View source for Joschka Fischer

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{{Infobox Politician
| name = Joschka Fischer
| image = Joschka Fischer 2014.jpg
| caption =
| small_image =
| office = [[Vice Chancellor of Germany]], [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Germany)|Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany]]
| term_start = 1998
| term_end = 2005
| predecessor = [[Klaus Kinkel]]
| successor = [[Franz Müntefering]] (Vice Chancellor), [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]] (Foreign Minister)
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|4|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Gerabronn]], [[Baden-Württemberg]], [[Germany]]
| nationality = {{flag|Germany|name=German}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = [[Alliance '90/The Greens]]
| relations =
| residence = {{Flag|Germany}}, [[Berlin]] and <br>{{Flag|United States}}, [[Princeton]]
| alma_mater =none
| occupation =politician and lecturer
| website =
| footnotes =
}}

'''Joseph Martin "Joschka" Fischer''' (born 12 April 1948) was [[Germans|German]] [[Foreign Office of Germany|foreign minister]] and [[Vice Chancellor of Germany|Vice Chancellor]] in the government of [[Gerhard Schröder]] from 1998 to 2005. He was a leading figure in the [[German Green Party]] and according to opinion polls [http://www.tagesthemen.de/aktuell/meldungen/0,1185,OID2020828_TYP6_THE2020794_NAV3332916~1260572~2020794_REF1_BAB,00.html]{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, he was the most popular politician in Germany for most of the government's duration. He left office on 22 November 2005.

==Early life==
Fischer was born in [[Gerabronn]] in [[Baden-Württemberg]]. His parents were Germans from Hungary. His nickname Joschka is from ''Jóska'', which is the Hungarian nickname for Joseph ({{lang-hu|József}}). Fischer dropped out of high school in 1965, and started working for a photographer which he quit in 1966.

In 1967 he became active in the [[German student movement]] and [[Left-wing politics]]. Working in a left-wing bookstore in Frankfurt was when he started going to leftist university events as a guest student. He studied the works of [[Karl Marx|Marx]], [[Mao Zedong|Mao]] and [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel|Hegel]] and became a member of the militant group ''Revolutionary Combat'' ({{lang-de|Revolutionärer Kampf}}).

Fischer took part in some street battles when the [[anarchist]] ''[[Putzgruppe]]'' attacked the police and hurt some officers a lot. (In [[German language|German]] the word ''Putz'' can mean a cleaner, but in ''Putz-group'' it is an [[acronym]]. That means the letters stand for other words. '''''P'''roletarische '''U'''nion für '''T'''error und '''Z'''erstörung'', i.e. ''The Workers Union for Terror and Destruction''). Photos of one battle in March 1973 show Fischer clubbing policeman Rainer Marx [http://www.joschkaf.org/nytimes1.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404112012/http://www.joschkaf.org/nytimes1.htm |date=2008-04-04 }}. [http://www.joschkaf.org/Fischer getting a workout (photo)]{{Dead link|date=May 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In the [[German Autumn]] ({{lang-de|Deutscher Herbst}}) of 1977, there were a lot of [[terrorism|terrorist]] attacks by the [[Red Army Faction]] (RAF). Fischer says that these attacks, especially the kidnapping and murder of [[Hanns-Martin Schleyer]], made him give up violence as a way to get political change.

Instead, he became involved in the new social movements and later in the newly founded [[German Green Party]], mainly in the state of [[Hesse]].

In May 1981 the Minister of Economics of the state of Hesse, [[Heinz-Herbert Karry]], was murdered. The gun that killed the minister was stolen from an American army base in 1973, and Fischer's car was used in the robbery.

As Foreign Minister, Fischer apologised for the violence of his ''Putzgruppe'' days,

==Green politician==
From 1983 to 1985, Fischer was a member of the [[Bundestag]] for the Green party. In 1985, he became Minister for the Environment in Hesse in the first [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democrat]]-Green coalition (1985-1987). Fischer caused a stir when he arrived to take his oath of office ceremony wearing trainers. These trainers are now on display in a museum in [[Bonn]].

[[File:Joschka Fischer und Colin Powell 2005.jpeg|thumb|255px|Joschka Fischer with former U.S. Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]].]]

Fischer was again Environment Minister in Hessen from 1991 to 1994, and, later on, became co-chairman of the Greens parliamentary party in the Bundestag. During his years in opposition, Fischer was respected for his speeches. For a large part of the 1990s, with the [[SPD]] was not very popular, and Fischers friends often called him "real" Leader of the Opposition.

==Foreign Minister==
[[File:Downer-fischer.JPG|thumb|210px|Fischer with [[Australia]]n Foreign Minister [[Alexander Downer]] in 2005.]]

In September 1998 the Social Democrats, led by [[Gerhard Schröder]], beat the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democrat]] government of [[Helmut Kohl]]. With the SPD's 42% and the Greens' 7%, a coalition government could be formed. After several weeks of talks between Social Democrats and Greens, the new government took power on 27 October 1998. Fischer became Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In 1999 Fischer supported German participation in the [[Kosovo War]]. This was very extremely controversial within the largely [[pacifism|pacifist]] Green Party, because it meant that, for the first time since [[World War II]], German soldiers would actively go into combat. He justified this war with allegations that [[Serbia]] was planning to commit [[genocide]] against the Kosovo [[Albania]]ns.

