What Trevor should have mentioned is the fact that Angela Merkel had a doctorat in quantum chemistry (she worked as a research scientist). As opposed to most world leader, she is not a phony nor a clown...
Not having voted for her and her party once - I still have the highest respects for her and her calm, pragmatic, ethical and very intelligent political style. I think we are going to miss that.
I would rather drop dead than giving the CDU my vote, but I really admire that woman. I mean it’s so impressive that she got support all over the board no matter which party (except AfD). It’s something special that no one before her did pull off, so let’s see how things gonna work for Scholz. I really don’t like this man, but I’m quite excited for the “Ampel” hopefully we can stay in our position internationally.
She never disrespected another politician, had no scandals, is highly educated and found very often the right words......like when she said "Europe is now on its own", after she met Trump. She is and will be one of the most important and influencal women of all time.
Trump demanded that European members of NATO finally paid what they agreed to. Instead of addressing the failure of Europe, Merkel made it seem like the US was the one who failed. Immature to say the least.
@@e.mailissimo2146 I lived in a hotel for a few months where I could hear everyone walking by my room because the floor creaked. Then I realised the building was built in 1682 XD
@@maxpeine9888 Anti-semitism errupted throughout the world as an answer to zionism and was mixed with modern "scientific" racism during the 19th century. Before that, the sentiment is known as anti-jewism (Antijudaismus), which was also prevalent throughout Europe (e.g. see Jew of Venice by Shakespeare). So, the Zapfenstreich - the military ceremony - actually also predates anti-semitism.
She grew up in East Germany which was occupied by the Soviet Union so Russian as their second language in the GDR/DDR was a must. It really was an advantage for her later
@@JimBlock999 totally! I'm just saying, she has the ability to speak Russian because she learned it in younger years and continues to speak it fluently up to this day because she still uses the language from time to time and doesn't have to rely on an interpreter (even more so since Putin speaks German)
Trevor you forgot to mention that she still lives in her own normal apartment and buy groceries from the shop near her house without fence security or dozens of cars or closing the road for her, She is also one of the most educated leaders in the world She is very humble and tolerance
I think it’s funny that She’s deeply conservative but is hated by the American right because she isn’t racist, is pragmatic and is actually in favor of democracy and cares about what the citizens who didn’t vote for her think and doesn’t dismiss them as “radical leftists.”
To put that into perspective: The Democrats are a right wing party by European standards. The Republicans are right wing extremists. By European standards the USA do not have a left wing political party or even a center party.
Angela Merkel steered her ship of state through, in chronological order: - the 2008 global financial crisis - the 2010 Greek debt crisis - the 2014 war against ISIS (and the terror attacks on Germany in 2016) - the 2014 revolution in Ukraine, Russian annexation of the Krim, and the "little green men" soldiers in the eastern half of Ukraine. Remember she and Vladimir Putin lived in the same country GDR for years, so they udnerstood each other and spoke each other's language fluently. - the 2015 Syrian migrants crisis, where she decided shooting at unarmed incoming foreigners would not lead to the best long-term solution (and she was NOT thanked for that!) - ramming through previous governments' plans for the Energiewende against the wishes of powerful German industry - the 2016 USA presidency of .. well. words fail me. - the growing popularity of the AfD - the 2016 Brexit and jingoistic UK tabloid propaganda about the enemy EUSSR under the yoke of Germany Now dear listeners and mr. Noah I have the following "Gedanken-experiment": Imagine that, instead of Mutti Merkel, some man with the temperament and coarse language of, say, Silvio Berlusconi, had been chancellor of Germany during any one of those crises. We all in Europe would have been SO F*cked. I'm not German btw nor do I live in Germany.
@@uwehansen2915 this is the one grand mistake I credit her with. In the long run it will force us to play technological catch up to countries like France and it increased our carbon emissions. It was the one time she acted reactionary instead of on the basis of well laid plans.
@@de33iene honestly in this case she failed. At the beginning everyone looked at Germany and ask "How do they do this?". Today because of a minority of loud Idiots everyone ask "Why do they still need to do this". I think especially our new minister of health Prof.Dr.MeD Karl Lauterbach, will manage this crisis better as the Merkel Gov. But also in this topic too, she did her best.
