10 questions · Society & Everyday
Angela Merkel grows up in East Germany, where her father, a Protestant pastor, moves shortly after her birth in 1954. She studies physics, earns a doctorate and works as a scientist at the Academy of Sciences in East Berlin: an unusual background for a future head of government. She becomes politically active only when the Wall falls in 1989 and the GDR collapses. In the years of upheaval, Merkel rises surprisingly fast. The then chancellor Helmut Kohl brings the young East German into his cabinet; because of his patronage the media dub her "Kohl's girl". But when Kohl is caught up in a party-donations scandal, she clearly distances herself from him: a politically bold step that launches her rise to the top of the CDU. In 2005 Angela Merkel becomes Germany's first female chancellor and the first East German head of government of the reunified country. For sixteen years, until 2021, she directs the affairs of Europe's largest economy. During this time she steers the country through several major crises: the global financial crisis, the euro crisis and, especially defining, the reception of large numbers of refugees in 2015. Merkel is known for her sober, unflappable style, her analytical approach and her down-to-earth manner. Internationally she is regarded for years as one of the most influential politicians in the world. When she steps down voluntarily in 2021 after four terms, she leaves behind an era that many simply associate with her name.
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Germany's first female chancellor
She was also the first East German head of government of the reunified country.
💡 Did you know? When Merkel took office in 2005, no woman had led the German chancellery in 56 years of the Federal Republic.
2005 to 2021 (16 years)
She led four governments in total.
💡 Did you know? With 16 years in office, Merkel is among the longest-serving chancellors: level with her mentor Helmut Kohl.
physicist
Merkel earned a doctorate in quantum chemistry and worked as a scientist before entering politics after the fall of the Wall.
💡 Did you know? She worked at the Academy of Sciences in East Berlin.
East Germany (GDR)
She became politically active only after the fall of the Wall in 1989.
💡 Did you know? A pastor's daughter, Merkel grew up in East Germany: only the fall of the Wall in 1989 opened her path into politics.
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl brought the young East German into his cabinet as a minister and called her „my girl“: later she replaced him as party leader.
💡 Did you know? The media first called her "Kohl's girl": until she clearly distanced herself from him in a donations scandal.
CDU
For many years she was also the CDU's party leader.
💡 Did you know? Merkel led the CDU for 18 years and moved it firmly toward the political centre.
financial crisis, euro crisis, refugee crisis
Her handling of the reception of many refugees in 2015 particularly defined her time in office.
💡 Did you know? In the 2015 refugee crisis Merkel coined the phrase „We can do this“: still a contested symbol of her time in office.
sober and analytical
Merkel's sober, deliberate style earned her nicknames like „Mutti“ and the jokey „Merkel diamond“ hand gesture.
💡 Did you know? Internationally she was regarded for years as one of the most influential politicians in the world.
Foto: Raimond Spekking · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel (b. 1954) was Germany's first female chancellor from 2005 to 2021 and one of the most influential politicians in the world.
💡 Did you know? „Forbes“ magazine named Merkel the most powerful woman in the world more than ten times.
1954
Born: 17 July 1954 in Hamburg
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