View source for Franz Josef Strauss

{{Short description|German politician (1915–1988)}}
{{Distinguish|text=[[Franz Strauss]], 19th-century musician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = Franz Josef Strauss
|image        = Franz Josef Strauß 1982.jpg
|image_size   =
| caption = Strauss in 1982
|office       = [[List of ministers-president of Bavaria|Minister-President of Bavaria]]
|deputy       = {{unbulleted list|Karl Hillermeier|[[Max Streibl]]}}
|term_start   = 6 November 1978
|term_end     = 3 October 1988
|predecessor  = [[Alfons Goppel]]
|successor    = [[Max Streibl]]
| office1             = [[Leader of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria|Leader]] of the [[Christian Social Union in Bavaria|Christian Social Union]]
| 1blankname1         = {{nowrap|General Secretary}}
|1namedata1   = {{unbulleted list|[[Friedrich Zimmermann]]|Anton Jaumann|[[Max Streibl]]|Gerold Tandler|[[Edmund Stoiber]]|[[Otto Wiesheu]]}}
|term_start1  = 18 March 1961
|term_end1    = 3 October 1988
|predecessor1 = [[Hanns Seidel]]
|successor1   = [[Theo Waigel]]
{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Federal Cabinet
 |titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
|office2      = [[Federal Ministry of Finance (Germany)|Minister of Finance]]
|chancellor2  = [[Kurt Georg Kiesinger]]
|term_start2  = 2 December 1966
|term_end2    = 22 October 1969
|predecessor2 = [[Kurt Schmücker]]
|successor2   = [[Alex Möller]]
|office3      = [[Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)|Minister of Defence]]
|chancellor3  = [[Konrad Adenauer]]
|term_start3  = 16 October 1956
|term_end3    = 16 December 1962
|predecessor3 = [[Theodor Blank]]
|successor3   = [[Kai-Uwe von Hassel]]
|office4      = [[Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany)|Minister for Atomic Affairs]]
|chancellor4  = [[Konrad Adenauer]]
|term_start4  = 20 October 1955
|term_end4    = 16 October 1956
|predecessor4 = ''Position established''
|successor4   = [[Siegfried Balke]]
|office5      = [[Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany|Minister for Special Affairs]]
|chancellor5  = [[Konrad Adenauer]]
| alongside5          = [[Heinrich Krone]], [[Robert Tillmanns]], Hermann Schäfer
|term_start5  = 6 October 1953
|term_end5    = 12 October 1955	
|predecessor5 = ''Position established''
|successor5   = [[Heinrich Krone]] {{small|(1961)}}{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Parliamentary constituencies
 |titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office6             = Member of the<br />[[Landtag of Bavaria]] <br /> for [[Upper Bavaria]]
| term_start6         = 30 October 1978
| term_end6           = 3 October 1988
| predecessor6        = ''multi-member district''
| successor6          = Hans Koller
|office7       = [[Member of the German Bundestag|Member]] of the [[Bundestag]] <br /> for [[Weilheim (electoral district)|Weilheim]]
| term_start7        = [[1949 West German federal election|7 September 1949]]
| term_end7           = 29 November 1978
| predecessor7        = ''Constituency established''
| successor7          = Heinrich Reichold
| office8             = [[Member of the European Parliament|Member]] of the [[European Parliament]] <br /> for [[West Germany]]
| term_start8         = 1952
| term_end8           = 1956
| predecessor8        = ''multi-member district''
| successor8          = ''multi-member district''{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
|birth_date   = {{Birth date|df=yes|1915|9|6}}
|birth_place  = Munich, Germany
|death_date   = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1988|10|3|1915|9|6}}
|death_place  = [[Regensburg]], West Germany
| party              = [[Christian Social Union in Bavaria|Christian Social Union]] {{small|(1946–1988)}}
|relations    =
|residence    =
|alma_mater   = [[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|Politician|Teacher|Civil servant}}
|spouse       = {{Marriage|Marianne Zwicknagl|1957|1984|end=died}}
|children     = 3, including [[Monika Hohlmeier|Monika]]
|signature    = StraussFranzJosefSignature02 mono 25p transp.png
|website      =
|footnotes    =
}}
'''Franz Josef Strauss''' ({{Langx|de|Strauß|link=no}} {{IPA|de|fʁants ˈjoːzɛf ˈʃtʁaʊs|}}; 6 September 1915 – 3 October 1988) was a German politician. He was the long-time chairman of the [[Christian Social Union in Bavaria]] (CSU) from 1961 until 1988, member of the federal cabinet in different positions between 1953 and 1969 and [[List of minister-presidents of Bavaria|minister-president of Bavaria]] from 1978 until 1988. Strauss is also credited as a co-founder of European aerospace conglomerate [[Airbus]].