Angela was alive proof that women are often underestimated in their careers. She proved her competence several times more than most of politicians, she was a real inspiration for all women around the globe, and yet she was always underestimated by other leaders. Kudos to her and to all women trying to survive and achieve their goals.
She actively worked to be unassuming and non-threatening. Probably because she knew she couldn't play at being imposing to begin with. But while others had lavish parties she just never stopped talking to everyone behind the scenes and without much fanfare. So while she never did much to project an impression of domestic progress in Germany, she held steady in every crisis and above all worked to bind Europe together even when drastic measures became necessary.
One of the most influential individuals of our lives in Germany, I remember her visiting our school and taking the time to explain why democracy was so important and engaging and answering every question we had. She made it clear nothing was off the table and I remember after class walking home with my classmates we could not stop buzzing about how incredible she was! A legend without question 🇩🇪✊🏽
This is such a cute story! And as someone from America, it’s so sweet to hear I love that you shared this! Passion in children is so important to! And validating everyone’s questions, that just makes me want to tear up when usually someone that famous would never take the time for everybody like that!
@@wandilismus8726 Curious to know which was your favorite or most serviceable? My father was a fan of Gerhard Schröder even though I feel his outreach programs were very basic.
They left out her joke when the dog came in. It was absolutely brilliant. Putin said something like: "are you afraid? Dont be, he does not bite" and she said to Putin: "as long as he does not eat journalists."
Thanks for honoring her, Trevor! Though he didn't stress enough how unassuming, undramatic, pragmatic, disciplined and dedicated she has been throughout her job! Big kudos to her for doing her job without ever putting her person before her position. I wish more people in politics had less ego and more job commitment. And with all the dirt going on in politics, there has never been one whiff of corruption around her.
While she certainly got my respect now, after realizing how much worse everything could be, being the head of the most corrupt german party still counts for something. Even though I also agree that every scandal seemed to appear separated from her.
While she herself mostly stayed clean she was still leader of a party with a lot of corruption . And she didnt interven enough in a lot of peoples eyes. While she herself might be fine her party certainly isnt.
She mainly did politics for lobbyists instead of following the will of the people in the country. She and her party are extremely corrupt. Her biggest strength was to sit every scandal out and to let all critics drip off her.
thats right. and you can be sure that there will never be any whiff of corruption because she is an honest person with moral standards: she never gave interviews to trash-journalist like bild-zeitung....
Not only did she never put her person before her position. She also never put her party before the country. That's why Germans from every party respected her.
Для меня Меркель это эталон того, каким должен быть политик. Ни скандалов связанных с коррупцией, ни сверхраздутое эго. Только прагматизм, твёрдые убеждения и продвижение демократии. Спасибо вам госпожа Меркель за службу.
Translation from Russian to English : "For me, Merkel is the standard of what a politician should be. No corruption scandals, no overblown egos. Only pragmatism, firm convictions and the promotion of democracy. Thank you Ms Merkel for your service." Spasibo! We in Germany will always hope that a democratic Russia will one day become an integral part of Europe.
I think it's an _incredible_ testament to Merkel and her leadership that she was German chancellor for _17 years,_ but this was the sort of thing the average German could _forget_ for a few days at a time, because Chancellor Merkel was interested in _running the country,_ not _hogging the spotlight._
as a black German woman, I am so proud of the way a woman led a first world country without scandals & with great success, shining a light on the progressive & open minded modern country of Germany 👍🏾🔥💥❤🖤
100%, my honourable respect for those words. It wasn't of course not perfect with her, but in a demogracy it just turns that way as it turns. As a woman she knew how to lead our country with success.
Don't heap too much praise on her. Sure, things have been fairly stable under her leadership, but that's only because she stands for stagnation. Germany has fallen behind in so many areas, from digitization to combatting climate change or fixing Germany's energy dependence on Russia. She has no convictions, other than doing what is necessary to remain in power.
@@antred11 That's so true. In that regard she is just like Helmut Kohl. Sitting out Problems and hoping that the Problems will resolve themselves. I'm relieved that she isn't in power anymore.
