Willy Brandt

Willy Brandt (December 18, 1913 – October 8, 1992) was a German politician and Chancellor of Germany from 1969 to 1974. The left social democrat received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971 for his work in improving relations with the German Democratic Republic, Poland and the Soviet Union, but is controversial in Germany because of his Ostpolitik (relations with Eastern Europe and Russia) and had to resign after an espionage scandal.

Resignation

Around 1973, German security organizations received information that one of Brandt's personal assistants, Günter Guillaume, was a spy for the GDR. Brandt was asked to continue work as usual, and he agreed, even taking a private vacation with Guillaume. Guillaume was arrested on April 24, 1974. At the same time, some revelations about Brandt's private life (he had had some short-lived affairs with much younger women) appeared in newspapers. Brandt contemplated suicide and even drafted a suicide note. But he lived on, accepted responsibility, and resigned on May 7, 1974.

Related Topics:
1973 - Günter Guillaume - Spy - Suicide - May 7 - 1974

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Guillaume had been a spy for East Germany and was led by Markus Wolf, who stated after the reunification that the resignation of Brandt had never been intended, and that the affair had been one of the biggest mistakes of the East German secret service.

Related Topics:
East Germany - Markus Wolf

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Brandt was succeeded as Chancellor by the social democrat Helmut Schmidt, who unlike Brandt belonged to the right wing of his party. For the rest of his life, Brandt remained suspicious that his fellow social democrat and longtime rival Herbert Wehner had been scheming for his downfall, but evidence for this seems scant.

Related Topics:
Helmut Schmidt - Herbert Wehner

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The story of Brandt and Guillaume is told in the play Democracy by Michael Frayn. The play follows the astonishing career of Willy Brandt, the first left-of-center chancellor in West Germany in 40 years, and his downfall at the hands of his trusted assistant, Günter Guillaume, who is secretly spying on Brandt for the notorious East German Stasi. The play examines Guillaume's dual identity, as his duty to Brandt's enemies conflicts with his genuine love and admiration for his prey.

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