From student to parliamentarian
Stresemann studied at the University of Berlin and Leipzig University before earning a doctorate and working in trade associations. In 1907, he entered the Reichstag as a deputy for the National Liberal Party.
Literature
Gustav Stresemann
Serving as German chancellor in 1923 and foreign minister from 1923 to 1929, and advancing Franco-German reconciliation, for which he shared the 1926 Nobel Peace Prize.
Gustav Stresemann was a German statesman of the Weimar Republic who briefly served as chancellor in 1923 and remained foreign minister until his death in 1929. He studied political economy, history and international law at the universities of Berlin and Leipzig. Once an advocate of militarism and expansionism, he gradually accepted Weimar democracy and became a leading figure in Germany's return to international diplomacy.
Worth knowing
A reluctant democrat
Germany's defeat in the First World War and the fall of the Hohenzollern monarchy prompted Stresemann to reassess his political views. Although he remained a monarchist, he gradually accepted the Weimar democratic system and became willing to work with parties of the centre and left.
The crisis government of 1923
As chancellor, Stresemann ended passive resistance to the French-Belgian occupation of the Ruhr. His government also introduced the Rentenmark in a relatively successful effort to curb hyperinflation.
Diplomacy through Locarno
The Locarno Treaties of 1925 confirmed Germany's postwar western borders and guaranteed peace with France. They also helped lead to Germany's admission to the League of Nations in 1926.
Peace recognized
Stresemann and French Prime Minister Aristide Briand received the 1926 Nobel Peace Prize for their work toward Franco-German reconciliation. Stresemann remained foreign minister until his death in 1929.
Follow the story on foot
These addresses are scattered across the city. Our routes and quests put them in an order that works.