@@hansberger4939 But it is hard to get and stay there. I think Francy002 doesn't get how possible it could have been for Angela to serve her own interests
No scandals because she mostly just stayed silent when it was time to do something. Well, she isnt as far right as many of her party comrades, but when it comes to progressive policies there is not much to admire about her. :P
@Vasileios Voutsinos And it's not really a scandal about her person, since it was a political decision. If it were: Bank: Hey, I give you X to let the south suffer. Merkel: Ok That would be a scandal, but her deciding that suffering in the south would outweigh the positive of a stable bank for Germany it's a political decision you may not support, but no scandal
@Vasileios Voutsinos Thats not what I said. The made the decicion as a politican, so you can dissagree with her if it was just or not, but that doesnt make it a skandal. Of course she isn't a saint, but you cant go and say: "That politican decided X, that I dont agree with, therefor it's a scandal" Birbery, inaprotiat personal behavior, that are scandals, but doing what you are elected for not
All you fellow Germans in the comment section emphasizing that they have deep respect for her and her achievements despite situating themselves on the opposite side of the political spectrum makes me incredibly happy and proud to be a German who apparently lives in a well working democracy. Disagreement and debate in policy is important but what we seemingly all agree on is that she served Germany well in her style of “making politics boring”.
She won my respect way earlier, but she won my heart with "wir schaffen das." She saved countless people fleeing from war and set an excellent example, and the pressure on other european leaders to follow her lead was substantial. It is hard for me to picture a worthy successor to that, so i dont blame germans one bit for freaking out a little.
Macron, as someone who growth in France, now leaving in Germany, I can tell you, Europe has a leader and there is no secret that she was relieved having Macron. The EU was, is and always be, the Berlin-Paris treaty, something that London will never, ever allow to make it possible.... but her decision to allow humans leaving a war created by others, to come and have a home in Germany shows that she is a human with values. Germany will miss her, but as she said, wir schaffen das! And sure we will!
I mean... Germany also just needs a labor force and lots of babies to pay taxes. They have a lot of retirees and not enough people making babies. The 1 mill refugees honestly only helped the stats a little bit.
„Wir schaffen das“ war genau richtig. Wenn das Haus deines Nachbarn brennt, kannst man doch nicht seine Türen verschlossen halten. Auch wenn manche in Deutschland diese Aussage als Angelas größten Fehler sehen, sehe ich dies als einen ihrer prägendsten Momente. Hier geht es um Menschlichkeit, was für Menschen wären wir wenn wir Hilfesuchende einfach sterben lassen? Was für ein Europa wären wir?
@@marcwaidelich4156 Naja, irgendwie ein schlechter Vergleich. - Nachbar könnte man bei Frankreich oder Polen sagen ... im Bezug auf Syrien (Wir schaffen das), wäre wohl passender gewesen: Wenn die gruselige Baracke am Ende der Straße anfängt zu brennen ..
As a german person that has never voted for her conservative party, I was always thankful for her decisions, way of leading, her dedication. She is the only conservative that I truly look up to here. During the refugee crisis she made decisions to help save lives, while than and now people in her own party critic as her biggest mistake. And her party is known for being a corrupted and biggoted sausage club. Without her they loose so much and i don't know if they realize. Thanks Trevor, for honouring her.
She was actually the only reason I ever voted for the conservatives (allthough, not more than I had to, in order to vote for her being chancellor again), likely never gonne happen again.
Your wording implies that it's commonplace for Asians (an ethnically diverse mix of over 4 billion people) to not have any respect for any world leaders. I can't imagine that's a universal thought for all Asians. Care to explain why you thought it was worth mentioning that you are asian?
German here 🇩🇪 I’m not even in her party, and I think she is the best thing that could’ve happened to us politically speaking. She is an awesome human being, scientist, and role-model for us all. Her patience, kindness and keen mind, among else…
Awsome indeed, only lacking any vision. Zumindest vor 2015 (was ich ihr hoch anrechne) hat sie nie für irgendeine Überzeugung oder Vision gekämpft. Alles was ihr heute an Fortschritt angerechnet wird (Atomausstieg, gleichgeschlechtliche Ehe, ...), wurden gegen, nicht von ihr umgesetzt. Sie hat Minister wie Andi Scheuer unter sich geduldet und den Klimaschutz komplett ausgebremst. Aber man muss ihr hoch anrechnen, dass sie internationale Krisen gut gemanagt hat.
