Angela Merkel with Lothar de Maizière on the plane
Gallery of Angela Merkel
Jägerstraße 22-23, 10117 Berlin, Germany
In 1978, Angela Merkel joined the Central Institute for Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin-Adlershof, where she eventually earned a doctorate for her thesis on quantum chemistry in 1986.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
Augustusplatz 10, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
Angela Merkel studied Physics at the University of Leipzig from 1973 to 1978.
Career
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2005
Berlin, Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, takes the oath of office from President of the German Parliament Norbert Lammert, right, in the German Parliament in Berlin, Germany, in the Bundestag on November 22, 2005.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2010
Seoul, South Korea
German Chancellor Angela Merkel shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak during their summit meeting on November 11, 2010.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2010
Berlin, Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel poses with immigrant group delegates at the 4th summit on the integration of foreigners in Germany at the Chancellery (Bundeskanzleramt) on November 3, 2010.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2011
Berlin, Germany
Angela Merkel meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on September 29, 2018.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2011
Berlin, Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel poses for photographers on the bridge during an open house day at the Chancellery (Bundeskanzleramt) on August 21, 2011.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2012
Oslo, Norway
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Union President Herman Van Rompuy look at the menu prior as they sit with other guests for a working luncheon at the Gamle Logen hosted by Norway's Prime Minister for the European Union leaders while they attend the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony at Oslo City Hall on December 10, 2012.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2012
Oslo, Norway
European Union leaders applaud as German Chancellor Angela Merkel raises her hand with French President Francois Hollande during the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony at Oslo City Hall on December 10, 2012.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2012
Berlin, Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault at the Chancellery.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2012
Angela Merkel at the 2012 congress of the European People's Party (EPP).
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2013
Angela Merkel at the signing of the coalition agreement for the 18th election period of the Bundestag.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2014
Berlin, Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani depart after speaking to the media following talks at the Chancellery.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2014
Berlin, Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung speak to the media following talks at the Chancellery.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2014
Berlin, Germany
Vice Chancellor and Economy and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) arrive for the weekly German federal Cabinet meeting on August 20, 2014
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2015
Merkel with Petro Poroshenko and Joe Biden.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2016
Berlin, Germany
Merkel meets with Argentine President Mauricio Macri in Berlin in 2016.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2016
Hannover, Germany
Merkel with Barack Obama in Hannover, Germany.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2017
Sochi, Russia
Merkel with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2018
Salzburg, Austria
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks to the media at the conclusion of the summit of leaders of the European Union on September 20, 2018.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2020
Berlin, Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speak to the media before talks at the Chancellery during the coronavirus pandemic on July 14, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2020
Berlin, Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrive for a joint press statement before talks at the Chancellery during the novel coronavirus pandemic on July 14, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2020
Berlin, Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for the weekly government cabinet meeting on July 15, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2020
Brussels, Belgium
German Chancellor Angela Merkel talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and President of European Council Charles Michel during a European Union summit on July 17, 2020 in Brussels, Belgium.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2020
Brussels, Belgium
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for a European Union Summit on July 17, 2020 in Brussels, Belgium.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
2020
Brussels, Belgium
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for a European Union Summit on July 17, 2020 in Brussels, Belgium.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel receives Annual Economic Development Survey.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
Bonn, Germany
Angela Merkel at the International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel, Joachim Sauer and Marek Prawda
Gallery of Angela Merkel
1998
In November 1998 Angela Merkel was elected Secretary General of her party, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands, CDU).
Gallery of Angela Merkel
1995
Gorleben, Germany
Angela Merkel visited Gorleben as Minister for the Environment.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
1995
Angela Merkel
Gallery of Angela Merkel
1995
Angela Merkel
Gallery of Angela Merkel
1991
On January 18, 1991 Angela Merkel, then 36 years old, was sworn in as Federal Minister for Women and Youth in Chancellor Helmut Kohl's Cabinet.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
Merkel's first role in government was as minister for women and youth under Helmut Kohl.
Gallery of Angela Merkel
Helmut Kohl on the government bench in the Bundestag with Angela Merkel.
