Frank-Walter Steinmeier was born on 5 January 1956 in Detmold. A German Social Democrat and jurist, Steinmeier served as chief of staff to Chancellor Gerhard Schroder and helped shape the labor-market reforms known as Agenda 2010. He was foreign minister twice, under Angela Merkel, in 2005-2009 and again from 2013 to 2017, and led the Social Democrats in the 2009 election. In 2017 he was elected Federal President, a largely ceremonial post, and was re-elected in 2022. In office he has spoken on German history and democracy, and on the war in Ukraine, and has faced criticism over earlier policies toward Russia.
Before and after
- 1956Founding of Paris Club
- 1 January 1956Birth of Christine Lagarde
- 1956Founding of International Finance Corporation
- 3 January 1956Birth of Mel Gibson
- 5 January 1956Birth of Frank-Walter Steinmeier
- 25 February 1956Publication of On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences
- 1 March 1956Birth of Dalia Grybauskaitė
- 9 March 19561956 Georgian demonstrations
- 26 April 1956The first container ship sails
More in Wars, politics & history
- 15 August 1947India and Pakistan become independent
- from 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953Korean War
- from 16 May 1966 to 6 October 1976Cultural Revolution
- from 2 August 1990 to 28 February 1991Gulf War
- 20 February 2014Russo-Ukrainian war
- 31 January 2020Brexit
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.