After the [[1969 West German federal election|1969 federal elections]], West Germany's [[CDU/CSU]] alliance found itself out of power for the first time since the founding of the Federal Republic. At this time, Strauss became more identified with the regional politics of Bavaria. While he ran for the [[Chancellor of Germany (1949–present)|chancellorship]] as the candidate of the CDU/CSU in [[1980 West German federal election|1980]], for the rest of his life Strauss never again held federal office. From 1978 until his death in 1988, he was the head of the Bavarian government. His last two decades were marked by a fierce rivalry with [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]] chairman [[Helmut Kohl]].<ref name="David Wilsford 1995 pp. 432">David Wilsford, ed. ''Political Leaders of Contemporary Western Europe: A Biographical Dictionary'' (Greenwood, 1995) pp. 432–40.</ref>

==Early life==

Born in [[Munich]] on 6 September 1915, as the second child of a butcher,<ref name="ssb"/> Strauss studied [[German studies|German letters]], history and economics at the [[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich]] from 1935 to 1939. He was an active member of a Roman Catholic youth organization that clashed with the Nazi Party. Like most young men in Germany he was called up for military service when war began in 1939. Thanks to his university background he became an officer.<ref>"Franz Josef Strauss" ''Britannica'' [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Josef-Strauss online]</ref>

==World War II==

In [[World War&nbsp;II]], he served in the ''[[Wehrmacht]]'' on the Western and Eastern Fronts. While on furlough, he passed the German state exams to become a teacher. After suffering from severe frostbite on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]] in early 1943, he served as an ''Offizier für wehrgeistige Führung'', responsible for the education of the troops, at the [[antiaircraft artillery]] school in [[Altenstadt Air Base]], near [[Schongau, Bavaria|Schongau]]. He held the rank of ''[[Oberleutnant]]'' at the end of the war.

==Early post-war years==

In 1945 he served as translator for the U.S. Army. He called himself ''Franz Strauß'' until soon after the war when he started using his middle name ''Josef'' as well.<ref>[http://www.fjs.de/faq2.html "Fragen zur Person"] [Question about the person] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412115148/http://www.fjs.de/faq2.html |date=12 April 2010 }} from the [[Hanns Seidel Foundation]] {{in lang|de}}</ref>

==Political life 1945–1961==

After the war, in 1945, he was appointed deputy ''Landrat'' (chief executive and representative of the district) of Schongau by the [[Office of Military Government, United States|American military government]] and was involved in founding the local party organization of the [[Christian Social Union in Bavaria]] (CSU).<ref name="CIA">{{cite web|title=Strauss, Franz Josef – Federal Republic of Germany – Minister of Defense|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA)|date=July 1961|url=http://www.foia.cia.gov/docs/DOC_0001230150/0001230150_0001.gif|access-date=29 August 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517085123/http://www.foia.cia.gov/docs/DOC_0001230150/0001230150_0001.gif|archive-date=17 May 2012}}</ref> Strauss became a member of the first ''[[Bundestag]]'' (Federal Parliament) in 1949.

In 1953 Strauss became Federal Minister for Special Affairs in the second cabinet of [[Chancellor of Germany (1949–present)|Chancellor]] [[Konrad Adenauer]], in 1955 Federal Minister of Nuclear Energy, and in 1956 Defence Minister, charged with the build-up of the new West German defence forces, the ''[[Bundeswehr]]''{{spaced ndash}}the youngest man to hold this office at the time. He became chairman of the CSU in 1961.

