This Day in History: 22 November 2020
22 November 2005
15 years ago, today, Angela Merkel became the Chancellor of Germany, marking her as the first woman to hold the position. She also serves as the 'de facto' leader of the European Union. Educated and raised in East Germany, she earned a doctorate in quantum chemistry and worked as a research scientist. She only entered politics after the fall of the Berlin Wall. After serving as a spokesperson for the caretaker East German government, she was elected to the Bundestag in the first election after unification in 1990. When Helmut Kohl's Christian Democratic Union was voted out in 1998, Merkel became the party's Secretary-General, then its Leader.
Her time in power had been characterised by her desire for a strong EU. However, she generated criticism from the left after the 2008 financial crisis, as people viewed Germany as imposing severe measures upon Greece. She also made the controversial announcement in 2015 that Germany would process asylum applications for Syrian refugees and those forced out of Hungary. Merkel also held good relations with American Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. She is currently the longest-tenured head of government in Europe and has emerged as one of the strongest forces in European politics over the last decade, being called the most powerful woman in the world.
Want to find out more about Angela Merkel? Click here for more information, or here for more about her rise to power.
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