19 Facts About Rudolf Scharping

Rudolf Albert Scharping was born on 2 December 1947 and is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party.

Rudolf Scharping first rose to prominence as Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Rudolf Scharping was his party's federal chairman from 1993 to 1995 and in 1994 ran an, ultimately unsuccessful, effort to oust Chancellor Helmut Kohl in the federal elections.

Rudolf Scharping studied politics, sociology and law at the University of Bonn.

Rudolf Scharping was a member of the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1975 to 1994.

Rudolf Scharping made social justice the centerpiece of his campaign.

Rudolf Scharping was elected as one of five vice-chairmen and retained that office in 1997,1999 and 2001.

Rudolf Scharping visually marked this defeat by shaving off his full beard.

From 27 October 1998 to 18 July 2002, Rudolf Scharping served as Germany's Minister of Defence in the government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroder.

Rudolf Scharping's tenure saw the first time that the German Bundeswehr fully participated in a war, as NATO bombed Yugoslavia to stop Serbian policies in the Kosovo region.

Rudolf Scharping defended the bombing of Yugoslavia in reference to Operation Horseshoe, which later turned out to have likely been a hoax.

In 1999, Rudolf Scharping established a government-appointed independent commission headed by former President Richard von Weizsacker to develop recommendations on the reform of the Bundeswehr.

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 as part of the campaign against terrorism.

In what was later called Majorca Affair, Rudolf 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.

Rudolf Scharping subsequently faced an investigation in parliament in over claims that he improperly used military planes to visit Pilati in Majorca and in Frankfurt.

Rudolf Scharping kept his Bundestag seat but did not run again in the 2005 elections.

Since leaving politics, Rudolf Scharping established his own company with a focus on business development in China.

Rudolf Scharping is a passionate cyclist; in 2005, he became the chairman of the Bund Deutscher Radfahrer.

Rudolf Scharping is a Senior Network Member at the European Leadership Network.