Ludwig Erhard: A Biography

In the first English-language biography of one of the most important figures in postwar German history, Alfred C. Mierzejewski examines the life and service of Ludwig Erhard (1897-1977), West Germanys first minister of economics and second chancellor. Erhard liberalized the German economy in 1948 and is generally considered the father of West Germanys "economic miracle--the period of extraordinary growth in jobs and improvement in the standard of living in the 1950s that helped stabilize Germanys first successful democracy.

While recent scholarship has dismissed Erhards influence on Germanys economic recovery, Mierzejewski returns to little-cited German analyses and Erhards own record and concludes that Allied currency reform and Erhards liberalization of the economy were crucial triggers for Germanys unprecedented economic boom. Mierzejewski provides insight into Erhards policies, his ideas, his character, and his relationships with Konrad Adenauer and Charles de Gaulle. By offering a fresh account of Erhards career as a leader in postwar West Germany, Mierzejewski provides a deeper understanding of Germanys economy as well as its democracy.