
Angela Merkel
chancellor of Germany
Today, Angela Merkel ranks as the world's most powerful woman. You wouldn't know it from her humble demeanor, but the Soviet-educated chemist is not only the long-serving German head of state but also a major player in global politics.
She has chaired the G8 and been President of the European Council. She has led international efforts to address the global Financial Crisis and climate change. Sleep, quite famously, is not one of her top priorities.
Growing up under the political strictures of East Germany, Angela became an advocate for civil liberties + economic liberalism after the fall of the Berlin Wall. "Freedom," she says, "is the very essence of our economy and society."
understated power | a top world leader with mysterious reserve
uncanny political savvy | not known for charisma, but seems to make all the right moves and maintain a mass appeal that helped her rise quickly through the ranks of German politics
tolerance | vocal opposition to racism + anti-semitism in Germany
fighting climate change | greening Germany and leading international efforts to commit to lower emissions and support green tech + renewable energy
1991 | after winning her first election a year earlier, appointed Federal Minister for Women and Youth {and became the Environmental Minister 3 years later}
2005 | was the first woman appointed Federal Chancellor of Germany
2013 | sworn in for a third term as Chancellor after a definitive victory in which she earned 462 out of a possible 621 votes
from | to
Eastern Bloc research scientist ready for a revolution | the world's most powerful woman
born on
June 17, 1954
born in
Hamburg, Germany
birth name
Angela Dorothea Kasner
also known as
Chancellor
Federal Minister
Secretary-General
citizen of
Germany
daughter of
Horst Kasner + Herlind Jentzsch
grew up in
Templin
~ in East Germany ~
educated at | studied with
University of Leipzig
loved studying
physical chemistry
mathematics
married to
Ulrich Merkel
~ 1977 - 1982 ~
Joachim Sauer
~ 1998 - today ~
advocate for
balanced budgets...or austerity measures {depending how you look at it}
conservative economic policies
fair international regulatory frameworks
green tech + development
in her spare time
watches soccer
tweets
@Angela_Merkel
"Old habits, perquisites and inherited rights no longer guarantee success. The old hierarchies are being flattened...Resources, potentials and power can shift completely overnight."
Opening Address | january 2007
"Growth remains for all countries the basic prerequisite for achieving more employment, higher living standards and greater resource productivity. But growth is not an end in itself. It must be created equitably."
Opening Address | january 2007
"I'm convinced that the essence of globalization today provides the world with many more opportunities than risks."
Opening Address | january 2007
"Zero growth cannot and will not be the answer. Rather, the answer is greater innovation."
Opening Address | january 2007
"Freedom is the very essence of our economy and society. Without freedom the human mind is prevented from unleashing its creative force."
We Have No Time to Lose | november 2009
"Tolerance means showing respect for other people's history, traditions, religion and cultural identity. But let there be no misunderstanding: Tolerance does not mean 'anything goes'."
We Have No Time to Lose | november 2009
"Just as we found the strength in the 20th century to tear down a wall made of barbed wire and concrete, today we have the strength to overcome the walls of the 21st century, walls in our minds, walls of short-sighted self-interest, walls between the present and the future."
We Have No Time to Lose | november 2009
"Neither the chains of dictatorship nor the fetters of oppression can keep down the forces of freedom for long."
Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony | june 2011
"We do not want dynamism at any price, but dynamism that can withstand shocks."
Special Address | january 2013
"Speed is important, but it isn't everything. Democracy remains superior, partly because built-in checks and balances make it less prone to failure in the long term."
Angela Merkel on Europe: 'We Are All in the Same Boat' | june 2013
"I am regarded as a permanent delayer sometimes, but I think it is essential and extremely important to take people along and really listen to them in political talks."
remarks for the opening of a WWI exhibit at the German Historical Museum | may 2014
"What is needed is a turnaround, a global turnaround. Any delay will ultimately mean higher costs...That’s why, when those of us who want to push on with climate protection are talking about how much any action will cost, we also need to say how much inaction will cost."
at the Fifth Petersberg Climate Dialogue | july 2014
"The legitimate criticism of the political actions of a government is fine. But if it is only used as a cloak for one’s hatred against other people, then it is a misuse of our basic rights of freedom of opinion and assembly."
at Berlin rally to oppose increasing Anti-Semitism in Germany | september 2014
for further reading about Angela Merkel:
curated with care by Alicia Williamson {january 2015}
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Angela is the first former citizen of East Germany to lead a United Germany. Soon after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, she joined the Christian Democratic Union, becoming the party's leader in 2000 and Federal Chancellor in 2005. She's now in her 3rd term following a definitive electoral victory in 2013 ~ and, is on track to beat Margaret Thatcher's record as Europe's longest-serving female head of state!
Senate of Berlin {via Daniel Antal} | CC BY 2.0
Democratic Awakening | Demokratischer Aufbruch
Angela's first political position was spokesperson for the Democratic Awakening ~ an East German opposition movement that eventually merged with Angela's current party The Christian Democratic Union following reunification.
CDU | Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung | CC BY-SA 3.0
President Bush Welcomes Chancellor Merkel of Germany to the White House
Angela made a diplomatic visit to the US during her term as the Chair of the G8 and President of the European Council. The meeting with President George W. Bush was friendly in spite of the world-famous unsolicited back rub he gave her at the last G8 conference. The video of her horrified reaction to his attempt to knead her shoulders went viral.
White House photo by Paul Morse
Chancellor Merkel at the 5th Merkel at Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin
Angela has championed international cooperation to address climate change and helped organize the Petersberg Dialogue to make it happen. At its 5th meeting in July of 2014, she pledged $1 billion towards the UN's Green Climate Fund to aid developing countries in economic growth with less environmental impact. In Germany itself, her administration has invested heavily in green tech and renewable energy and led the way to put pressure on all countries to do the same.
German Government | picture alliance