YDS 2021 in Review

party were ushered from politics as
subjects of scandal, her ability to hold
her own left her as one of the only
remaining members of the party
eligible for chancellorship. In 2002, she
assumed the position of CDU party
leader. The 2005 general election came
down to a 1 per cent difference, but
that would be all she needed to secure
her leadership for the next sixteen
years. She was the first woman, first
person from the East, and also the
youngest person to lead Germany.
Merkel acknowledged that her sixteen
years were fraught and “often very
challenging […] politically and humanly
and, at the same time, they were also
fulfilling.”
Across wider Europe, her popularity has
not always been assured. Merkel
strongly supported austerity measures
that directly targeted Greece following
the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, and as
a result, Nazi flags were waved in
protest through the streets of Athens.
In 2015, in the face of a migrant crisis
impacting all of Europe, Merkel
accepted 1 million refugees, largely
from Syria, despite much political
division and opposition. Her speech
declaring “[w]ir schaffen das”, or “we
can do this”, would become one of the
most iconic of her career. The migrants
arrived, with some thanking Merkel by
carrying photos of her to show their
appreciation.
However, her acceptance of the
migrants further fractured political
divides, sparking what was an already
growing far right movement — largely
captured by the Alternative For
Deutschland (AfD) party. A number of
terrorist attacks across Germany
exacerbated these divides and saw
fringe movements gain more
prominence in political rhetoric and
discussion.
In the final act of her political career,
Merkel was faced with her largest crisis
yet, which once again saw political
divides deepen. Despite already
announcing that she would not seek
another term in 2021, the COVID-19
pandemic occurred. Germany was
initially the most successful country in
Europe in addressing the outbreak, with
low case numbers and few
hospitalisations allowing it to assist
other countries and to take in the sick
from its neighbours. However,
Germany could not outrun the virus for
long. Like the rest of the globe, it was
forced into lockdowns and now faces
the ever-growing problem of how to
manage vaccine rollouts, antivaccination
movements, and enduring
societal division.
Merkel leaves the chancellorship in an
environment of uncertainty. What is to
come for Europe in the face of growing
populism, extremism and COVID-19?
What will the fall out of the pandemic
look like and how will Germany
recover? While it is clear that French
President Emmanuel Macron is
posturing himself to be the next
European leader, many remain
unconvinced. What is certain, however,
is that this is the end of an era.
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