Achievements
Angela Merkel
Membership
Awards
Vision for Europe Award
2006
In 2006, Angela Merkel was awarded the Vision for Europe Award for her contribution toward greater European integration.
Karlspreis (Charlemagne Prize)
2008
Angela Merkel received the Karlspreis (Charlemagne Prize) in 2008 for distinguished services to European unity.
B'nai B'rith Award
2008
In March 2008, Angela Merkel received the B'nai B'rith Europe Award of Merit.
Jawaharlal Nehru Award
2011
On May 31, 2011, Angela Merkel received the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for the year 2009 from the Indian government.
Heinz Galinski Award
2012
Berlin, Germany
On November 28, 2012, Angela Merkel received the Heinz Galinski Award.
Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding
Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding
In November 1998 Angela Merkel was elected Secretary General of her party, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands, CDU).
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, takes the oath of office from President of the German Parliament Norbert Lammert, right, in the German Parliament in Berlin, Germany, in the Bundestag on November 22, 2005.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel poses with immigrant group delegates at the 4th summit on the integration of foreigners in Germany at the Chancellery (Bundeskanzleramt) on November 3, 2010.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel poses for photographers on the bridge during an open house day at the Chancellery (Bundeskanzleramt) on August 21, 2011.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Union President Herman Van Rompuy look at the menu prior as they sit with other guests for a working luncheon at the Gamle Logen hosted by Norway's Prime Minister for the European Union leaders while they attend the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony at Oslo City Hall on December 10, 2012.
European Union leaders applaud as German Chancellor Angela Merkel raises her hand with French President Francois Hollande during the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony at Oslo City Hall on December 10, 2012.
Vice Chancellor and Economy and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) arrive for the weekly German federal Cabinet meeting on August 20, 2014
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speak to the media before talks at the Chancellery during the coronavirus pandemic on July 14, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrive for a joint press statement before talks at the Chancellery during the novel coronavirus pandemic on July 14, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and President of European Council Charles Michel during a European Union summit on July 17, 2020 in Brussels, Belgium.
In 1978, Angela Merkel joined the Central Institute for Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin-Adlershof, where she eventually earned a doctorate for her thesis on quantum chemistry in 1986.
Angela Merkel is a German politician. She is best known as the first female chancellor of Germany and one of the "architects" of the European Union.
Background
Angela Merkel was born on July 17, 1954 in Hamburg, Germany. Her parents, Horst and Herlind Kasner, met in Hamburg, where her father was a theology student and her mother was a teacher of Latin and English. After completing his education, her father accepted a pastorate in Quitzow, Brandenburg, and the family relocated to East Germany (the then German Democratic Republic) just weeks after Merkel's birth.
Education
In 1957 Merkel with her family moved to Templin, where she studied at high school. She proved to be a good student and excelled in Russian and Mathematics. After completing her schooling she entered the University of Leipzig, where she studied Physics from 1973 to 1978.
In 1978, she joined the Central Institute for Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin-Adlershof. She eventually earned a doctorate for her thesis on quantum chemistry in 1986 and remained associated with the academy as a researcher until 1990.
Merkel holds an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Leipzig University, Radboud University Nijmegen, University of Szeged, Comenius University in Bratislava, University of Bern, Ghent University and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, University of Helsinki and Harvard University.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Merkel joined the newly founded Democratic Awakening and in February 1990 became the party's press spokesperson. That month the party joined the conservative Alliance for Germany, a coalition with the German Social Union (DSU) and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Several days prior to East Germany's first and only free election in March 1990, it was revealed that Democratic Awakening's chairman, Wolfgang Schnur, had been working as a Stasi informant for years. Although the news shook Alliance supporters, the coalition was victorious, and Democratic Awakening became part of the government, despite having won a mere 0.9 percent of the votes. Merkel became deputy spokesperson of the government of Lothar de Maizière (CDU). She joined the Christian Democratic Union in August 1990; that party merged with its western counterpart on October 1, the day before the reunification of Germany.