@Sebastian Stolzmann Du hast definitiv keine Ahnung was ein Fascho ist ich würde sagen du projezierst aber ich weiß deine politische ausrichtung nicht und kann deshalb nur vermuten
Like the Snowflake political leaders do in the U.S. They Lie, Cheat & Steal to stay in Power & to get re-elected. A bunch of Grifters. Term Limits is the only way to end this but that will never happen because the U.S. can't get it's parties to agree on anything. And this is Progress??
Well, she's not actually leaving by choice thou... The Chancellor of Germany can only be elected for the maximum of 16 years (4 periods of governance). Many would have liked to keep her (which is why Trevor stated she was stepping down voluntarily I think) but she had to leave office.
Dear Trevor, you forgot to mention that the military band played a song by a famous East German punk musician for her as a farewell (and, by the way, at Merkel's own request). Long live our Mutti!
I guess this is a detail only Germans do understand and appreciate. He forgot to mention that she had PhD as well.. she is amazing and I am going to miss her. However wishing the best to the next Chancellor.
As many have said before me and as a lot of my fellow country men, I'm a German with very opposing views to Merkel and still have a lot of respect for her and am sad to see her go. She was educated, unassuming and rational. Even though I sincerely hope we will progress into a more human and less Conservative era now and get rid of all the goons in her party who were allowed to share the spotlight with her for far too long
@@martinstemmelpoppe2351 I didn’t know Q anon is in Germany too LOL. I through the Germany was full of smart intelligent people who only knows facts and not people like you who says sth out of speculation and conspiracy. I want to see someone like Trump becomes your country’s leader because I want to see how f up your country is without a person with her mentality leading your country. You sound very sexist.
@@martinstemmelpoppe2351 the truth of the matter is that the majority of germans love Angela Merkel, and your views are a minority of conspiracy-thinking antivaxxer nutheads.
@8ll what? Maybe you should get one or two english lessons, that would be way more productive than posting your conspiracy theories here around. Merkel is often criticized, but ultimately loved by most, that’s just a fact, if you like it or not.
when you own a voice of integrity, people listen to you. Her character was impeccable. Bravo Chancellor Merkel. A job excellently done, and sad to see you go.
I appreciate your comment, but it’s not always true. Americans fail to listen to Bernie Sanders although he has a voice of integrity and impeccable character.
@@nepalrm Thats another issue. Merkel`s politics were not as socialistic as Bernie`s. I'd say along the line of right to left- she was more in the area of Biden ( and she loved Obama) in her politics. The CDU was a party which encouraged a healthy economy and growth. But you have to know that in Germany, healthcare is for everybody and education as well. A semester in medical school there cost me 50$ in tuition. So what Bernie is trying to push through in America already exists in Germany. But I agree with you that Bernie has a great character who cares for the poor and needy.
She never acted but instead just reacted. While she made some tough decisions, she never made them without pressure and she never had a vision where to go. Unlike Kohl she did not have a European project, unlike Schröder she did not have an agenda for the next decades. There is a huge need for reform on all levels.
Unfortunately, when you're a complete lying grifting Conman.....people also listen to you. Especially when they are being brainwashed by 3 fake news networks & fake news on FB.
When the pandemic had startet she explained the scientific reasonings and quoted papers because she actually read them AND understood them! You could clearly see, that she was once a scientist herself(physics for those who don't know) And that made me think of her with respect! She will be missed.
I also didn't agree with all her politics, but I do appreciate the stability she brought. In lots of cases, she did the right thing (as opposed to Trump - when faced with a choice, one could be sure he'll pick the wrong one). On the critical side, I would add the energy politics - closing nuclear plants for eco reasons, but we ended up with more coal, because her government didn't want us to be dependent on gas import as an interim solution. I have also expected much much harsher reaction about the dieselgate and some heads rolling, but we shouldn't touch our automotive industry, right?
