Germany’s former leader, Angela Merkel, once celebrated as “the chancellor of the free world,” now finds herself amidst a flurry of criticism. Both domestic and international voices are questioning her leadership, attributing issues like the sluggish economy and the surge of the far-right Alternative for Germany party to her tenure. The Economist even pondered, “Angela Who?” while suggesting her legacy is increasingly poor.
But is this criticism fair? Or is Merkel being unfairly blamed for broader challenges facing Western democracies?
In her intriguing memoir, “Freedom,” Merkel aims to clarify misconceptions. Assisted by her long-time aide Beate Baumann, Merkel recounts her unlikely ascent from communist East Germany to becoming a four-time chancellor of a unified Germany. Her tenure included navigating major crises, from the eurozone debt meltdown to handling former President Trump’s NATO exit threats. Perhaps it’s not just the shortfalls that stand out, but the magnitude of what she did achieve.
Merkel’s resilience seems to stem from her unique upbringing. Born Angela Kasner on July 17, 1954, in Hamburg, she moved shortly thereafter to Soviet-controlled East Germany to join her father, a Lutheran minister dedicated to his ministry in an atheistic regime. Growing up in a rural parsonage known as Waldhof, Merkel mastered the art of discretion in a surveillance-heavy society. Her parents taught her to mask her true feelings to avoid the ever-present Stasi. She remembers the shattering of hope she felt at 14 when Soviet troops crushed the Prague Spring in 1968.
Despite her cautious nature, Merkel wasn’t infallible. In 1973, during a mandatory Marxism-Leninism lecture as part of her physics studies, she was reported for ignoring the lesson and doing other work. “Get out of here!” yelled the professor, leading Merkel to an unforgettable, humiliating exit. She described it as “pure victimization.”
After the Berlin Wall’s fall in 1989, Merkel shifted from being a researcher to a national spokeswoman for Democratic Awakening, which later joined the Christian Democratic Party. Her rise was swift and unsettling for many of the party’s male members who underestimated her ambition.
With the support of Chancellor Helmut Kohl, she was appointed minister for women and youth in 1991, then became the party’s first female general secretary in 1998. A bold op-ed in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung criticizing Kohl for illegal donations was a turning point, eventually leading to her becoming chancellor in 2005.
Putin, once a KGB agent in Dresden, was a consistent challenge. The two first met in Berlin in 2000, but it wasn’t until a 2006 meeting in Tomsk, Siberia, that they clashed over economic issues. During a tense car ride, Putin pointed out impoverished areas, claiming their residents, like Ukrainians, could easily be swayed by the U.S. However, Merkel had to maintain a cautious relationship with Russia, as detente with the East was popular in Germany. Believing Ukraine and Georgia could have joined NATO in the mid-2000s was wishful thinking, Merkel argues, given Germany’s careful stance toward Moscow.
Criticism of Merkel’s approach to Russia is accompanied by backlash over her handling of the 2015 refugee crisis. Her choice to accept over a million refugees while advocating “Wir schaffen das” (we can do this) was controversial. But rejecting a liberal asylum policy would have marred Germany’s post-Holocaust commitment to supporting the needy, especially amid national demographic decline and largely successful refugee integration. Criticism from the Alternative for Germany is partly responsible for current tensions under Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
A significant mistake, however, was Merkel’s push to close nuclear power plants after Fukushima in 2011. She believed climate goals could be met without them, but by 2023, Germany has had to temporarily restart coal plants for winter energy needs.
Merkel’s insights on global leaders are notably sharp. Reflecting on her first meeting with Trump in 2017, she noted his preoccupation with Putin, commenting on his attraction to authoritarian figures in subsequent years.
Merkel, contrastingly, always showed restraint. The only modern German chancellor to step down voluntarily, she embodies moderation, asserting in her epilogue that genuine freedom involves selflessness and ethical considerations. At a time when authoritarianism is gaining ground, Merkel’s memoir is both pertinent and profound.
Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of the National Interest, contributed this review.