Strauss stated in a letter to [[HIAG]] in March 1957: "I think you know how I personally think about the front line units of the ''[[Waffen-SS]]''. They are included in my admiration for the German soldiers of the last world war."<ref>{{cite news |date=25 March 1964 |title=Waffen-SS |url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-46173314.html |language=de |work=[[Der Spiegel]] }}</ref>

==Lockheed bribery scandals==

{{main|Lockheed bribery scandals}}

Former [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] lobbyist {{ill|Ernest Hauser|de|Ernest F. Hauser}} admitted to investigators during a U.S. Senate hearing that [[Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)|Minister of Defence]] Strauss and his party had received at least $10 million in remuneration for arranging West Germany's purchase of 900 [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter|F-104G Starfighters]] in 1961, which later became part of the [[Lockheed bribery scandals]]. The party, its leaders, and Strauss all denied the allegations; and Strauss filed a slander suit against Hauser. Strauss and Hauser had met after World War II in [[Schongau, Bavaria]], where Hauser was stationed. Hauser worked for U.S. Intelligence and Strauss was Hauser's translator.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}} They were good friends, which Strauss later denied, in a denial belied by the fact that Strauss had attended Hauser's wedding.{{Disputed inline|date=February 2018|reason=Strauss said they were not.}} As the allegations were not corroborated, the issue was dropped.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914576-2,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015083109/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914576-2,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 October 2007|title=Scandals: The Lockheed Mystery (Contd.)|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=13 September 1976|access-date=6 December 2011}} {{subscription required}}</ref> It was known at the time that a Senate hearing in the U.S. revealed that Lockheed associates paid Strauss a bribe to purchase the planes, due to Boeing suing Lockheed over the lost German business. In a Senate hearing in the U.S., it was admitted by Lockheed associates that the funds were disbursed to Strauss. In spite of this fact, Strauss was never indicted in Germany due to his influence. Lockheed at that time was on the brink of collapse; the German contract was key to the company's survival. The F-104G's development had been expensive; the U.S. Air Force refused to purchase the plane due to its unnecessary features. The German contract proved to be a windfall for Lockheed. After Germany ordered the fighter planes from Lockheed, many more European governments started to place their trust in the Starfighter and ordered more planes, saving Lockheed from financial ruin.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}

==''Spiegel'' affair==

Strauss was forced to step down as defence minister in 1962 in the wake of the [[Spiegel affair|''Spiegel'' affair]]. [[Rudolf Augstein]], owner and editor-in-chief of the influential ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' magazine, published German defense information that Strauss's department alleged was top secret. He was arrested on Strauss's request and was held for 103 days. On 19 November, the five FDP ministers of the cabinet resigned, demanding that Strauss be fired. This put Chancellor Adenauer himself at risk. He found himself publicly accused of backing the suppression of a critical press with the resources of the state. Strauss had no choice but to admit that he had lied to the parliament, and was forced to resign. Strauss himself was exonerated by the courts on the charge of acting against the constitution.<ref>{{cite book|editor=Derek Jones|title=Censorship: A World Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gDqsCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA2325|year=2001|publisher=Routledge|pages=2324–25|isbn=978-1-136-79864-1}}</ref>

==Rivalry between Kohl and Strauss==

{{more citations needed section|date=July 2016}}
[[File:Plisch und Plum1.jpg|thumb|upright|F. J. Strauß, K.&nbsp;Schiller]]

Strauss was appointed minister of the treasury again in 1966, in the cabinet of [[Kurt Georg Kiesinger]]. In cooperation with the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]] minister for economy, [[Karl Schiller]], he developed a groundbreaking economic stability policy; the two ministers, quite unlike in physical appearance and political background, were popularly dubbed ''{{ill|Plisch und Plum|de}}'', after two dogs in a 19th-century [[cartoon]] by [[Wilhelm Busch]].<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-45549360.html "Plisch und Plum"] by [[Felix Rexhausen]], ''[[Der Spiegel]]'', 30 January 1967 {{in lang|de}}</ref>