I think one of the most important facts got overlooked here, she actually is a physicist graduating from a renowned institute, giving her much more credibility in the decisions during the current crisis than other leaders. I also admire her most for standing her ground in the refugee crisis. She made a human choice to let in over a million refugees despite knowing this is going to be very unpopular and could have been her undoing. Her reasoning if it would be: "Dann ist das nicht mein Deutschland".
She's really inspiring. I think she really understood her job. I think she understood that being a nation's leader means to be a public servant, that everything she did, every decision she made, would then affect people's daily lives and what that meant for her people. She did a great job and stayed humble. She redefined "Würde" (dignity). Hate to see our Mutti go but she definitely deserves to live the life she wants.
What a great woman, but above all a remarkable human being. Only time will tell just how important she really was, not only for Germany but to the entire world.
"Wir schaffen das". Cool, calm and collected. Say what you want about her but she is an impressive figure. As a half German living in Germany I have loads of respect for Angela.
True, but she also waved through unreined cuts in social services and welfare. Services which ultimately helped to allocate welfare and wealth in a kind of manner that made our country great in the first place. And she did that over the course of the last two decades as well... so I am not the biggest fan of her policies (but it could have been worse).
@@florianadolf2256 verstehe ich. Aber in dieser langen Zeit ist es klar das Entscheidungen getroffen wurden die bei einigen nicht gut ankamen. Ich denk mir immer wenn ich das Amt hätte würde ich sicher ständig mit Eiern beworfen werden. Ich leite 19 Leute und die haben ständig was zu bemängeln. Mag mir nicht vorstellen wie es wäre wenn ich für ein ganzes Land zuständig wäre 🙈
@@QueenD75172 Von der Warte aus gesehen haste natürlich auch wieder recht. Ich denke halt nur in punkto Sozialabbau - es ist ein erosiver Prozess und man sollte sich nicht zu sehr auf den paar noch verbliebenen Lorbeeren ausruhen... das Graduelle ist ja gerade das Gefährliche dran... Naja. Bleiben wir mal gespannt. Man sollte ja nie vergessen, dass es schließlich ein Roter war, der das Ganze mit seiner "Arbeitsmarktreform" irgendwo miteingeleitet hat...💁♂️
As much as some aspects of her politics can be despisable, you got to hand it to her, she is incredible. As à French living in Germany, never saw someone ruling à country with such and aproval rate. It is really outstanding. Her transparency, her simplicité, the fact that she is not a politician but a former scientist who turned to politics, the fact that she is an east German woman and she managed to g
An important point. As a German, I never really was aware of that, because in Germany-internal politics she had crushed a whole lot of men and nobody would have dared judging her because she is a woman.
The tradition with the torchs is called "großer Zapfenstreich" (named by act of an Officer in a military camp going around to signal the end of the day and bedtime) and is used to mark the end of an Era. It's nearly 500 years old and originated in the Netherlands, the biggest Zafenstreich in history was done to honor the Allied Troops that left germany in the 90s. Also, no need to bring this tradition to poland, they also practice it ( capstrzyk, derived from the german word). Sorry, getting tired of people reducing german history and traditions to 12 very bad years it stopped being funny when the generation who were Kids during the war reached their 90s.
Fair enough. How Germany has dealt with it's monstrous past (not initially, but starting with the 68-movement) is admirable and important, however. I'll always trust a reformed Germany over a colonialism-nostalgic France.
@@lenawagenfuehr53 Just get used to, it´s the usual lazy plan b when "what about the war" didn´t work. I think this quote from Frasier explains why some english people still do it pretty well. "we whipped the Jerries twice this century & they still have the last laugh" Daphne Moon
@@unicorntulip4481 the only ones trying to erase that memory are the people who wish these times back. Just saying there´s more to Germany than nazis, war & genocide is not erasing history.
As a German on the opposite side of her political spectrum, I was unwell when she got from minister for the environment - when I felt she was consistently making decisions pro economy in stead of ecology - to chancellor. But I have come to appreciate her. Then respect her, then trust her. And I was very, very glad to have her as chancellor these past terrible years. Levelheaded, is what she is. Now I'm 52, and I remember the chancellors before her, I see the male pride picking up where they left off, 17 years ago, so I am really and truly afraid to be without Merkel, now. Wish she'd have stayed on. "Wer hätte das gedacht!?" (Her last words in this clip, meaning: who'd have thought it?)
