From "Kohl's little girl" to "German mother" and "European grandmother", Merkel responded to the choice of fate in 16 years. "In Germany, an entire generation knows only one female leader, her name is Merkel," the BBC said. Under the aura of politics, what kind of person is Merkel? What did she bring to the world and what did she leave behind?
On October 26, German Acting Chancellor Angela Merkel received a "discharge certificate" from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Pictured from Reuters
According to CCTV news, on October 26, Merkel officially resigned from the position she had been in for nearly 16 years. She has become the second-longest-serving chancellor in German history and will effectively remain at the helm until a new government is formed.
An article in der Spiegel, titled "Nearly Great Prime Minister," was presented by Beijing Youth Daily as "an accident in history", namely "a woman from East Germany who wants to help the West through a major crisis.".
Indeed, Merkel's 16 years in power were a veritable era of crisis: she led Germany and Europe through major challenges such as the financial crisis, the European debt crisis, the refugee wave, Brexit, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
No matter what kind of Germany and the European Union she will leave behind, as Zhao Junjie, a researcher at the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, Merkel has made great contributions to Germany's economic and social prosperity, to the process of European integration, and to improving the participation and international image of Europe in international affairs.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="13" > the fall of the Berlin Wall awakened the German "Iron Lady"</h1>
Angela Kasner (Merkel's original surname) was born in Hamburg, West Germany in 1954, and her family moved to East Germany shortly after her birth.
In 1961, when Merkel was 7 years old, Berlin built the "Berlin Wall". Merkel says she remembers everyone crying — her first awareness of politics.
In 1973, Merkel entered the University of Leipzig to study physics, and in 1986 received a doctorate in physics. During college, she married her classmate Ulrich Merkel. Although the marriage lasted only 4 years, she retained the surname of "Merkel", which later became famous around the world.
On November 9, 1989, the great wheel of history suddenly turned and the "Berlin Wall" collapsed. Merkel once described the scene this way: on her way home, following the crowd, she suddenly found herself standing in West Germany. "I couldn't believe it, a door suddenly opened." "In those months 30 years ago, I experienced firsthand that nothing is impossible to change."
It was this upheaval that awakened many years of political ambition in Merkel's heart, and she chose to say goodbye to her status as a scientist. Merkel, 35, stands in front of the recently formed small party, The Democratic Awakening.
A year later, she accompanied lothar de Mezier, the last Chancellor of East Germany, on a visit to Britain to meet Margaret Thatcher. Today, the political rookie of that year is compared to Margaret Thatcher, becoming the second "Iron Lady" to change Europe and influence the world.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="116" > from "Kohl's little girl" to "German mother"</h1>
After German reunification in 1990, Merkel's Democratic Awakening Party was regrouped in a series of reorganizations and merged into the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the ruling party in post-reunification Germany. Merkel was successfully elected to the Federal Parliament.
Merkel is highly regarded by CDU president Helmut Kohl. After German reunification, Kohl became the first chancellor and appointed Merkel as Minister for Women and Youth. Four years later, Merkel was named environment minister. Merkel gradually gained a foothold in German politics. Because Cole once used "little girl" to call Merkel, "Cole's little girl" became one of the media's names for Merkel.
But in 1999, Cole was embroiled in a "political contribution" scandal that dragged the CDU into a quagmire. Merkel, who was already at the top of the CDU at the time, commented on an article and publicly cut with Kohl.
Merkel's maneuver dealt Cole a fatal blow, and under pressure Kohl resigned as honorary chairman of the CDU. Merkel's political prowess was thus revealed. In 2000, Merkel was elected CDU leader with 96 percent of the vote, taking the post of Chancellor of Germany.
In the 2005 election, Merkel became Germany's first female chancellor and has since been re-elected for three consecutive terms, lasting 16 years. And as Merkel's popularity grew, no one called her "little girl." At the height of her political prestige, the German media even called her "German Mother."
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="117" > "Crisis Prime Minister" and "European Helmsman"</h1>
After 2005, Germany experienced an "economic miracle" and quickly emerged from the European debt crisis, and its performance in Europe was unique. Low unemployment and stable fiscal surpluses stand in stark contrast to other countries, with Germany having become "indispensable" in Europe and Merkel herself seen as the de facto "head" of the EUROPEAN Union.
Merkel has said she wants to make the EU the third force in the new world order outside of China and the United States. However, the pace of European integration has not been as smooth as Merkel imagined.
The 2007 global financial crisis, the subsequent European debt crisis, the 2015 refugee crisis, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic... "Crisis Chancellor" became another label for Merkel. Asked at her last summer press conference in July, she felt about the title of "Prime Minister in Crisis," Ms. Merkel said: "It's certainly easier if there's no crisis in life, but when it comes, it has to be dealt with." ”
"The domestic policies of one country alone cannot overcome the challenges we face, and we can overcome them only as part of the international community, as demonstrated on climate issues – a revelation that has been throughout my tenure." Merkel said.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="118" > the regrets and consequences of the "European grandmother"</h1>
Merkel, who has a steady ruling style, has indeed injected a stable shot in the arm into all of Europe.
According to the Beijing Business Daily, the French "Echo" once called Merkel the "grandmother of Europe", because Germany has regained its footing on the international stage under Merkel's leadership, and Merkel has also made the EU more independent and autonomous in its relations with the United States. Therefore, Merkel is not only the helmsman of Europe's largest economic power, but also the "grandmother" of the whole of Europe.