After the SPD was able to form a government without the conservatives, in [[1969 West German federal election|1969]], Strauss became one of the most vocal critics of [[Willy Brandt]]'s ''[[Ostpolitik]]''. After [[Helmut Kohl]]'s first run for chancellor in [[1976 West German federal election|1976]] failed, Strauss cancelled the alliance between the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]] and CSU parties in the Bundestag, a decision which he reversed only months later when the CDU threatened to extend their party to Bavaria (where the CSU holds a political monopoly for the conservatives). In the [[1980 West German federal election|1980 federal election]], the CDU/CSU opted to nominate Strauss as their candidate for chancellor. Strauss had continued to be critical of Kohl's leadership, so providing Strauss a shot at the chancellery may have been seen as an endorsement of either Strauss' policies or style (or both) over Kohl's. But many, if not most, observers at the time believed that the CDU had concluded that [[Helmut Schmidt|Helmut Schmidt's]] SPD was likely unbeatable in 1980, and felt that they had nothing to lose in running Strauss. Schmidt's victory was seen by Kohl's supporters as a vindication of their man, and though the rivalry between Kohl and Strauss persisted for years, once the CDU/CSU was able to take power in 1982, it was Kohl who became chancellor. He remained in power well beyond Strauss's death.

==European integration==
{{Conservatism in Germany|Politicians}}
[[File:Franz Josef Strauß visit to Israel (997009764682105171).jpg|thumb|alt=Strauss during a 1963 visit to Israel|Strauss during a 1963 visit to Israel]]

Strauss wrote a book called ''The Grand Design'', in which he set forth his views of how the future [[European integration|unification of Europe]] might be achieved.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Heuser|first=Beatrice|author-link=Beatrice Heuser|title=The European Dream of Franz Josef Strauss|journal=Journal of European Integration History|volume=3|number=1|date=Spring 1998|pages=75–103 |issn=0947-9511 |url=https://www.zgei.nomos.de/fileadmin/zgei/doc/Zgei_98_01.pdf#page=73 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=F J Strauss |url=http://archive.org/details/granddesigneurop0000fjst |title=THE GRAND DESIGN: A EUROPEAN SOLUTION TO GERMAN REUNIFICATION |date=1965-01-01 |publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson |others=Internet Archive}}</ref> He was part of the secret paneuropean conservative network [[Le Cercle]] that promoted his political career.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1982-09-12 |title=»Victory for Strauß« |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/victory-for-strauss-a-f61552fe-0002-0001-0000-000014351703?context=issue |access-date=2024-12-23 |work=Der Spiegel |language=de |issn=2195-1349}}</ref>

==Airbus==

As an aerospace enthusiast, Strauss was a key player in the creation of [[Airbus]] in the 1970s. He served as chairman of the company.<ref>[http://www.airbus.com/en/corporate/people/company_evolution/history/part_3.html Airbus Corporate Information – The Airbus story]</ref> in the late 1980s, until his death in 1988; he saw the company win a lucrative but controversial (see [[Airbus affair]]) contract to supply planes to [[Air Canada]] just before his death. Munich's new airport, the [[Franz Josef Strauß Airport]], was named after him in 1992.

==Minister-President of Bavaria==
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F073615-0028, Mainz, CDU-Bundesparteitag, Strauß.jpg|thumb|upright|Strauss addressing the CDU in 1986, two years before his death]]

From 1978 until his death in 1988, Strauss was [[Minister-President of Bavaria]], serving his rotation as [[president of the German Bundesrat]] in 1983–84. After his defeat in the 1980 federal election, he retreated to commenting on federal politics from Bavaria.  Strauss admired the history of the defunct Bavarian monarchy, but did not want it restored.   He became the most visible critic of Kohl's politics in his own political camp, even after Kohl ascended to the chancellorship. In 1983,  Strauss was primarily responsible for a loan of 3 billion [[Deutsche Mark]]s given to [[East Germany]]. This move, in violation of longtime CSU/CDU policy to allow the [[East German economy]] to collapse naturally, was widely criticised even during Strauss's lifetime. [[The Republicans (Germany)|The Republicans]] split from the CSU/CDU over this move.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Carol|last=Carl-Sime|title=Bavaria, the CSU and the West German party system|journal=[[West European Politics]]|volume=2|number=1|year=1979|pages=89–107|doi=10.1080/01402387908424228}}</ref>

