Willy Brandt, Federal Republic of Germany and Israel

Exhibition by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation

Willy Brandt’s life and work reflect the highs and lows of twentieth-century German history. He was just 19 when he escaped the National Socialists, going into political exile in Scandinavia. He was stripped of his citizenship and fought the Nazis from the outside until the end of the war.

After the end of the war, he returned to Germany, regained German citizenship, and went on to serve in a number of political capacities. As Governing Mayor of Berlin, Chairman of the Social-Democratic Party of Germany, Foreign Minister and Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as finally as President of the Socialist International, he worked indefatigably to bring people together, to overcome rifts between societies and states in East and West, North and South, and facilitate understanding in seemingly hopeless situations.

He was particularly concerned about what happened to Israel, feeling very profoundly a historic sense of responsibility. Right up to his death he strove to bring about an understanding between the Federal Republic of Germany and Israel, as well as between Israel and its Arab neighbors. All of this is documented in the present catalog.

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