Rudolf Albert Scharping (born 2 December 1947) is a German lawyer and politician of the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
Form ...
(SPD).
He first rose to prominence as Minister President of
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
(1991–1994). He was his party's federal chairman from 1993 to 1995 and in 1994 ran an, ultimately unsuccessful, effort to oust
Chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (; 3 April 1930 – 16 June 2017) was a German politician who served as chancellor of Germany and governed the ''Federal Republic'' from 1982 to 1998. He was leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to ...
in the
federal elections. In 1998, he became Defence Minister in the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
of Chancellor
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German former politician and Lobbying, lobbyist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (S ...
but resigned shortly before the
2002 elections.
From March 1995 to May 2001, he served as chairman of the
Party of European Socialists
The Party of European Socialists (PES) is a Social democracy, social democratic European political party.
The PES comprises national-level political parties from all the European Economic Area, European economic area states (EEA) plus the Unit ...
(PES).
Early life and education

Scharping was born in
Niederelbert. He studied politics, sociology and law at the
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...
. His master's thesis was on Social Democratic campaign techniques in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Political career
State politics
Scharping joined the
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together w ...
(SPD) in 1966. In 1968, he was expelled from the party for taking part in an antimilitary protest against a fund-raising concert for the German military band. However, after a year, he rejoined the party.
[Craig R. Whitney (9 March 1994)]
Now Breathing Down Kohl's Neck Is Big Socialist
''The New York Times''.
He was a member of the
Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1975 to 1994. In 1985, he became his party's chairman in the state and in 1991, the young, full-bearded man led his party to a surprise victory over the
Christian Democrats, which had dominated state politics until then. Forming a coalition with the
Free Democratic Party, Scharping was elected
Minister-President on 21 May 1991 – an office he would hold until 15 October 1994.
Federal party chairman
In 1993, following the resignation of
Björn Engholm, the SPD was in need of a new party chairman that would lead them into the
federal elections approaching next year. Scharping's success in turning in winning and governing a hitherto-CDU state, made him a candidate for that office. In a party-internal vote, Scharping won against
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German former politician and Lobbying, lobbyist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (S ...
, the centrist Minister-President of Lower Saxony, and
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, a representative of the party's left wing. At the time, he was the youngest leader in party history.
In the
1994 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 1994.
Africa
* 1994 Botswana general election
* 1994 Guinea-Bissau general election
* 1994 Malawian general election
* 1994 Mozambican general election
* 1994 Namibian general election
* 1994 South Afr ...
, Scharping ran as the SPD's candidate for Chancellor. As part of his campaign, he included his long-term rivals Gerhard Schröder and
Oskar Lafontaine
Oskar Lafontaine (; born 16 September 1943) is a German politician. He served as Minister-President of the state of Saarland from 1985 to 1998 and was federal leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 1995 to 1999. He was the lead candidat ...
in his
shadow cabinet. He made social justice the centerpiece of his campaign. Throughout the campaign, he refused to commit to a coalition partner. While the environmentalist
Alliance 90/The Greens
Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...
were widely seen as his party's most likely partner, he himself had governed Rhineland-Palatinate in a coalition with the Free Democrats. Sharping promised that he would move into federal politics, even if he lost the election.
Scharping's opponent in the elections was the CDU's
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (; 3 April 1930 – 16 June 2017) was a German politician who served as chancellor of Germany and governed the ''Federal Republic'' from 1982 to 1998. He was leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to ...
, who then had been Chancellor for twelve years, had forged
German reunification
German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...
in 1990 but whose popularity had taken hits due to ailing economic recovery in East Germany. By March 1994, the much younger Scharping held a 15-point lead over Kohl in the polls but eventually Kohl won the election, despite a decreased share in the vote.
True to his promise, Sharping resigned as Minister-President – his successor was
Kurt Beck – and became leader of the opposition in Bonn. In his capacity as chairman of the SPD parliamentary group, he also served on the Committee on the Election of Judges (''Wahlausschuss''), which is in charge of appointing judges to the
Federal Constitutional Court
The Federal Constitutional Court ( ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its inception with the beginning of the post-W ...
.
As chairman of the SPD, Scharping spoke out against the
Euro
The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...
that would leave Germany with a currency weaker than the
Deutsche Mark
The Deutsche Mark (; "German mark (currency), mark"), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later of unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it ...
.
[Alan Cowell (17 November 1995)]
Germany's Social Democrats Replace Leader With a Rival
''The New York Times''.
