Angela Merkel, the former German Chancellor, has been criticized for some of her decisions during her sixteen-year tenure (2005 to 2021). These include taking in more than a million asylum-seekers during the Syrian conflict, setting Germany on a path to a future without nuclear and fossil-fueled power, neglecting infrastructure renewal, and making Germany too dependent on Russian oil and gas. However, I don’t wish to discuss the merits of her political decisions. Instead, I would like to highlight that Angela Merkel was a rare politician who did not have an oversized ego.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, https://walled-in-berlin.com. Image by dianakuehn30010 from Pixabay
Merkel’s Strengths
During her 16 years in office, Merkel never suffered from an inflated sense of self-importance or let her ego get in the way of her judgment. She will be known for her humility, down-to-earth personality, and fact-based decision-making. Despite being a global diplomatic heavyweight, she remained unassuming and approachable. Merkel held meetings and received guests at the German Chancellery (The German equivalent of the White House). At the same time, she continued to live with her husband, Joachim Sauer, in the same apartment building they had lived in before she became chancellor. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when toilet paper became a sought-after commodity, she discouraged hoarding and refrained from doing so herself.
Brief History of Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel was raised in Soviet-controlled East Germany, studied chemistry, and started her career as a research chemist. One month after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, she joined the newly founded Democratic Awakening and became the party’s press spokesperson shortly thereafter. In early 1990, the party joined the Alliance for Germany, a coalition with the German Social Union and the Christian Democratic Union. Within 15 years, Merkel had become the Chancellor of Germany and, before long, the unofficial leader of the West.
Amidst a world in which many politicians prioritize power, influence, and notoriety, Merkel’s lack of egotism stands out as a rare quality. It is a trait that is considered old-fashioned by some and fondly remembered and appreciated by many as part of her legacy.
For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: Historical or current events, people, places or food.
Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall, and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
