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Rita Süssmuth | |
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 Süssmuth in 2014 | |
| President of the Bundestag West Germany until 1990 | |
| In office 25 November 1988 – 26 October 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Philipp Jenninger |
| Succeeded by | Wolfgang Thierse |
| Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth | |
| In office 26 September 1985 – 25 November 1988 | |
| Chancellor | Helmut Kohl |
| Preceded by | Heiner Geißler |
| Succeeded by | Ursula Lehr |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1937-02-17)17 February 1937 (age 88) |
| Political party | CDU |
| Alma mater | University of Münster |
Rita Süssmuth (néeKickuth;German:[ˈʁiːtaˈzyːsmuːt]ⓘ; born 17 February 1937) is a German politician of theChristian Democratic Union (CDU). She served as the tenthpresident of the Bundestag.
From 1985 to 1988, she served as Federal Minister for Youth, Family and Health (from 1986 youth, family,women and health) and from 1988 to 1998 as President of the German Bundestag. With close to 10 years, her tenure was the third longest in the history of the Bundestag. OnlyEugen Gerstenmaier andNorbert Lammert held the position longer.
In addition to her political work, Süssmuth was President of theEuropean Movement Germany (1994–1998) and member of the Advisory Board and Board of Trustees of theBertelsmann Foundation (1997–2007).
Süssmuth was born and spent her childhood inWadersloh. After graduating from high school (Emsland-Gymnasium) in Rheine in 1956, she completed a degree inRomance studies and history inMünster,Tübingen andParis, which she finished on 20 July 1961 with the first state examination (Staatsexamen) for teaching. This was followed by postgraduate studies ineducational science,sociology andpsychology.
In 1964, she then received her Ph.D. phil. at theUniversity of Münster. Her dissertation was titled"Studies on the Anthropology of the Child in contemporary French literature" ("Studien zur Anthropologie des Kindes in der französischen Literatur der Gegenwart").
Süssmuth graduated as a Doctor of Philosophy from theUniversity of Münster in 1964. From 1966 until 1982, she was a faculty member in education atTU Dortmund University,Ruhr University, and their predecessor institutions.
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From 1963 to 1966, Süssmuth worked as a scientific assistant at the universities ofStuttgart andOsnabrück and from 1966 as a lecturer at thePädagogische Hochschule Ruhr. From 1969 to 1982, she had a teaching assignment at theRuhr-Universität Bochum for InternationalComparative Education.
In 1971, Süssmuth was appointedprofessor ofEducational Science at the Pädagogische Hochschule Ruhr. In 1973, she accepted the call of theTU Dortmund University. In 1971, she also began working on the scientific advisory board of theFederal Ministry of Family Affairs.
From 1982 to 1985, Süssmuth was the director of theInstitut Frau und Gesellschaft inHanover. During her time as an active politician, she gave block seminars at theUniversity of Göttingen.
From 1985 to 1988, Süssmuth wasFederal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth under ChancellorHelmut Kohl.[1] Confronted with the AIDS crisis during her tenure, she advocated for increased medical education and preventative measures. She propagated the use of condoms for the prevention of infections against resistance within her own party, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and the Catholic Church. In 1987, she supported the foundation of the National AIDS Foundation and increased federal funding for AIDS research.[2]
In late 1989, she joined forces withLothar Späth,Heiner Geißler,Kurt Biedenkopf and others in an unsuccessful effort to oust Kohl as CDU chairman.[3]
Süssmuth was a member of the GermanBundestag from 1987 to 2002. In the federal elections in 1987, 1990 and 1994 she was elected for the constituency of Göttingen. For the 1998 election, she was elected via the CDU state list in Lower Saxony.
After the resignation ofPhilipp Jenninger in 1988 Süssmuth became the 10thPresident of the Bundestag. She held the post until 1998, when theSPD became the strongest group in parliament.
Her tenure saw theGerman reunification.
In December 1989, Süssmuth advocated a joint declaration by both German states on the recognition of the Polish western border.
From 1986 to 2001, Süssmuth served as president of theFrauen Union (the organization of the female members of the CDU) and therefore had a strong influence in her party.
Süssmuth is a supporter of theCampaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, an organisation which advocates for democratic reformation of the United Nations.[4]
Ahead of the Christian Democrats’leadership election in 2021, Süssmuth publicly endorsedArmin Laschet to succeedAnnegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as the party’s chair.[5]
In September 2000,Federal Minister of the InteriorOtto Schily appointed Süssmuth as head of a high-profile bipartisan commission to overhaul Germany's immigration policies.[6] The commission's task was to develop an overall concept for new immigration legislature. The results of the committee were presented in July 2001, in the form of a 323-paged report titled"Crafting Immigration - Promoting Integration" ("Zuwanderung gestalten - Integration fördern").[7]
In 2002, Süssmuth became a member of theLimbach Kommission, which acts as a mediator in questions ofNazi looted art.[8]
On 6 September 2005, Süssmuth was appointed as the new President of the state-approved Berlin OTA Private University (OTA Hochschule), todaySRH Hochschule Berlin. She was succeeded byPeter Eichhorn in January 2010.
After leaving politics, Süssmuth has als been involved in a number of philanthropic and business activities, including the following:
Süssmuth is also Member of theEuropean Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation established in 2008 to monitortolerance in Europe and prepare recommendations to European governments andIGOs on fightingxenophobia andantisemitism.
In 2018 Süssmuth was awarded the Mercator Visiting Professorship for Political Management at theUniversität Essen-Duisburg'sNRW School of Governance.[22]
Süssmuth was married to university professorHans Süssmuth from 1964 until his death in 2020. They have one daughter.[citation needed]
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Media related toRita Süssmuth at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth 1985–1988 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
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