But Merkel, while stable, has also been accused of "lack of innovation." Ding Chun, director of the Center for European Studies at Fudan University, said frankly, for example, in the mistakes of the refugee crisis, the ineffective response to climate change, and the relatively passive promotion of reform. Merkel's waiver of re-election may also have something to do with these critical voices.
The refugee issue became a watershed in Merkel's ruling career. After experiencing the partition of East and West Germany, Merkel once said in a speech that "the soul of Europe is tolerance."
A group of refugees arrives at the Munich railway station in Germany Source: The Daily Telegraph
In August 2015, Merkel announced that the borders would be opened to allow Syrian and other Middle Eastern refugees to take refuge in Germany, and within months hundreds of thousands of refugees had poured into Germany. In Bavaria, for example, each refugee receives a free residence and 300 euros per month as long as they complete the registration process.
But what followed was the frequency of cultural clashes and violent crimes, which sparked discontent from all walks of life in Germany, including CDU insiders, who demanded that Merkel adjust her refugee policy, such as setting a cap on the number of people and raising the threshold for asylum. In the 2017 election, she led the CDU with the lowest percentage of the vote in nearly 70 years, at 32.9 percent. Germany was then in a long rut for the presidency, with Merkel not being elected chancellor for the fourth time until March of the following year.
The German political scientist Pazzert once commented: "Overall, merkel's CDU was very successful, but the reason why it was ultimately overshadowed was that Merkel was too stubborn to recognize that the biggest danger facing the CDU was the rise of another party." ”
Merkel's farewell is a foregone conclusion, but for Germany, the future is still uncertain.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="119" > "ironclad" Merkel "flowing water" of the US president</h1>
In her 16 years in power, Merkel has visited the United States a total of 23 times and dealt with four U.S. presidents.
When Merkel took office in 2005, U.S.-Germany relations were in the midst of an "ice age." During the 2003 Iraq War, then-German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder openly objected. As the leader of the opposition, Merkel chose to support the United States despite domestic public opinion.
Reuters infographic
After Merkel came to power, German-American relations improved significantly. Both George W. Bush and Obama see Germany as an important partner in foreign policy. In an interview with German media earlier this year, George W. Bush also said he was "quite compatible" with Merkel.
But in terms of core interests, there are differences between Germany and the United States, and they are also doomed to the twists and turns of German-American relations.
With Trump in office, German-U.S. relations have fallen to a low point. Punitive tariffs, withdrawals from Germany, Nord Stream-2 projects, support for Brexit... CnN even reported that Trump called Merkel "stupid" during a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy.
On January 20 this year, Biden officially assumed the 46th president of the United States. Soon after taking office, the signal was sent to "seek to revive the transatlantic alliance with Germany." In July, Merkel became the first European leader to visit the White House since Biden took office, discussing bilateral relations and regional and global issues.
After Merkel, how did the relationship between Germany and Germany go? It remains to be left to the future.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="120" bid farewell to Merkel > and was praised by many leaders</h1>
At an official ceremony at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, on October 26, President Steinmeier called Merkel's reign "one of the greatest periods in Germany's modern history."
The president also said Merkel was credited with the fact that Europe did not "break up". Her time in power defined Germany's image in the world and the image of an entire generation of young Germans.
Source: The Guardian
On October 22, German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the last EU summit and received a standing salute from the leaders of the 26 EU countries. The leaders of the world told Merkel: "You are a monument. ”
In his speech, European Council President Michel stressed that the EU summit without Merkel is like "Rome without the Vatican or Paris without the Eiffel Tower". As a farewell gift, Merkel received a work of art based on the building where the EU summit was held.
Video screenshots
According to Jimu News, a video recorded by former US President Barack Obama was also played at the meeting. In the video, he praised Merkel for her role as a "firm" moral compass and years of good collaboration. "A lot of people, girls and boys, men and women, have a role model to look up to when they're in trouble," Obama said. Personality, he added, Merkel may be more willing to work at the EU summit than be in the spotlight like this.
On August 20, during Merkel's last visit to Russia during her tenure, Putin presented Merkel with a bouquet of flowers. According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, "No politician on the global stage has been so good at getting along with each other for such a long time." ”
According to CCTV News, on October 13, Chinese state leaders held a video meeting with Merkel. In a friendly atmosphere, the two sides reviewed the recent development of Sino-German and China-EU relations and exchanged in-depth views on relevant issues. At the meeting, Chinese leaders said that we have conducted in-depth exchanges on bilateral relations, major international and regional issues, and experience in governing the country on many occasions, which have jointly promoted the development of bilateral relations and promoted Sino-German cooperation to cope with global challenges. He also said: "You are an old friend of the Chinese people, you are also about to step down as Chancellor of Germany, Chinese is very serious, we will not forget our old friends, China's door is open to you at any time." You are welcome to come to China to take a look around after you leave office, and you can also go wherever you want to go, and I hope that you will continue to care about and support the development of Sino-German and Sino-European relations. Merkel, on the other hand, said, "I remember every interaction we've had for more than a decade." We had frank and in-depth exchanges on issues of common concern, enhanced mutual understanding, and promoted the good development of German-Chinese relations and EU-China cooperation. ”