Franz Josef Strauss - Legacy

Legacy

Strauss shaped post-war Germany and polarized the public like few others. He was a vocal figurehead for conservatives and a skilled rhetorician. His clearly right-leaning political standpoints and his involvement in several large-scale scandals made him an opponent of more moderate politicians and the entire political left. Nevertheless, it is seldom disputed that his policies have contributed to change Bavaria from an agrarian state to one of Germany's leading industry centers.