On the 24th September, 2017, Angela Merkel was reelected as german chancellor, with her
party gaining most of the votes.
That will make it Merkels fourth term and it’s a good reason for us to look more deeply
into the life of a politician, who without doubt plays a major role worldwide.
At the time of her birth, 9 years after the end of world war 2, Germany was divided into
the socialist east and the capitalist west.
Even though those two countries were economically and politically separated, the border crossings
were still open, and between 1954 and 1961 over 3 million people used that opportunity
to escape to west Germany.
Merkels father was an evangelical Pastor in Hamburg.
But in 1954, just a few weeks after Merkel was born, the family made the unusual step
to move east, into a small village inside East Germany.
Merkels father had received a letter from the local evangelical church, that offered
him a pastorate.
And so he took the challenge to work as a priest in a country that persecuted the churches.
Especially in the early years of east Germany, the socialist state aggressively enforced
it’s atheist policy, for example by forbidding Merkels Mother Herlind to work as a teacher,
because her husband work in the church.
The socialist state also took harsher actions against those fleeing the country and in 1961
began with the construction of the Berlin Wall that made it impossible to cross the
border and escape.
Merkel:"The first political event during my childhood that I distinctly remember is the
building of the Berlin Wall 50 years ago."
"I was 7 years old at the time."
"Seeing the grown ups around me - even my parents - so stunned that they actually broke
out in tears was something that shook me to the core."
"My mothers family was seperated through the building of the wall."
Merkel was a student with excellent grades who began studying Physics at the Karl-Marx
University in Leipzig.
She later worked as scientist at the Academy of Sciences in East-Berlin, where she also
met her future husband.
October 7, 1989 - the east german regime has organized marches in east Berlin, to celebrate
the 40th anniversary of the socialist state.
Inside the Palace of the Republic, speeches are held and officials lift their glasses
in celebration just as if everything is normal.
Pretending not to hear the loud whistling sound that comes from outside.
Thousands of citizens have been demonstrating for weeks all over the country.
And on this day, they stand just outside the Palace.
Demanding change, freedom of travel and of expression.
TV Host:"Astonishing news from east germany.
Where the east german authorities have said in essence that the berlin wall doesnt mean
anything anymore."
On the 9th of November 1989, after 40 years of division, the Berlin wall collapsed and
the east german state with it.
And as this was the beginning of a new era in the history of Germany, it also marked
a new chapter in Angela Merkels life.
She began to publicly engage in politics and became a member of the christian democratic
party.
In 1990, the first unified german elections were held, in which she was elected to parliament
and shortly afterwards became minister under Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
In 1994 she became Minister for the environment and nuclear safety.
When Helmut Kohl lost elections against the Social Democrat Gerhard Schröder in 1998,
Merkel became the hope for a new beginning inside her party but was not able to become
candidate for chancellor until the year 2005 where in a spectacular close election she
defeated Schröder and became germanys first female chancellor.
"..was the worst day on wall street since the crash of 1987"
"What started in america last year has now spread to every part of the world"
"Were down 9 percent today, the DAX over in Frankfurt is down by 9 percent, the Paris
Market down by 9 percent."
"We're down over 16 percent" "Dow at the same time has fallen about 18
percent" "The stock market is now down 21 percent"
"Cause we're now down 43 percent".
Her first term was early on dominated by the International Financial Crisis hitting Europe
and the United States.
The german government bailed out failing banks and it kept the german auto industry, that
was heavily struggling amidst the crisis alive.
By implementing state subsidies to encourage people to buy new cars.
While the German economy recovered quickly after the crisis, there were problems in other
European states.
Most notably, Greece.
A country that was experiencing high growth rates ever since the Euro was adopted, but
also a country that was already heavily indebted before the financial crisis.
And when the markets collapsed, the state debt rose to an amount where people questioned
the countrys liquidity.
Together with other European countries, Germany was providing loans to the Greeks under the
European Stability Mechanism.
Merkel's course with Greece is to make future loans dependent on the governments willingness
to adopt reforms and to commit to fiscal austerity.
However those reforms are very unpopular inside greece and so far, the economy is still fragile.
While some see her positions as neccesery to keep the eurozone together, others have
strongly criticized the actions.
"There is this quant view that germany has the right economic model.
And everyone else has the wrong economic model.
And If everybody becomes like Germany the world would be a better Place".
"Exactly!"
"Which is wrong."
2015 was europes most turbulent year in recent history.
Consequences of war in Syria and Iraq can now also be seen in Europe, on one hand by
the cruel terrorist attacks by radical islamists.
And on the other hand by the many people that are fleeing from war as refugees.
After the horrible terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, Merkel stood
side by side with the Central Council of Muslims to hold a mourning ceremony at the Brandenburger
Gate.
With each month, the numbers of refugees who took the dangerous path across the Mediterranean
sea increased.
And while Hungary and other states were closing their borders, Merkel decided to accept refugees.
Throughout the year, 476,000 asylum applications were filed in Germany.
An increase of 135% compared with the previous year.
And while some praised Merkel for her steadfastness, others criticized her for dictating the course
for europe.
"What's happening with the respect to her position on refugees here, in europe, she
is on the right side of history on this."
"The Problem is not a european problem.
The problem is a german problem."
"I think what she did to Germany is a disgrace.
Is a disgrace.
It's a total disgrace."
Also In Germany, the opinions are divided.
During the course of the migrant crisis, a strong protest movement has emerged.
And ironically, Merkel faces the biggest opposition in East germany, where she comes from.
The result of that was seen in germanys federal election 2017, where Merkels Party, the CDU
here in grey, lost more than 8% and a new party, that has previously never been in the
german parliament, became third strongest power.
The AFD campaigned against the refugee politics of the current government.
And interestingly, a clear division between the east and west can be seen in the election
outcome.
Angela Merkel's party, however, is clearly the strongest one, and therefore she will
remain chancellor.
But the tasks in the future are not easier, both at home, where she has to find a way
to overcome the split of east and west, as well as internationally, where tensions are
high and the relationship with the US is worsening.
Angela Merkel will face though decisions.
And we will have to observe, how her story continues.
This video was not made to promote a certain opinion on the politics of Angela Merkel.
It was made to be a portrait of a politician who without doubt plays a major role worldwide.
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