In the first postreunification election, in December 1990, Merkel won a seat in the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) representing Stralsund-Rügen-Grimmen. She was appointed minister for women and youth by Chancellor Helmut Kohl in January 1991. Kohl's choice of the young female political newcomer from East Germany appealed to several demographics and earned Merkel the nickname "Kohls Mädchen" ("Kohl's girl"). Maizière, who had become the Christian Democratic Union's deputy chairman after the eastern and western parties merged, resigned from his position on September 6, 1991, because of accusations of having worked for the Stasi. Merkel was elected to replace him in December of the same year. After the 1994 election Merkel became minister of environment, conservation, and reactor safety, and she presided over the first United Nations Climate Conference in Berlin in March-April 1995. In September 1998 the Christian Democratic Union was ousted by Gerhard Schröder and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Merkel was elected secretary-general of the Christian Democratic Union on November 7.
In late 1999 a finance scandal hit the Christian Democratic Union, and Kohl was implicated in the acceptance and use of illegal campaign contributions. In an open letter published on December 22, Merkel, Kohl's former protégée, called upon the party to make a fresh start without its honorary chairman. Merkel's stance greatly increased her visibility and popularity with the German public, although it upset Kohl loyalists. On April 10, 2000, Merkel was elected head of the Christian Democratic Union, becoming the first woman and the first non-Catholic to lead the party. As the Christian Democratic Union leader, Merkel faced the lingering effects of the finance scandal and a divided party. Although Merkel had hoped to stand as a candidate for chancellor in the 2002 election, a majority of her party expressed a preference for Edmund Stoiber of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Christian Democratic Union's sister party in Bavaria. After the Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union narrowly lost the election, Merkel became leader of the opposition.
As support for the Social Democratic Party of Germany wavered, Schröder called for an early general election to be held in September 2005, and the result was a virtual stalemate. The Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union won 35.2 percent of the votes, besting the ruling Social Democratic Party of Germany by just 1 percent. Both parties sought allies in an attempt to form a government, but months of negotiations proved fruitless. Eventually, the Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union and the Social Democratic Party of Germany settled on a "grand coalition" government with Merkel at its head. On November 22, 2005, Merkel took office as chancellor, becoming the first woman, the first East German, and, at age 51, the youngest person to date to hold the office.
Her mandate was emphatically renewed in parliamentary elections held on September 27, 2009. The Social Democratic Party of Germany posted its worst performance since 1949, and Merkel was able to form a government with her preferred partner, the classical liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP).
In the September 2013 federal election, the Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union alliance won an impressive victory, capturing nearly 42 percent of the vote - just short of an absolute majority. However, because her coalition partner, the Free Democratic Party, failed to reach the 5 percent threshold for representation, Merkel faced the prospect of forming a government with either the Social Democratic Party of Germany or the Green Party, both of whom were likely to be reluctant partners. After more than two months of negotiations, Merkel secured an agreement with the Social Democratic Party of Germany to form another grand coalition government. On December 17 she became Germany's third three-time chancellor in the postwar era (after Konrad Adenauer and Kohl).
Angela Merkel is a Lutheran member of the Evangelical Church in Berlin, Brandenburg, and Silesian Upper Lusatia, a United Protestant church body under the umbrella of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD).
In 2012, Merkel said: "I am a member of the evangelical church. I believe in God and religion is also my constant companion, and has been for the whole of my life. We as Christians should above all not be afraid of standing up for our beliefs."
Angela also said that Germany suffers not from "too much Islam" but "too little Christianity".
Politics
On the eve of the war in Iraq, Angela Merkel expressed support for the United States and the coalition of the willing in their policy towards Iraq. During her visit to the United States, as an opposition leader, she criticized the foreign policy of the federal government. In her speech to the German Bundestag on March 19, 2003, Merkel announced that the CDU supports the issuance of an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein, which became "the last chance to keep the peace." She called on the federal government to follow this example in order to "actually prevent a war in Iraq."
Merkel is a participant in the group on the resolution of the situation in eastern Ukraine and the implementation of the Minsk Protocol.
In foreign policy, Angela Merkel is known for her unconditional support for European values, focusing on rapprochement with the United States as a strategic partner to guarantee peace and stability in Europe. She has repeatedly criticized Gerhard Schroeder for his "excessive" friendship with Vladimir Putin and announced that she would take a tougher stance towards Russia if she were elected to the post of chancellor. However, after Merkel took over the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, Russian-German relations initially did not undergo any significant changes.
