ABSTRACT
The new Chancellor, 54 years old, was a man of many accomplishments, some of which, like speaking fluent English and playing the organ, are not normally expected in a workers’ leader. His orderly mind enabled him to see to the roots of a problem and his fluency of speech to say clearly what he saw. Senses of responsibility and proportion added to his equipment. His chief weakness was impatience with those who saw less well, dithered more or took longer to express themselves; he had little time for proponents of plans which he considered to be impracticable in current circumstances. These circumstances included the need to find a happy medium between inflation and unemployment, to halt the clear right-wing trend in Land elections and to keep the support of the FDP. Although the Government mishandled tax changes in January 1975 and pension increases two years later, its management of affairs improved but its ambitions became more limited. The left wing and particularly the Jusos grew restive but had to face clear evidence that, where they got the upper hand in party affairs (as they did in Frankfurt and Munich), the result was loss of votes and office.
