Helmut Schmidt und Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

Is there friendship among the politicians of two nations? How can personal relationships between statesmen influence the course of events? Helmut Schmidt and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing have long gone down in European history as the Franco-German "tandem" of the 1970s. But until now, no historical study has dealt with this extraordinary politician friendship. Matthias Waechter, who had access to the archives of both statesmen, shows how two personalities with very different social backgrounds succeeded in building a close relationship of trust. The book explores the potential and limits of Franco-German political leadership in 1970s Europe: Faced with the greatest recession since the end of World War II, the chancellor and the president opted for a concerted anti-crisis policy. From the Initia.