His was the age of Ostpolitik and détente, of the first global oil crisis, of economic recession, stagflation, and the return to Europe of mass unemployment. His generation confronted the scourge of domestic terrorism and witnessed revolution in Iran, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the rise of Solidarity in Poland.
施密特的时代是东进政策和国际关系缓和的时代，爆发了首次全球石油危机、经济衰退、滞涨、而且大规模失业危机重新出现在欧洲。他那代人不得不面对国内恐怖主义灾难，并亲眼目睹了伊朗革命、苏联入侵阿富汗和波兰团结工会的崛起。