Adenauer, Konrad (1876–1967)

Konrad Adenauer, the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, used professional media relations to achieve his political goals. With the assistance of professional communication management, he became a legendary leader. Many people still regard him as the most outstanding German statesman. Due to fundamental rebuilding after the Second World War, the Adenauer era (1949–1963) plays a key role as far as political communication in Germany is concerned. Adenauer's party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is considered to be the first people's party in Central Europe. Modern public relations (PR) was a substantial factor in its establishment. In the early fifties the public could not be easily reached through party press or classical environmental organizations such as trade unions or churches. Mediaoriented public relations ...