During the political crisis in Ukraine, the subsequent annexation of Crimea to Russia and the war in Donbas, Merkel expressed her disapproval of Russia's actions in Ukraine. In her opinion, the criminal annexation of Crimea, which violates international law, and the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine seriously undermined Russian-German relations. Merkel is a supporter of the introduction and prolongation of sanctions against Russia, which led to counter-sanctions by the Russian authorities.
Since the end of 2000, Merkel has been trying to introduce the concept of a new social market economy based on the well-known term socially-oriented market economy. By August 27, 2001, the CDU Presidium Commission, chaired by Merkel, developed a discussion draft. It was adopted in December 2001 by the federal congress of the party in Dresden and became the party's program document.
Merkel's style of government has been characterized by pragmatism. She demonstrated her willingness to adopt the positions of her political opponents if they proved to be sensible and popular. One notable example of that was Merkel's decision to phase out nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima accident in 2011 after having passed a law to prolong the operating life of Germany's nuclear power plants only two years earlier. Merkel's handling of the euro-zone debt crisis, on the other hand, led to criticism of an approach many considered too strict.
Views
Merkel was not willing to call herself a feminist 10 years ago. She said: "I consider women like Alice Schwarzer to be feminists. Or Marie Juchacz, who together with others fought for women's suffrage 100 years ago and won. I don't want to seek out false praise. They fought all their lives for women's rights in ways that I cannot claim to have done myself. As a woman, I of course also had to find my way like any other, so that one day we would really find our way to gender parity...Parity in all areas just seems logical to me. That's not something I have to constantly bring up."
Merkel also said: "At the G-20 Women's Summit, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands found a definition of feminism that I can endorse: For her, it's feminism if I am in favor of men and women having the same life opportunities."
Merkel acknowledges the double standard that exists in politics. According to her, for a man, it's no problem at all to wear a dark blue suit a hundred days in a row, but if she wears the same blazer four times within two weeks, the letters start pouring in.
Angela Merkel is considered to be a supporter of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and the use of nuclear power plants to generate electricity.
Quotations:
"When it comes to human dignity, we cannot make compromises."
"Climate change knows no borders. It will not stop before the Pacific islands and the whole of the international community here has to shoulder a responsibility to bring about a sustainable development."
"Germany has become a country that many people abroad associate with hope."
"The euro is our common fate, and Europe is our common future."
"This multicultural approach, saying that we simply live side by side and live happily with each other has failed. Utterly failed."
"At German unification, we were lucky to get so much help from West Germany. Now, we have the good fortune of being able to help each other in Europe."
"Today's Russia is not to be compared with the Soviet Union of back then."
"This inclination to hoard is deeply ingrained in me because in the past, in times of scarcity, you took what you could get."
"Politicians have to be committed to people in equal measures."
"Nobody in Europe will be abandoned. Nobody in Europe will be excluded. Europe only succeeds if we work together."
"To grow up in the neighborhood of handicapped people was an important experience for me. I learned back then to treat them in a very normal way."
"Especially in a very secular world, we should always stress what is common in the Christian religion."
Membership
Merkel participated in the state's youth organizations. She was a member of the Young Pioneers. She also was a member of the Free German Youth (FDJ), the official communist youth movement sponsored by the ruling Marxist-Leninist Socialist Unity Party of Germany.
Personality
Angela Merkel is a fervent football fan. She listened to games while in the Bundestag and attended games of the national team in her official capacity. Her favorite movie is The Legend of Paul and Paula. Merkel has a fear of dogs after being attacked by one in 1995.
Merkel is wary of modern technology. To communicate with her subordinates, she uses cellular communication, sending several dozen SMS a day. Angela does not use e-mail but reads the news using iPad.
Physical Characteristics:
Angela Merkel is 165 centimeters (5 feet 5 inches) tall. She has blue eyes and light brown hair.
Since 2017 Merkel has been noticed shaking on several public occasions, recovering shortly afterwards. She attributed the shaking to dehydration, saying that she felt better after a drink of water. After three occasions, she began to sit down during the performances of the national anthems during the State visits of Mette Frederiksen and Maia Sandu the following month.
