Historical Figure
Angela Merkel
b. 1954
Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021
Talk to Angela Merkel
Have a conversation with this historical figure through AI
Biography
Angela Dorothea Merkel is a German stateswoman and retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office and the only from former East Germany. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 2000 to 2018.
In Their Own Words (5)
From my point of view, a completely covered woman has almost no chance of integrating herself in Germany.
Speaking on the Radio Station Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, as quoted in "Angela Merkel says burqa incompatible with integration in society for Muslim women" by Callum Paton, International Business Times (19 August 2016). , 2016
The Freedom Bell in Berlin is, like the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, a symbol which reminds us that freedom does not come about of itself. It must be struggled for and then defended anew every day of our lives.'
Remarks by German Chancellor Angela Merkel before a joint session of Congress on November 04, 2009. , 2009
We can only shape a bright future if we are aware of Germany's enduring responsibility for the ultimate betrayal of all civilised values that was the Shoah.
Angela Merkel's speech about Holocaust (Shoah). , 2017
Freedom is the very essence of our economy and society. Without freedom the human mind is prevented from unleashing its creative force. But what is also clear is that this freedom does not stand alone. It is freedom in responsibility and freedom to exercise responsibility.
Remarks by German Chancellor Angela Merkel before a joint session of Congress on November 04, 2009. , 2009
Translation: The Islam belongs to Germany.
Merkel during a press conference with the turkish Minister Davutoğlu on January 13, 2015, "The Islam belongs to Germany: The background of one single sentence", January 13, 2015. , 2015
Timeline
The story of Angela Merkel, told in moments.
Born Angela Dorothea Kasner in Hamburg, West Germany. Weeks later, her father, a Lutheran pastor, does something unusual: he moves the family east, to Brandenburg in communist East Germany, to take a parish assignment.
Earns a doctorate in quantum chemistry from the Central Institute for Physical Chemistry in East Berlin. She's a member of the Free German Youth, the state's communist youth organization. She publishes research papers. She waits.
The Berlin Wall falls. Merkel is 35, a research scientist with no political experience. She walks into the office of a new democratic party within weeks. By the first free East German election in March 1990, she's deputy spokeswoman for the government.
Sworn in as Chancellor of Germany. First woman. First from the former East. She wins by the slimmest margin, building a grand coalition. Helmut Kohl, her mentor, once dismissed her as "the girl."
Opens Germany's borders to refugees fleeing Syria. Over a million arrive in a single year. "Wir schaffen das," she says. We can do this. It defines and nearly destroys her chancellorship. She doesn't reverse the decision.
Leaves office after 16 years and four terms. The longest-serving EU leader of her era. She'd navigated the Eurozone crisis, the refugee crisis, COVID-19, and Trump. A quantum chemist who became the most powerful woman in the world by being patient, methodical, and underestimated.
More from the Postwar
Explore what happened on the days that shaped Angela Merkel's life. Today In History connects historical figures with the events, births, and deaths that defined their era. Browse all historical figures or explore today's events.