Former US Secretary Of State Henry Kissinger Passes Away

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 02-12-2023

Former US Secretary Of State Henry Kissinger Passes Away

Death 5 min read

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger died on 29 November 2023 at his residence in Connecticut, United States, at the age of 100. However, the cause of death is not yet clear.

Henry Kissinger was a man of many talents:

Henry Kissinger was also renowned as a scholar, politician and celebrity diplomat. Kissinger worked as an advisor and author during and after the administrations of U.S. Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford.
Kissinger made many changes in American foreign policy to adapt it to the times.
Kissinger is also considered a shaping force in global politics and business.

Henry Kissinger was born in Germany:

Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born on 27th May 1923 in Furth, Germany. Kissinger was 12 years old when the Nuremberg Laws stripped Germany's Jews of their citizenship.
Kissinger's family left Germany and moved to America in August 1938, and after moving to America, he became Henry.
Kissinger joined the US Army and served in Europe during World War II. He secured a scholarship to Harvard University, attaining a master's degree in 1952 and a doctorate in 1954. He remained on the faculty at Harvard for the next 17 years.

Transitioning from National Security Advisor to Foreign Minister:

Kissinger served as a consultant to government agencies for much of the 1950s, including in 1967 when he served as a mediator for the State Department in Vietnam.
Kissinger used his connections with the administration of President Lyndon Johnson to provide information about peace talks to the Nixon camp.
Richard Nixon appointed Henry Kissinger to the White House as National Security Advisor. In 1973, Kissinger, also serving as National Security Advisor, assumed the role of Secretary of State, marking the commencement of his diplomatic career.

Kissinger's influence on American foreign policy:

Henry was the only person to serve as White House national security adviser and US secretary of state at the same time, The Washington Post reported. He also had complete control over American foreign policy.
Kissinger gave a new dimension to American foreign policy. Because before this, America's foreign policy was based on a certain principle. America maintained relations only with those countries which agreed with it.
Earlier, America used to pursue its trade, defense etc. relations only with countries following democratic values. But due to Kissinger's influence, America also established trade relations with the non-democratic country China.
At present, China has become the second largest economy in the world by receiving investment from America. Today, the Chinese economy has been able to reach this stage because of Kissinger's policies. For this reason Henry Kissinger is highly respected in China.

Kissinger has been involved in many controversies:

Kissinger has had a deep relationship with controversies. Kissinger and Vietnam's Le Duc Tho were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their secret talks, which they rejected. This was the most controversial award. These negotiations led to the Paris Agreement of 1973 and ended American military involvement in the Vietnam War.
During the partition of Bangladesh, Henry had supported Pakistan during the massacre of the people there, after which there was a big controversy. During this time, Kissinger advised China to deploy its army on the Indian border to increase pressure on India.