Karl Schiller | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Schiller in 1969 | |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 13 May 1971 – 7 July 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander Möller |
| Succeeded by | Helmut Schmidt |
| Minister of Economic Affairs | |
| In office 1 December 1966 – 7 July 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Kurt Schmücker |
| Succeeded by | Helmut Schmidt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Karl August Fritz Schiller (1911-04-24)24 April 1911 Breslau,Prussia,German Empire |
| Died | 26 December 1994(1994-12-26) (aged 83) Hamburg, Germany |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party of Germany |
| Alma mater | University of Heidelberg |
| Occupation | Politician, economist |
Karl August Fritz Schiller (24 April 1911 – 26 December 1994) was a Germaneconomist and politician of theSocial Democratic Party (SPD). From 1966 to 1972, he wasFederal Minister of Economic Affairs and from 1971 to 1972Federal Minister of Finance. He was the inventor of themagic square, depictingEconomic equilibrium, and of theConcerted activity (Konzertierte Aktion) to reflate the German market. He is thus seen as one of the most influential German economists besideLudwig Erhard.
Schiller was born inBreslau. From 1931, after passing theAbitur, he studiedeconomics andlaw atKiel,Frankfurt,Berlin andHeidelberg. In 1935, he finished his studies and got hisdoctorate in politics. From 1935 to 1941, he researched at theInstitut für Weltwirtschaft inKiel.[1] In 1939, Schiller made hishabilitation. After taking part inWorld War II as a soldier from 1941 to 1945, he became professor at theUniversity of Hamburg, where he becameprincipal from 1956 to 1958. In the meantime, from 1948 to 1966, he was a member of the scientific advisory board of theFederal Ministry for Economics.
Schiller joined the paramilitary Stormtroopers (Sturmabteilung) of theNSDAP in 1933 and the party itself in 1937. AfterWorld War II he joined theSPD in 1946.
From 1965 to 1972, he was a member of theBundestag for the SPD, where he became assistant chairman of the SPDfaction.
From 1948 to 1953, Schiller wasSenator for economy inHamburg and held the same office again from 1961 to 1965 in Berlin serving under mayorWilly Brandt in his second term of office.
From 1966 to 1969, he wasFederal Minister of Economic Affairs in thegrand coalition underBundeskanzlerKurt Georg Kiesinger, and worked together withFranz Josef Strauß, thenFederal Minister of Finance, in theConcerted activity. In this time, they were known asPlisch und Plum after figures invented byWilhelm Busch.
In the first cabinet of Willy Brandt, Schiller continued to serve in the previous position, and was alsoFederal Minister of Finance from 1971 to 1972 after the resignation ofAlex Möller. On 7 July 1972 Schiller resigned in protest against Brandt's economic decisions.[2] After stepping down, he soon left the SPD as well. In 1972, he participated together withLudwig Erhard in a CDU campaign, whereby both acted as defenders of market economy. In 1980 he returned to the SPD. He died inHamburg.
As Finance Minister Schiller travelled to the Soviet Union in 1970 and met withAlexei Kosygin, thePremier of the Soviet Union, to discuss a trade agreement between their two respective countries.
In 1991, Schiller was honoured with theBundesverdienstkreuz (Grand Cross with Star and Sash).
Karl-Schiller Berufskolleg is a vocational college in Dortmund named after Schiller. The school was renamed for Schiller in 1999.[3]
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