On 16 October 1963 Ludwig Erhard, economics professor and Christian Democrat, was elected Federal Chancellor of Germany. Architect of the economic miracle, he actively participated in the German monetary reform. Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer had reservations about his economics minister Ludwig Erhard and always questioned his ability as a possible head of government. But this did not prevent his party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), from nominating Erhard as a candidate for the Federal Chancellery in April 1963.
When Adenauer resigned as head of government after 14 years in power, his minister took office on an interim basis. Subsequently, on 16 October 1963, the German Parliament confirmed him as head of government.
Ludwig Erhard was born in Fürth in 1897. Immediately after the Second World War, the politician with a degree in administration took over the management of the so-called Economic Directorate of West Germany, which was divided into occupation zones by the Allies.
Erhard participated in Adenauer’s four consecutive governments and was one of the great architects of the German economic miracle. It can be said that thanks to him the Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Germany was successful. It was Erhard who made the social market economy viable in the country.
Fiscal policy divides the coalition
In the federal government Erhard simply continued the work of his predecessor. Despite not being a charismatic figure, he managed to be re-elected in 1965. The global recession, however, began to overshadow the economic miracle and Erhard rapidly lost prestige.
In October 1966, the government coalition, made up of Christian Democrats and Liberals, vehemently debated the federal budget project. The Liberal ministers flatly rejected the tax increase and therefore resigned.
Erhard still tried to maintain a minority government, but his supporters were already negotiating an alliance with the Social Democratic Party (SPD). With the nomination of Kurt-Georg Kiesinger as candidate for federal chancellor, Erhard ended up resigning in December 1966.
From then on he only served his term as a federal deputy, for which he was re-elected two more times. Ludwig Erhard died in May 1977, shortly after his eightieth birthday.
Source: Terra
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