As leader of the opposition, Sharping was increasingly faced with criticism within his own party. While he preferred a centrist course aiming at capitalising on mistakes made by the Christian Democrats, more left-wing members and others sought a more confrontative approach, dubbing Scharping's line a ''Schmusekurs'' (cuddling course). After the SPD did not perform well in several state elections, Scharping was ousted from the party leadership at the 1995 federal party conference at
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
,
Oskar Lafontaine
Oskar Lafontaine (; born 16 September 1943) is a German politician. He served as Minister-President of the state of Saarland from 1985 to 1998 and was federal leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 1995 to 1999. He was the lead candidat ...
, the
Saarland
Saarland (, ; ) is a state of Germany in the southwest of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and the smallest in ...
's more left-leaning Minister-President (and himself a former, failed candidate for chancellor) addressed the party members in a rousing speech, to which Scharping's reflective mode seemed dry and boring. The next, Lafontaine defeated Scharping in an upset vote. Scharping, however, was elected as one of five vice-chairmen and retained that office in 1997, 1999 and 2001.
Scharping also visually marked this defeat by shaving off his full beard.
Minister of Defence, 1998–2002
From 27 October 1998 to 18 July 2002, Scharping served as Germany's
Minister of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
in the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
of
Chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German former politician and Lobbying, lobbyist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (S ...
. His tenure saw the first time that the German
Bundeswehr
The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...
fully participated in a war, as
NATO bombed Yugoslavia to stop Serbian policies in the
Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
region. This involvement proved very controversial among the German population, especially among the environmentalist and pacifict
Alliance 90/The Greens
Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...
, that were part of Schröder's cabinet. Scharping defended the bombing of Yugoslavia in reference to
Operation Horseshoe, which later turned out to have likely been a hoax.
In 1999, Scharping established a government-appointed independent commission headed by former
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Richard von Weizsäcker to develop recommendations on the reform of the
Bundeswehr
The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...
.
By July 1999, Scharping was widely considered the leading candidate to become the new
Secretary General of NATO
The secretary general of NATO is the chief civil servant of the NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an intergovernmental military alliance with 32 member states. The officeholder is an international diplomat responsible for coordinat ...
; however, he declined that position.
During a visit to
United States Secretary of Defense
The United States secretary of defense (acronym: SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the United States federal executive departments, executive department of the United States Armed Forces, U.S. Armed Forces, a ...
William Cohen in 2000, Scharping was injured and briefly hospitalized after a steel security barrier sprang up beneath his motorcade as it arrived for an honors ceremony at
the Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...
.
In 2001, Scharping was criticized publicly by Defense Secretary
Donald H. Rumsfeld when he was found to be the source of a report that the United States would intervene in
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
as part of the campaign against terrorism.
Resignation
In what was later called ''Majorca Affair'', Scharping had his picture taken in the swimming pool in company of his girlfriend Kristina Countess Pilati while the Bundeswehr was about to begin a difficult mission in
Republic of Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
. He subsequently faced an investigation in parliament in over claims that he improperly used military planes to visit Pilati in Majorca and in Frankfurt.
[Steven Erlanger (19 July 2002)]
With an Eye On Election, Schröder Fires Defense Chief
''The New York Times''.
Ahead of the
2002 elections, Schröder dismissed Scharping after weekly magazine ''
Stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...
'' reported that he had accepted some $71,000 from a Frankfurt public relations company in 1998 and 1999, while he was minister.
Following his dismissal as Minister of Defense, Scharping withdrew his candidacy for reelection as vice chairman as his chances were meagre. His successor as vice chairman was again Kurt Beck. He kept his
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...
seat but did not run again in the
2005 elections. For the remainder of his term, he served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Life after politics
Since leaving politics, Scharping established his own company with a focus on business development in China. Scharping is a passionate cyclist; in 2005, he became the chairman of the
Bund Deutscher Radfahrer. In addition, he took on a variety of paid and unpaid positions, including as member of the board of trustees at the Bonner Akademie für Forschung und Lehre praktischer Politik (BAPP). He is a Senior Network Member at the
European Leadership Network (ELN).
References
External links
Extensive Biography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scharping, Rudolf
1947 births
Living people
People from Westerwaldkreis
Members of the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate
Members of the Bundestag 2002–2005
Members of the Bundestag 1998–2002
Members of the Bundestag 1994–1998
Defence ministers of Germany
Chairmen of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Presidents of the Party of European Socialists
Members of the Bundestag for Rhineland-Palatinate
University of Bonn alumni
Minister-presidents of Rhineland Palatinate
Members of the Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany