Restores German citizenship

In the spring of 1948 Brandt delivers a report to the Party on the Communist coup against the elected government in Prague. He believes that events have provided evidence of Communist intolerance toward the democratic system. He therefore takes a decisive and express position against the idea set forth in the 1943 document "Peace Goals of the Democratic Socialists" according to which Germany in peacetime would play the role of go-between for East and West on the basis of collaboration with the UdSSR ("the third way").

In July 1948 the Land government of Schleswig-Holstein restores German citizenship to Willy Brandt under the name "Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm, known as Willy Brandt". In August 1949 the Police President of Berlin approves the change of name to Willy Brandt. Thereby the name is legalized under which Brandt has been politically active from the age of 19.

Certificate of naturalisation of Willy Brandt
© Willy-Brandt-Archiv

In the Berlin SPD the political career of Willy Brandt receives its decisive character and orientation. Willy Brandt begins his climb to the position of a leading politician in post-war Germany. At the end of 1949 Willy Brandt is elected chairman of the SPD in Berlin-Wilmersdorf.