Quotes from others about the person
Jean-Marc Ayrault: "I think when she focuses on this principle of the right to asylum, she is morally and politically correct."
Hillary Clinton: "One of my favorites is Angela Merkel because I think she's been an extraordinary, strong leader during difficult times in Europe, which has obvious implications for the rest of the world and, most particularly, our country... her bravery in the face of the refugee crisis is something that I am impressed by."
Interests
gardening, reading and traveling
Philosophers & Thinkers
Marie Curie
Politicians
Ludwig Erhard
Writers
Reiner Kunze
Sport & Clubs
football
Music & Bands
classical music; Wagner and Gustav Mahler
Connections
In 1977 at the age of 23, Angela Kasner married physics student Ulrich Merkel and took his surname. The marriage ended in divorce in 1982. Her second and current husband is quantum chemist and professor Joachim Sauer, who has largely remained out of the media spotlight. The couple married privately on 30 December 1998. Angela has no children, but Sauer has two adult sons from a previous marriage.
Angela Merkel: Europe's Most Influential Leader
Angela Merkel: Europe's Most Influential Leader combines the narrative of Merkel's life with a vivid account of German history from 1945 to the present day, featuring cameo appearances by Willy Brandt, Konrad Adenauer, and Helmut Kohl. At a time when Merkel is the chief representative of the west in the negotiations with Putin over Ukraine, she is also the woman who holds the keys to British membership of the European Union. Anyone interested in our time, in the politics of today, should read this lively account of the woman with a doctorate in quantum physics who has become the undisputed queen of Europe.
2016
Angela Merkel: The Chancellor and Her World
This authorized biography sheds light on the person behind the politician - from her youthful days of hitchhiking in Tbilisi to being the guest of honour at a White House state dinner - and examines how a girl from East Germany rose to the highest echelons of European power. As well as explaining how Angela Merkel's world view was shaped and influenced by her background and ideology, Stefan Kornelius's lively account discusses her personal relations with international counterparts such as David Cameron, Barack Obama or Vladimir Putin, as well as her attitude towards the countries and cultures over which they rule.
2013
Angela Merkel: A Chancellorship Forged in Crisis
Angela Merkel: A Chancellorship Forged in Crisis is the definitive new biography of the world's most powerful woman. Delving into Merkel's past, the authors explain the motives behind her drive to remake Europe for the age of globalization, her economic role models and the experiences under communism that color her decisions. For the first time in English, Merkel is fully placed in her European context. Through exclusive interviews with leading policy makers and Merkel confidants, the book reveals the behind-the-scenes drama of the crisis that came to dominate her chancellorship, her prickly relationship with the United States and admiration for Eastern Europe.
2013
Becoming Madam Chancellor: Angela Merkel and the Berlin Republic
The first English-language scholarly book to provide an in-depth account of Angela Merkel's career and influence, examining her achievements across six key policy domains, contextualizing these within broader German history, and uncovering the personal and political factors that have contributed to Merkel's status as the world's most powerful woman.
Angela Merkel on Life, World Affairs, and Germany
The most powerful woman in the world, Angela Merkel has been the Chancellor of Germany since 2005 and leader of the Christian Democratic Party from 2000 to 2018. Germany's leader is a fascinating powerhouse. What follows are quotes spoken by Merkel on all aspects of her life, what is going on in the world, and her homeland, Germany. Each quote is attributed to its original source so the reader can see it was spoken by Merkel. As a bonus, the readers will also find a collection of quotes about Merkel spoken by those who know her best.
Angela Merkel: The Short Biography of a Long Rise to Power
This book aims to close the gap between the bite-sized sources of information and the long biographies. As the subtitle suggests, this short biography concentrates on the early period, partly shrouded in mystery, up to arrival in Germany's chancellery.
2015
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel - A Short Biography
Angela Merkel is a German politician best known as the first female chancellor of Germany and one of the "architects" of the European Union. Trained as a physicist, Merkel entered politics after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. Rising to the position of chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union Party, Merkel became Germany's first female chancellor following the 2005 national elections. Merkel is a prominent figure within the European Union and has helped turn Germany into one of the world's leading nations.