Biography of german chancellor angela merkel

Angela Merkel (born ) became the first woman ever to lead Germany as chancellor. Merkel and the party she chairs, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), formed a coalition with two other parties in , and the agreement installed the former physicist as head of government.

Perhaps more notable than her gender is Merkel's background: she is the first person to lead a reunified Germany who comes from the formerly Communist eastern states, a division that endured for more than four decades following the end of Germany's defeat in World War II.

“My life changed completely in ,” Merkel said once at a rally, according to Judy Dempsey in the International Herald Tribune. “I have had many opportunities in the last 15 years. I would like to give my country back what I myself have gained in terms of the opportunities from reunification.”

Merkel was born Angela Dorothea Kasner on July 17, , in Hamburg, Germany.

This was one of the largest cities of West Germany, but her pare