Fischer was also in favour of stationing German troops in [[Afghanistan]], but he advised Schröder not to join the war in [[Iraq]]. He is known as a good friend of [[Kofi Annan]]. By 2005 he was the second longest-serving foreign minister in German postwar history (after [[Hans-Dietrich Genscher]]).

In 2005 Fischer was accused by critics of carelessly relaxing controls on visa regulations for [[Ukraine]], thus allowing many illegal immigrants to enter [[Germany]] with fake identities. A parliamentary committee was established to examine the case, and unlike in other such committee hearings, Fischer's statement (and that of other top officials) was shown live on public TV. Fischer's appearance before the committee took twelve hours. (See [[German Visa Affair 2005]]).

After the defeat of the coalition government in the [[German federal election, 2005|2005 election]], Fischer announced that he would retire to the backbench. "After 20 years of power, now I want my freedom back", he was quoted as saying. On 13 October 2005, it was announced that [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]] (SPD) would succeed Fischer as Foreign Minister.

==Life after politics==
Since the beginning of September 2006 Joschka Fischer has been a senior fellow at the [[Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination at Princeton University]], a visiting professor at [[Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs]] at [[Princeton University]]. He has also spoken at other American universities, notably [[Brandeis University]], on various topic in foreign affairs and international relations.

==Private life==
Fischer has often been the most popular German politician, even among supporters of other parties.

Until 1996, Fischer had been an outspoken lover of good wines and food. He often bet cases of expensive wine with other politicians on the outcome of elections. Fischer had also been overweight. Within a short time he lose a lot of weight. Fischer said that this was due to his giving up alcohol completely and changing his diet. He had also been doing fitness training and even running marathons. He cashed in on his weight loss by writing the book ''My long race towards myself'' about his experience, which became an immediate [[bestseller]]. Recently he has been putting on weight again.

Fischer has been married five times: his first four marriages, to Edeltraud Fischer (1967-1984), Inge Vogel (1984-1987), Claudia Bohm (1987-1999), and Nicola Leske (1999-2003), all ended in divorce. In October 2005 he married (in [[Rome]]) [[Minu Barati]], who was his common-law wife for 2 years. With Inge, his second wife, he has two children: David and Lara. In April 2005 Fischer became a grandfather for the first time.

==Further reading==
* [http://www.bostonreview.net/BR29.3/hockenos.html Boston Review article reviewing Fischer's biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122073751/http://bostonreview.net/BR29.3/hockenos.html |date=2013-01-22 }}
* [http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/biografien/FischerJoschka/index.html Biography at the German Historic Museum] {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.dhm.de/ausstellungen/spuren_der_macht/fischer_index.htm Photographs of Joschka Fischer 1991 - 1998 at the German Historic Museum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230094833/http://www.dhm.de/ausstellungen/spuren_der_macht/fischer_index.htm |date=2007-12-30 }} {{in lang|de}}
* [http://citron-vert.info/article.php3?id_article=669 Joschka Fischer, la retraite ou pas ?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721193118/http://citron-vert.info/article.php3?id_article=669 |date=2011-07-21 }} {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://citron-vert.info/article.php3?id_article=674 Joscka Fischer : les discours d’un Vert aux affaires étrangères] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721193220/http://citron-vert.info/article.php3?id_article=674 |date=2011-07-21 }} {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://prok.princeton.edu/2-1/interview Interview with Joschka Fischer] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20080119011546/http://prok.princeton.edu/2-1/interview |date=2008-01-19 }} After moving to Princeton University, Fischer gives an in-depth interview about security and globalization for [[Princeton Report on Knowledge]].
* [http://www.project-syndicate.org/series/38/description Joschka Fischer's monthly syndicated commentary series, "The Rebel Realist"], from [[Project Syndicate]]

The following sources reflect the views of U.S. adversaries of Fischer and his policies, especially Germany's decision not to participate in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
* [http://slate.com/id/2078560 ''Why Germany Isn't Convinced''] by [[Paul Berman]] in ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]''
* ''Power and the Idealists : Or, The Passion of Joschka Fischer, and Its Aftermath'' by Paul Berman. {{ISBN|1-932360-91-3}} (Originally appeared as a 25,000 word essay in ''[[The New Republic]]'', 3 September 2001)
* [http://www.signandsight.com/features/380.html ''The last rock 'n' roller of German politics''] In an interview with the taz given in September 2005, Fischer reflects on what his coming retirement means for his party, his country and himself. At signandsight.com

== Other websites ==
{{commons|Joschka Fischer|Joschka Fischer}}

{{wikiquote-en}}

Fischer writes a monthly commentary series, "The Rebel Realist", for Project Syndicate, a non-profit association of newspapers around the world.
* [http://www.project-syndicate.org/series/38/description The Rebel Realist]

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{{succession box | before = [[Klaus Kinkel]] | title = [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Germany)|Foreign Minister of Germany]] | years = 1998 – 2005 | after = [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]]}}

{{succession box | before = [[Klaus Kinkel]] | title = [[Vice Chancellor of Germany]] | years = 1998 – 2005 | after = [[Franz Müntefering]]}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Joschka}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the German Bundestag]]
[[Category:Politicians of Alliance '90/The Greens]]
[[Category:Foreign ministers of Germany]]
[[Category:Politicians from Hesse]]
[[Category:Vice Chancellors of Germany]]