== Wackersdorf nuclear reprocessing plant (WAA) ==
Strauß campaigned vehemently for the construction of the [[Wackersdorf nuclear reprocessing plant]] (WAA) in [[Wackersdorf]] (Bavaria), which was accompanied by strong protests from the population, which he described as "hardly more dangerous than a bicycle spoke factory".<ref>[https://www.spiegel.de/politik/los-jetzt-sogts-amoi-was-a-5a576b1c-0002-0001-0000-000013530045 »Los, jetzt sogts amoi was!« - Spiegel-Reporter Hans-Joachim Noack über das Wackersdorf-Hearing in Neunburg vorm Wald] - (''[[Der Spiegel]]'', 14. August 1988)</ref>

The ecclesiastical resistance in particular, which met primarily at the [[Franziskus-Marterl]], was a nuisance for Strauss and he said that "anyone who confuses people, whoever causes them to feel insecure, excited and afraid for no reason, is doing the work of the devil".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-gyaSeT2mQ Film: 30 Jahre WAA Baustopp] – ([[Bayerischer Rundfunk]]-Kontrovers, 3. April 2019 on [[YouTube]], ca. 17 Min.)</ref><ref name="spiegel88">[http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13528772.html Ihr schaut's ja aus wie die Raubritter.] - (Tom Schimmeck, [[Der Spiegel]], 11.&nbsp;July 1988)<br>[http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13519445.html Ausstieg ist nicht Christenpflicht – Mit dem Beistand der Amtskirche will die CSU den Protest gegen die Atomfabrik Wackersdorf brechen] – ([[Der Spiegel]], 18.&nbsp;August 1986)</ref>

==Visit to Albania==

Strauss visited [[People's Socialist Republic of Albania|communist Albania]] on 21 August 1984, while [[Enver Hoxha]], the ruler from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, was still in power. Strauss was one of the few Western leaders, if not the only one, to visit the isolationist Albania in decades. This fuelled speculation that Strauss might be preparing the way for diplomatic links between Albania and West Germany and, indeed, relations were established in 1987.<ref name="Milo 2008">Milo, P. (2008a) 'Marrëdhënie shqiptaro-gjermane 1987–2007', Polis, (7), pp. 80–92. doi. Available at: https://www-1ceeol-1com-186jynlg2047d.zugang.nationallizenzen.de/search/article-detail?id=694267</ref>

In 2017, Strauss was honored with the Albanian [[National Flag Order]],<ref>[http://president.al/?p=47047 Note] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127010240/http://president.al/?p=47047 |date=27 November 2017 }} on the website of the President of Albania {{in lang|sq}}</ref> while a city square holds his name in Tirana.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

==Death==

On 1 October 1988, Strauss collapsed while out hunting with [[Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis]], in the Thurn and Taxis forests, east of [[Regensburg]].<ref name="ssb"/> He died in a Regensburg hospital on 3 October without having regained consciousness. He was 73.<ref name="ssb">{{cite news|author=Serge Schmemann|author-link=Serge Schmemann|title=Franz Josef Strauss Is Dead at 73; Conservative Led Bavarian State|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/04/obituaries/franz-josef-strauss-is-dead-at-73-conservative-led-bavarian-state.html|access-date=15 February 2017|work=The New York Times|date=4 October 1988|location=Bonn}}</ref>

==Family==

Strauss married {{ill|Marianne Zwicknagl|de|Marianne Strauß}} in 1957. She died in a car accident in 1984.<ref name="ssb" /> They had three children: {{ill|Max Strauß|de||lt=Maximilan Josef}}, {{ill|Franz Georg Strauß|de||lt=Franz Georg}}, and [[Monika Hohlmeier|Monika]], who was member of the [[Landtag of Bavaria]] and a Bavarian minister. In 2009 she was elected to the [[European Parliament]].

==Legacy==

Strauss shaped post-war Bavaria and polarized the public like few others. He was an articulate leader of conservatives and a skilled rhetorician. His outspoken right-leaning political standpoints made him an opponent of more moderate politicians and the entire political left. His association with several large-scale scandals made many politicians distance themselves from him. His policies contributed to changing Bavaria from an agrarian state to one of Germany's leading industry centres, and one of the wealthiest regions of Germany.<ref name="David Wilsford 1995 pp. 432"/><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = James | first1 = Peter | year = 1998 | title = Franz Josef Strauß-lasting legacy or transitory phenomenon? | journal = German Politics | volume = 7 | issue = 2| pages = 202–210 | doi = 10.1080/09644009808404518 }}</ref>

