On Nov. 29, Henry Kissinger, a German-American diplomat passed away. Kissinger was also known for his work in political science, geopolitical consultancy and politics. He served as the U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor and administered the presidential terms for Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford between 1969 and 1977.
Kissinger was involved with political matters from a very young age. He was nine years old when Adolf Hitler was elected in 1933, leading him and his family to move from Germany to New York in 1938. He studied accounting at the City College of New York.
Following his studies, he served in World War ll, and once he returned from Europe, he continued school majoring in Political Science at Harvard University. He served as Director of the Harvard National Seminar and later served as the Director of the Harvard Defense Studies Program from 1958-1971.
Elected in 1969 as the National Security Adviser and the Secretary of State, Kissinger began working with the People’s Republic of China to improve relations with them. Kissinger said that he spent half of his life working on American-Chinese relations.
“[Kissinger] opened up foreign affairs with China which eventually led to trade,” AP European History and AP Research teacher Daniel Corradino said. “Bringing celebrities to foreign affairs was one of the smartest things done for foreign affairs.”
Additionally, Kissinger was involved with global conflicts around the world such as the Vietnam War, the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Kissinger negotiated with Middle-Eastern countries by being a middleman between Israel and Arabic countries and restoring border laws which helped tone the conflict.
“Kissinger practiced ‘shuttle diplomacy’ in the Middle East which was basically flying by jet to different places trying to resolve the conflict,” Corradino said. “The conflict was not fully resolved, but shuttle diplomacy helped to wane it down. He also helped aid Israel in the Yom-Kippur War.”
After Nixon was forced to resign following the Watergate Scandal, his influence in President Gerald R. Ford’s administration decreased drastically from what it was with Nixon. After the “Halloween Massacre” in 1975, Kissinger was replaced by Brent Scowcroft.
Kissinger worked within the realm of politics up until he died in his home in Kent, Conn.. Kissinger leaves behind his two children, Elizabeth and David, and his wife, Nancy. Kissinger will be remembered as one of the forefathers of modern foreign policy and a key member of the Nixon administration.
