Angela Merkel’s first principles
The former chancellor’s memoir Freedom reveals how her childhood in East Germany helped forge a doctrine of moral decency and…
ByAngela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is a German former politician and scientist. She was the chancellor of Germany between 2005 and 2021, Leader of the Opposition between 2002 and 2005 and Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) between 2000 and 2018. She was the first female chancellor of Germany. In 1986 she obtained a doctorate in quantum chemistry. Here you can find all of our latest news, analysis and comment about Angela Merkel.
“Merkel’s Russia policy was pure appeasement”
Roderich Kiesewetter, a leading MP in the former chancellor’s CDU, on how his party helped embolden Vladimir Putin to invade…
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Divisions over Ukraine are exposing the incoherence of German foreign policy
The departure of Christine Lambrecht is part of a longer trail of woe in the country's defence ministry.
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Angela Merkel’s failures serve as a warning to British leaders
The former German chancellor’s short-termism created an unsustainable economic model. Will the UK avoid the same trap?
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One year in, has Germany’s traffic-light coalition “dared more progress”?
Olaf Scholz’s progressive government has been strong domestically but mixed abroad.
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In the grip of overlapping crises, Europe faces a leadership vacuum
Emmanuel Macron is a lame duck, Mario Draghi is leaving office and Olaf Scholz is hesitant. Who will step up…
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Germany must abandon its debt brake to make up for the lost Merkel years
Only by getting rid of the constitutional limit on new debt can Germany properly invest in itself and complete its…
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Angela Merkel’s self-justification on Russia does not add up
History will judge harshly her doctrine of passivity towards Vladimir Putin.
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“Merkel’s policy of not arming Ukraine failed”: top CDU official on Germany and Russia
Jürgen Hardt, the foreign affairs spokesperson for Germany’s main opposition party, also blames Olaf Scholz for not being hard enough.
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The Berlin elite’s Ukraine dilemma
After promising a sea-change in German foreign policy — a Zeitenwende — Olaf Scholz is reverting to type.
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Angela Merkel’s most important legacy: her civility
When politics becomes war, democracies stop working.
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Principled, powerful and precise – Angela Merkel is everything Boris Johnson could never be
It’s impossible to imagine Merkel indulging in puerile slanging matches with the French, seeking to curb the judiciary, or breaking…
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Merkel bows out but don’t expect drastic change in Germany
The incoming chancellor Olaf Scholz is likely to maintain Angela Merkel’s pragmatic style of governing.
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A progressive new government takes shape in Germany
Olaf Scholz’s three-party talks conclude with a promising coalition deal.
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The crisis of German conservatism
The crushing defeat of Angela Merkel's party in last month's election made it clear that the centre-right is facing an…
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What does France want from the 2021 German election?
Paris fears that prolonged coalition talks could leave Germany without a designated government for months.
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The Fateful Chancellor: What the end of the Merkel era means for the world
Angela Merkel steered Europe through crisis after crisis, but leaves a mountain of unfinished business. How will she be remembered?
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Leader: The choice facing Germany
A two-party coalition of the Social Democrats and the Greens would be the best outcome for Germany at a defining…
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The Merkel paradox: how the chancellor’s strengths weakened Germany
The era-defining leader is now leaving Germany in a position of strategic weakness.
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The SPD’s surge reveals the essence of the German election: the search for Merkel 2.0
Olaf Scholz, the SPD candidate, is by far the most popular of Merkel’s potential successors – and the one who…
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