Posted 12/27/2023, 6:04:37 PM
Longtime German Political Heavyweight Wolfgang Schäuble Leaves Complex Legacy
- Key figure in German reunification and a longtime, influential politician who helped shape German politics for decades
- As finance minister, imposed rigid fiscal policies and austerity measures on poorer European countries to protect the euro currency
- Seen as a potential successor to Chancellor Helmut Kohl until he was shot and paralyzed shortly after reunification
- Forced to resign as head of Merkel's party in 2000 over a campaign finance scandal, paving the way for Merkel
- As interior minister, advocated controversial counterterrorism policies like shooting down hijacked planes and assassinating terror suspects abroad