An era is coming to an end in Germany. With the elections next Sunday, the Germans will say goodbye to Angela Merkel (67), who led her country through storms for 16 years and had a major impact on Europe.
Blick shows the impressions that Merkel has left.
Merkel and Switzerland
Your relationship with the small neighboring country is divided. In her private life, she loves the mountains, the silence and the tranquility that is afforded her on the cross-country ski trails in Pontresina GR. But at the political level, the mood was rather frosty. She paid an official visit only three times – sometimes disgruntled. Switzerland is politically too unimportant for her.
Merkel and the strong men
Putin, Berlusconi, Erdogan: Merkel had a calming effect on the autocratic ruling heads of state and government. The machos respected her both as a woman and as a competent, highly intelligent and committed politician. Only one had his trouble with her: US President Donald Trump (75). In the White House he refused her hand, at the G7 summit in Canada in 2018 he looked at her grimly. Images that have gone down in history.
Merkel and the refugees
“We make it!” With her welcoming culture from 2015, Merkel wanted to make up for the suffering that her country had inflicted on others decades ago. Her open arms raised hope in millions of migrants who flocked to Europe, took selfies with the Chancellor and named their babies after her. But: chaos and a strengthening of the AfD were the consequences. Merkel had to tighten her tone.
Merkel and fashion
Merkel’s style is not very creative, after all, she changes the color of her blazer every now and then. Fashion guru Giorgio Armani (87) raves: The style exudes calm self-confidence and gives a woman the opportunity to compete at eye level with men wearing suits. Once she caused a sensation: when she took part in the opening of the Oslo Opera House in 2008 with a wide-cut décolleté.
Merkel and the diamond
There is hardly a picture in which Merkel does not pose with her typical hand position. She consciously acquired her trademark to place her hands. Psychologists have analyzed Merkel’s diamond several times: It helps a person to center and concentrate. Apparently Merkel infected others, such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (67) and British ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown (70).
Merkel and the crises
The financial crisis, the euro crisis, the Syrian war, the annexation of Crimea, the Arab Spring, the refugee crisis, the corona pandemic and also the unsuccessful withdrawal from Afghanistan: Merkel will go down in history as the crisis chancellor against her will. As a master of procrastination, she has always succeeded in at least calming down delicate situations. But it did not bring visionary solutions.
Merkel and her legacy
Gigaprojects such as digitization and the planned energy transition fell by the wayside. Within the party, she missed building a successor. Now the CDU / CSU must tremble for the Chancellery. Merkel’s record is that she led Germany relatively calmly through contemporary history for 16 years. Their calm, credibility and mediating role contributed to the stability of Europe and the rest of the world.