Daring, audacious, bold-- those are just some of the words Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel has been called by her peers and the global press days before the German election which she won in a personal landslide victory today Sunday 22nd, September.
Arguably Merkel has rose to become the most powerful female politician of all time. Her success in this election means that by 2016 she will have become the longest-serving elected female head of government in history. The original "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher, who served Britain for 11 years as prime minister, currently holds this record.
Merkel's rise from political obscurity to the highest publicly elected office in Germany is a captivating tale. Born in West Germany, her father Horst Kasner, a Lutheran pastor moved the family in 1957 to the small town of Templin in East Germany shortly before the erection of the Berlin Wall.
Growing up under communist rule in East Germany would have had a strong impact on the future chancellor. While she has often said she was never interested in the politics of the new state, her world view was shaped by her surroundings. The restrictions and ever-present secret police -- the Stasi -- taught Merkel the importance of discretion and when to speak up.
Through her childhood, Merkel was strong academically and teachers praised her skills in math and language, but it was the sciences that caught her attention. In turn, she went on to study physics at the University of Leipzig. The characteristics that come from being a scientist have become one of her defining skills as a politician.
No comments:
Post a Comment