Background and early life

Early political career

Chancellor of Germany

Personal life

Honours and awards

Comparisons

Conservative leaders Angela Merkel, Mariano Rajoy and Viktor Orbán meet at congress of European People's Party in 2012 As a female politician from a centre right party who is also a scientist, Merkel has been compared by many in the English-language press to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Some have referred to her as "Iron Lady", "Iron Girl", and even "The Iron Frau," all alluding to Thatcher, whose nickname was "The Iron Lady" (Thatcher also had a science degree from Oxford University in chemistry). Political commentators have debated the precise extent to which their agendas are similar.[172] Later in her tenure, Merkel acquired the nickname "Mutti" (a German familiar form of "mother"). She has also been called the "Iron Chancellor", in reference to Otto von Bismarck.[173][174] In addition to being the first female German chancellor, the first to have grown up in the former East Germany (though she was born in the West[175]), and the youngest German chancellor since the Second World War, Merkel is also the first born after World War II, and the first chancellor of the Federal Republic with a background in natural sciences. While she studied physics, her predecessors studied law, business or history, among other professions.

Controversies

In the arts and media

See also

Notes

References