Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel
Name	Angela Merkel
Caption	Merkel in 2019
Office	Chancellor of Germany
Term start	22 November 2005
Term end	8 December 2021
President	Horst Köhler, Christian Wulff, Joachim Gauck, Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Vicepresident	Franz Müntefering, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Guido Westerwelle, Philipp Rösler, Sigmar Gabriel, Olaf Scholz
Predecessor	Gerhard Schröder
Successor	Olaf Scholz
Office1	Leader of the Christian Democratic Union
Term start1	10 April 2000
Term end1	7 December 2018
Predecessor1	Wolfgang Schäuble
Successor1	Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer
Birth name	Angela Dorothea Kasner
Birth date	17 July 1954
Birth place	Hamburg, West Germany
Party	Christian Democratic Union (1990–present)
Otherparty	Democratic Awakening (1989–1990)
Spouse	Ulrich Merkel, (1977–1982), Joachim Sauer, (1998–present)
Alma mater	Leipzig University, German Academy of Sciences at Berlin
Profession	Quantum chemist

Angela Merkel served as the Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021, becoming the first woman to hold the office. A former research scientist, she rose to lead the Christian Democratic Union and formed a series of grand coalitions with the Social Democratic Party of Germany. Her tenure was defined by navigating the Eurozone crisis, the European migrant crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.

Early life and education

Angela Dorothea Kasner was born in Hamburg in then-West Germany, before her family moved to Templin in the German Democratic Republic. Her father, Horst Kasner, was a Lutheran pastor, and her early life was shaped within the Protestant Church in Germany. She demonstrated academic prowess in mathematics and languages at the Erweiterte Oberschule in Templin. Merkel studied physics at Leipzig University, graduating in 1978, and later earned a doctorate in quantum chemistry in 1986 from the German Academy of Sciences at Berlin. She worked as a researcher at the Central Institute for Physical Chemistry in Berlin-Adlershof until the Peaceful Revolution of 1989.

Political career

Merkel's political engagement began after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when she joined the new party Democratic Awakening. Following German reunification, she was recruited into the Christian Democratic Union by its chairman, Helmut Kohl, who later appointed her as Minister for Women and Youth in his government. After the 1998 election defeat, she was elected Secretary General of the CDU. Following a party financing scandal involving Kohl, Merkel was elected Leader of the CDU in 2000, also serving as Leader of the Opposition to Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.

Chancellor of Germany

After the 2005 federal election resulted in a stalemate, Merkel negotiated a grand coalition with the SPD and was elected Chancellor of Germany. Her chancellorship saw four terms, marked by coalition governments with the FDP and the SPD. Key domestic policies included the Energiewende (energy transition), the abolition of conscription, and the legalization of same-sex marriage. She steered Germany through the Great Recession and the subsequent European debt crisis, advocating for austerity measures alongside support for institutions like the European Stability Mechanism. Her government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany involved large-scale economic stimulus and lockdowns.

Foreign policy

Merkel's foreign policy was characterized by a strong commitment to the European Union and NATO, while maintaining a pragmatic relationship with Russia under Vladimir Putin. She played a central role in negotiations during the Eurozone crisis, often working closely with François Hollande of France. A defining moment was her 2015 decision to keep German borders open during the European migrant crisis, welcoming over a million refugees, primarily from Syria. She was a key figure in the Minsk Protocol negotiations following the War in Donbas and was a critic of the Trump administration's policies, while later coordinating Western responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personal life and public image

Merkel is married to Joachim Sauer, a professor of chemistry at the Humboldt University of Berlin. She has no children and is known for a private, disciplined lifestyle. Her public image, often referred to as "Mutti" (Mom), evolved into one of a reliable, crisis-managing leader. She is a member of the Evangelical Church in Berlin, Brandenburg and Silesian Upper Lusatia and is fluent in German, Russian, and English. Merkel received numerous accolades, including being named Time Person of the Year in 2015 and topping Forbes' list of the world's most powerful women multiple times.

Post-chancellorship

Following her retirement from politics after the 2021 election, Merkel has largely remained out of the public spotlight. She declined a role with the United Nations and has focused on writing her memoirs. She has given few interviews but made a notable statement in 2023 criticizing Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine. She was awarded the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award in 2022 for her leadership during the refugee crisis. Her political legacy continues to be debated within the CDU and across Europe.

Category:Angela Merkel Category:Chancellors of Germany Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany