Schroder, Gerhard << SHRAY duhr, GAIR hart >> (1944-…), served as chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. He belongs to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), one of Germany’s largest political parties. Schroder became chancellor after the SDP won national elections in 1998 and continued as chancellor following elections in 2002. In elections in 2005, the SDP narrowly lost to the Christian Democratic Union, and Schroder stepped down as chancellor.
Schroder worked to reduce Germany’s high rate of unemployment and to raise the living standards of eastern Germans. He also redefined Germany’s role in Europe and developed strong relations with Russia, a former enemy.
Schroder was born on April 7, 1944, in Mossenberg in Lower Saxony, a state in northwestern Germany. He left school at age 14 to work. He went to night school to complete his secondary education, finishing at age 22. He received a law degree from Gottingen University in 1976 and began practicing law in Hanover. From 1980 to 1986, he held a seat in the Bundestag, in Germany’s national legislature. In 1986, he became a member of the Lower Saxony state legislature. He was elected premier of Lower Saxony in 1990 and reelected in 1994 and 1998.
As a young man, Schroder was identified with the left wing of the SDP. But he later moved toward more moderate political views. Schroder served as leader of the SDP from 1999 to 2004.
