe, Stresemann and most Germans thought that their country was just fighting to protect itself. Slowly, he moved from the left to the right side of the party and defended the monarchy and the nation’s plans to grow.
From 1916 on, he worked closely with General Erich Ludendorff and Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, and he often told the parliament what they thought. He didn’t agree with what Chancellor Hollweg was doing, and he was in favor of unlimited submarine warfare.
After Bassermann died in 1917, he took over as leader of the “National Liberal Party.”
In 1918, after a war in which the monarchy was defeated and then fell apart on November 9, he slowly changed into a more realistic republican. He joined the “German Democratic Party,” which was led by people like Naumann and Max Weber. However, the party kicked him out because of his ties to the right-wing.
Later, in 1918, he started the “German People’s Party” with most of the center and right wings of the National Liberal Party and became its chairman. The party pushed for lower tariffs and education that was not religious.
After being elected to the Reichstag in 1920, he spent the next three years as a member of the opposition.
Germany and Russia signed the “Treaty of Rapallo” in 1922.
Later, he worked with the left and center parties, even though he and his party had been against the “Weimar Republic” at first. The “Weimar Republic” was set up in 1919 to replace Germany’s monarchy with democracy.
The Center, the Social Democrats, the German Democrats, and his party all joined together to form a coalition government. On August 13, 1923, he was given the jobs of Chancellor and Foreign Minister. He was Chancellor until November 23, but he was Foreign Minister until the day he died.
During his short time as Chancellor, he stopped the Germans from fighting the Belgian and French “Occupation of the Ruhr” and tried to keep the German currency stable. After Adolf Hitler’s “Beer Hall Putsch” failed, he put down a rebellion in Saxony and brought order back to Bavaria.
He was the Foreign Minister until his death, even when the government was made up of different groups, from the center to the left. In 1924, he signed the “Dawes Plan,” which led to lower reparation payments and financial stability for Germany. This was one of his most important jobs as Finance Minister.
The “Treaty of Berlin” was signed in April 1926. He signed the “Versailles Treaty” because he wanted Germany to get better economically and get its place back in the rest of Europe after World War I. His move worked, and he got help from countries in Western Europe, especially France.
In August 1928, Germany signed the “Kellogg-Briand Pact.” The people who signed the pact promised not to go to war to solve problems. This move by Germany changed how people thought about Weimer Germany, which led to the “Young Plan” in February 1929. Stresemann was in charge of the negotiations for this plan.
Works of note
The most important thing that Stresemann did as Foreign Minister was to negotiate and make peace with France. This led to France sponsoring Germany’s entry into the “League of Nations” in September 1926. Germany joined the “Security Council” and will stay there for good.
Awards & Achievements
He shared the “Nobel Peace Prize” with Aristide Briand, the French Foreign Minister, in 1926.
Personal History and Legacies
He married Kate Kleefeld in 1903. Her father, Adolf Kleefeld, was a wealthy businessman, and her brother, Kurt von Kleefeld, was the last nobleman to be made in Germany in 1918. During the 1920s, Kate was an important part of life in Berlin.
The couple had two sons: Hans-Joachim in 1904 and Wolfgang in 1908.
On October 3, 1929, he had a stroke and died. He was buried in Berlin Kreuzberg’s “Luisenstadt Cemetery.”
Estimated Net worth
Unknown.