In pictures: A look back at German Chancellor Angela Merkel's career
End of an era
File photo: Angela Merkel, the only German chancellor born after WWII and the only one to have grown up in the country's communist east until the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification, was well aware of her country's tangled history.
The scientist who became a world leader
Merkel was born on July 17, 1954, in Hamburg, Germany.She worked as a research scientist after earning her doctorate in quantum chemistry in 1986.After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, she launched her political career.Merkel abandoned her research to pursue politics.
Europe’s de facto leader
During her term in government, Merkel received 17 honorary degrees.Merkel emerged as Europe's de facto leader as a result of numerous important events in recent history.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Presidents and prime ministers have come and gone in the last 16 years, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel has remained in power.She is typically the sole woman in the room and the voice of reason.
The crisis manager
Despite a decade of threats ranging from the eurozone to Brexit and Covid, Germany's outgoing chancellor remained committed to keeping the EU together.
She handled each crisis like a driver on a foggy road, pushing forward, unsure of where she was going but never losing sight of the road.
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