Stresemann, Gustav

Stresemann, Gustav (b. 10 May 1878, d. 3 Oct. 1929) German Foreign Minister 1923–9; Chancellor of Germany 1923 Born in Berlin, he entered Parliament for the National Liberal Party (Nationalliberale Partei) in 1907, and in 1917 became leader of the party's parliamentary group. After 1918 he co-founded the German People's Party (Deutsche Volkspartei, DVP), and subsequently steered it towards an acceptance of and cooperation with the Weimar Republic, despite his personal monarchist tendencies. As Chancellor (August to November 1923) he contributed towards a stabilization of the currency following the hyperinflation earlier that year. He also found the political courage to call for an end to civil disobedience in the Ruhr District and the Rhineland following the French invasion. From 23 November until his death he was Foreign Secretary, during which time he made a central contribution to the stabilization of the Republic through his policy of moderate revisionism, particularly through the establishment of better relations with France. In 1924, he achieved a revision of German reparation payments through the Dawes Plan, and following the Locarno Treaty of 1925 Germany was admitted to the League of Nations in 1926. In that year he also received the Nobel Peace Prize together with his French colleague Briand.