Gerhard Schroeder Net Worth in 2023 Career & Relationship

Estimated value: €20 million
Age: 78
Born: 04/07/1944
Country of origin: Germany
Source of Wealth: Politician
Last updated: 2021

Short introduction

Gerhard Schröder is a German politician and former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1998 to 2005).

early life

Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder was born in Mossenberg-Wöhren in North Rhine-Westphalia. Schröder never got to know his father because he died as a soldier in World War II, when the son was just six months old. The boy grew up with his mother in poor circumstances. The family depended on the care. That didn’t change with the fact that Schröder’s mother remarried and gave birth to three more children. The family moved twice to neighboring district towns. In 1961 Gerhard Schröder completed an apprenticeship as a retail salesman in a porcelain shop. After his apprenticeship, he attended night school in Göttingen, where Schröder passed his secondary school leaving certificate. He then went to the Westfalen College in Bielefeld, where he passed his Abitur in 1966. In the same year, the later Federal Chancellor began his law studies at the University of Göttingen. In 1976 Schröder completed his studies with the second state examination and worked as a lawyer in Hanover.

Career

Gerhard Schröder has been a member of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD for short) since 1963. He quickly made a name for himself in the party. In 1971 he became chairman of the working group of young socialists of the SPD in the Hanover region. For two years (1978 to 1980) Schröder was also federal chairman of the Jusos and from 1979 a member of the SPD party council. In the 1990s he was able to record another party-political success: Schröder became state chairman of the SPD in Lower Saxony from 1994 to 1998. Rudolf Scharping, at that time federal chairman of the Social Democrats, appointed Gerhard Schröder to be responsible for energy issues. In 1999, Schröder was elected SPD chairman by party members. He remained in this post until 2004.

Career highlights

Gerhard Schröder was able to win the state elections for Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister in 1990. In the two subsequent state elections (1994 and 1998) he was able to assert himself against his opponents and remained prime minister. Schröder’s greatest success of his political career soon followed: On October 27, 1998, Gerhard Schröder was elected the seventh Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, making him the third Social Democratic Chancellor in history. The newly elected Federal Chancellor was able to form the government together with the Greens. He was able to repeat this success in the next election for German Chancellor in 2005. Among the measures that Schröder initiated during his tenure are: the introduction of an electricity tax, the phasing out of the economic use of nuclear energy and “Agenda 2010” (a reform of the German social system and labor market). In terms of foreign policy, he decided together with the German Bundestag, after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in New York, that Germany would take part in the military operations in Afghanistan with special forces. In addition, Schröder was increasingly involved in the establishment of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and campaigned for human rights.

Famous quotes

“We will not do everything differently. We’ll do better.”

“There is no right to be lazy in our society.”

“Especially here in Germany, success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.”

“You personally can also be a driver of the economy.”

Amazing Facts

After his last chancellorship, Gerhard Schröder worked as a lawyer again. In addition, Schröder later worked closely with Russian energy companies. Privately, he is friends with Russian President Vladimir Putin and advocates for more understanding of Russian politics in Europe. Gerhard Schröder is Honorary Chairman of the Near and Middle East Association and has traveled twice to Iran for this purpose. Gerhard Schröder increasingly used the media for his success and knew how to stage himself skilfully. So he did not shy away from making guest appearances in well-known television series during his political career. For this reason, he is still referred to as the “media chancellor” to this day.

Estimated value: €20 million