According to British diplomat Richard Hiscocks:<blockquote>Strauss is without doubt one of the most remarkable personalities that has yet emerged in Germany since the war and, from a democratic point of view, the most dangerous…. he has great ambition and combines with it the advantages of considerable intellectual gifts, an exceptional memory, immense resilience and capacity for work, and the ability to make quick decisions....On the other hand, these positive qualities are offset by equally pronounced defects. The unscrupulousness of his political methods exceeds even Adenauer’s and is not counterbalanced, as with Adenauer, by good judgment and serenity of manner. Above all he is lacking in self-control and knowledge of men, and has the habit of picking weak and sycophantic companions....His quick decisions therefore have often been the wrong ones. [[Martin Walser]] once wrote of him, “He can defend us against everything, only not against himself.”<ref>Richard Hiscock, ''The Adenauer era'' (1966) pp 241—242.</ref></blockquote>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==

* Ahonen, Pertti. "Franz‐Josef Strauss and the German nuclear question, 1956–1962." ''The Journal of Strategic Studies'' 18#2 (1995): 25–51.
* Ford, Graham. "Constructing a Regional Identity: The Christian Social Union and Bavaria's Common Heritage, 1949–1962." ''Contemporary European History'' 16#3 (2007): 277–297.
* Kieninger, Stephan. "Freer movement in return for cash: Franz Josef Strauß, Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski, and the Milliardenkredit for the GDR, 1983–1984." in ''New Perspectives on the End of the Cold War'' (Routledge, 2018) pp. 117–137.
* [[Horst Möller]]: ''Franz Josef Strauß. Herrscher und Rebell''. Piper, München 2015, {{ISBN|978-3-492-05640-3}}.
* Pridham, Geoffrey. "The European Policy of Franz Josef Strauss and its Implications for the Community." ''Journal of Common Market Studies'' (1980) 18#4 pp 313–332.
* Ridley, Hugh. "The Spiegel Affair." in ''Law in West German Democracy'' (Brill, 2019) pp. 130–145.

===Primary sources===

* Franz Josef Strauss. ''The Grand Design: A European Solution to German Reunification''. English translation: London: [[Weidenfeld & Nicolson]], 1965.

===in German===
* Karl Rösch: ''Franz Josef Strauß. Bundestagsabgeordneter im Wahlkreis Weilheim 1949–1978'', Utz, München 2014, {{ISBN|978-3-8316-4392-9}}.
* Wilfried Scharnagl: ''Mein Strauß. Staatsmann und Freund''. Ars Una, Neuried 2008, {{ISBN|978-3-89391-860-7}}.
* Wilhelm Schlötterer: ''Macht und Missbrauch. Franz Josef Strauß und seine Nachfolger. Aufzeichnungen eines Ministerialbeamten''. Fackelträger, Köln 2009, {{ISBN|978-3-7716-4434-5}}; (updated edition: ''Macht und Missbrauch. Von Strauß bis Seehofer, ein Insider packt aus''. Aktualisierte Taschenbucherstausgabe, Heyne, München 2010, {{ISBN|978-3-453-60168-0}}).
* Walter Schöll (ed): ''Franz Josef Strauss. Der Mensch und der Staatsmann. Ein Porträt.'' Schulz, Kempfenhausen am Starnberger See 1984, {{ISBN|3-7962-0152-0}}.
* Thomas Schuler: ''Strauß. Die Biografie einer Familie.'' Scherz, Frankfurt am Main 2006, {{ISBN|3-502-15026-5}}.
* Peter Siebenmorgen: ''Franz Josef Strauß, Ein Leben im Übermaß''. Siedler, München 2015, {{ISBN|978-3-8275-0080-9}}.
* Franz Georg Strauß: ''Mein Vater. Erinnerungen''. Herbig, München 2008, {{ISBN|978-3-7766-2573-8}}.
* Michael Stephan: "Franz Josef Strauß" in: Katharina Weigand (Hrsg.): ''Große Gestalten der bayerischen Geschichte.'' Utz, München 2011, {{ISBN|978-3-8316-0949-9}}.

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|Franz Josef Strauß}}

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