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Angela Merkel

First female German chancellor and the first chancellor raised in the former East Germany.

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Angela Merkel

Ralf Roletschek · CC BY-SA 3.0 at

Angela Dorothea Kasner was born in the Eimsbüttel quarter of Hamburg, which was in West Germany, in 1954.[1][2] When she was three months old, her family moved to East Germany.[1][3]

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany. Image: DFID - UK Department for International Development · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Key facts and history

The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 served as the catalyst for Merkel's political career.[4] In 1994, she was promoted to Minister for the Environment and Nuclear Safety.[5] From 1973 to 1978, Merkel studied physics at Karl Marx University, Leipzig.[6] A doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) for her quantum chemistry thesis was awarded to her in 1986; following this, she engaged in research and authored multiple academic papers.[7]

Angela Merkel (2008)-2
Angela Merkel (2008)-2. Image: א (Aleph) · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Angela Merkel. Tallinn Digital Summit
Angela Merkel. Tallinn Digital Summit. Image: EU2017EE Estonian Presidency · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
12 03 06 cebit eroeffnung angela merkel
12 03 06 cebit eroeffnung angela merkel. Image: Ralf Roletschek · CC BY-SA 3.0 at · Wikimedia Commons

Lothar de Maizière appointed Merkel as deputy spokesperson for the government that was the last one before German reunification.[8] On 10 April 2000, the CDU elected Merkel as its Chairperson, making her the first woman to lead a German political party.[9] After the 2005 federal election, Merkel was chosen as chancellor, heading a grand coalition that included the CDU, CSU, and SPD.[10]

Angela Merkel, 9 dec 2019
Angela Merkel, 9 dec 2019. Image: Пресс-служба Президента Российской Федерации · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What the research sources say

A 2005 Globe and Mail article reported that Merkel's appointment of flat-tax proponent Paul Kirchhof to her campaign raised fears of economic reforms and caused her party to fall in the polls.[11] A 2018 France 24 article stated that Merkel ruled out any fast-track NATO membership for Georgia, saying "I do not see Georgia's prompt accession to NATO (membership), this is the position of Germany"[12] A 2024 Le Monde article noted that Merkel opted to retire after four terms, still so popular that both her party's candidate and the opposition candidate tried to claim her mantle.[13] A 2022 SWR article reported that Merkel set a condition for ceding the chancellorship candidacy to Stoiber: that she would become faction leader after the election.[14]

12 03 06 cebit eroeffnung angela merkel
12 03 06 cebit eroeffnung angela merkel. Image: Ralf Roletschek ( talk ) - Fahrradtechnik auf fahrradmonteur.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 at · Wikimedia Commons

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Angela Merkel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Miller, "The Secret to Germany's COVID-19 Success: Angela Merkel Is a Scientist", The Atlantic, 20 April 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Angela Merkel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Angela Merkel: Pfarrertochter aus Hamburg, Physikerin, Kanzlerin", Hamburger Abendblatt, 2009-09-27; "Altkanzlerin: Angela Merkel wird 70", ZDFheute, 2024-07-17; Langguth, "Angela Merkel", Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, August 2005, p. 10; "Kanzlerin Merkel hat polnische Wurzeln", Süddeutsche.de, 13 March 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Angela Merkel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Werner, "Who's Afraid of Angela Merkel?: The Life, Political Career, and Future of the New German Chancellor", International Journal, 1 December 2005; Werner, "Who's Afraid of Angela Merkel?: The Life, Political Career, and Future of the New German Chancellor", International Journal, 1 December 2005 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Angela Merkel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Huggler, "10 moments that define German chancellor Angela Merkel", The Daily Telegraph, 9 October 2015; Huggler, "10 moments that define German chancellor Angela Merkel", The Daily Telegraph, 9 October 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Angela Merkel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Weiland, "Kohls unterschätztes Mädchen", Der Spiegel, 30 May 2005; Packer, "The Astonishing Rise of Angela Merkel", 1 December 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Angela Merkel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Werner, "Who's Afraid of Angela Merkel?: The Life, Political Career, and Future of the New German Chancellor", International Journal, 1 December 2005 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Angela Merkel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Langguth, "Angela Merkel", DTV, August 2005, p. 109; Miller, "The Secret to Germany's COVID-19 Success: Angela Merkel Is a Scientist", The Atlantic, 20 April 2020; "Scopus preview – Merkel, Angela – Author details – Scopus", www.scopus.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Angela Merkel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Langguth, "Angela Merkel", DTV, August 2005, p. 112–137 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Angela Merkel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Qvortrup, "Angela Merkel: Europe's Most Influential Leader", The Overlook Press, 2016; Chase, "Bavaria's Christian Social Union: What you need to know", dw.com, 4 December 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Angela Merkel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Germany's Merkel begins new term", BBC, 28 October 2009; "German Chancellor Angela Merkel makes a hat-trick win in 2013 Elections"; Oltermann, "Angela Merkel faces multiple challenges in her fourth term", The Guardian, 14 March 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Saunders, "Popular flat-tax movement hits brick wall in Germany", The Globe and Mail, 14 September 2005. facts only, no text reused. theglobeandmail.com
  12. No fast-track NATO membership for Georgia: Merkel, France 24, 24 August 2018. facts only, no text reused. france24.com
  13. "In Germany, Angela Merkel's legacy is being re-evaluated critically", Le Monde, 12 October 2024. facts only, no text reused. web.archive.org
  14. "Angela Merkel lässt Edmund Stoiber Kanzlerkandidat werden", swr.online, 11 January 2022. facts only, no text reused. swr.de

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Angela Merkel (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Mecklenburg-VorpommernEurasiaRenewable energyPolandHeidelberg UniversitySquattingIraq WarNuclear power

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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