-
His childhood and birth
Angela Merkel was born in Hamburg in 1954. Merkel grew up in the former German Democratic Republic. She was a member of the socialist youth movement and participated in many communist-led activities. -
Her studies
She studied physics at the University of Leipzig in the 1970s and physical chemistry in Berlin in the 1980s. She earned a Ph.D. based on her research on quantum chemistry. -
first appointment
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Merkel became involved in the growing democracy movement. She won a seat in the unified German parliament in 1990 and was appointed Minister for Women and Youth. -
Second appointment
she was appointed Minister of the Environment. the two appointments was his springboard to rise to the top. -
First chancellor
She became Germany’s first female Chancellor and the first from communist East Germany. -
Their titles
‘Forbes’ magazine listed her as the most powerful woman in the world; Western media often dub her the “Iron Lady” because of her no-nonsense approach to her work and reputation as a tough negotiator. -
temporary charges
Merkel took on the six-month rotating position of President of the European Council and chair of the G8. -
Another important step
she spoke of Germany’s “Holocaust Shame” in Israel’s Knesset. She also received the Charlemagne Prize "for her work to reform the European Union".