While I sympathize with the general sentiment, as far as the environmental politics goes, her entire reputation is built off the work of the (oh so evil) men before here, namely Fischer and Trittin from the green party. Germanys independence from nuclear, renewables being up to 50% of our mix, all of that was built of the programs installed by the previous red-green government. Merkel wanted to first turn around the fadeout if nuclear (and was only stopped after Fukushima), and the giant solar and wind programs were slowed down and reduced by her governments. In terms of climate compatible energy, we are where we are now not because of her but despite her foot on the brake. So as far as that goes, credit where credit is due please. Gender doesn't trump everything. Plus, the new government, being a return to more progressive parties, has a *lot* more women in crucial positions than she ever had. Allthough she is certainly not to blame. She was just a mild centrist politician that somehow landed in a party that is more conservative than her, with the most outdated male/female ratio in Germanys political landscape. (except the rifgt wing extremists, I guess)
I worked in Germany, was part of the first American team that met with her, and had to watch Bush unfold...was so happy when it was Obama, he was cool with the German people, and it made the first official visit that much easier with her.
@@Rune-Thorne Obama doesn't underestimate the power of Women because his life partner is a powerful Woman. It takes a very secure Man to appreciate the abilities of a powerful Woman. I can only imagine the level of respect Obama showed Merkel; it probably was the first time a World Leader actually interacted with her on an even playing field.
@@dee_dee_place But the reaction wasn't just her. Bill Clinton was popular with the German people, Obama showed brighter. When meeting with Merkel, you could see the comfort between nations, and it helped make their personal interactions easier. So yes he was gifted with being charming, but he was also gifted with America almost becoming a welcome partner when most Germans wanted us out of the country. Presidents make that whole thing happen, but after hurting his relationship with Germany, Bush realized he still needed them, and that made my diplomatic mission 5 times as hard as it should have been. So glad I wasn't there for Trump that must have been a diplomatic nightmare mission.
@@Rune-Thorne That's the reason World Leaders, especially from the USA, should adopt Theodore Roosevelt's motto: "Speak softly & carry a big stick; you will go far".
Though I did not agree with her on many political terms I always liked her calm and scientific approach. Also she managed to move her party (Christian Democrats) more towards the center. You have to keep in mind though that center in Germany would be considered left wing/liberal in the US. Most of our conservatives would be dems.
Did she though, or was it maybe the fact that for the most part there was a coalition with the SPD? Somehow everyone forgets the Socialdemocrats were part of the gouvernment.
@@unicorntulip4481 12 out of those 16 years were in a coalition with the social democrats, the other 4 years were with the FDP. Merkel certainly moved her party towards the center and now that she is gone the party moved back to the right and instantly suffered it's most devastating loss in its history...
As a German, while I can admire Merkel's personality and a lot of her successes, I do think a lot of the international appreciation she gets is excessive. While her political positions were always leaning to the center, it should be noted that she is in fact very conservative, less in ideological terms, but in a very literal manner. Meaning, she always was cautious of rapid progress and favoured political and economic stability over any other value. While this helped her overcome many crises, it also showed she lacked audacity for any major societal change. During her time in office, Germany hasn't really fixed any of the major structural problems it had back when she became chancellor, like growing inequality, the messy immigration system, and lack of inventions in the industrial sector. Most prominently, she never took decisive incentive concerning climate change and digitization, leaving Germany in a standstill. It may well be that in few years her tenure will be remembered as lost years. Also, her reserved style of communication in many ways is a testimony of her personal humility, but it also gave room for more vocal politicians like the right-wing minister of the interior to shape policy.
You should very well appreciate that western Europe has a great player in messing up the Arab world and some parts of Africa. American and the so called Allies start wars in other countries, create the refugee crisis and therefore Countries such as yours should receive these people with open Arms
@@talida1889 I agree, but one shouldn't deny that the immigration system she put in place had a ton of problems and wasn't very effective in helping immigrants. Still better than what my own country, Austria did, though.
Seems to me like her legacy is already under heavy fire due to the Ukraine crisis. My hope for the lacking innovations you mentioned currently rests on the Green party in both Germany as well as my own country of Switzerland.
I think it's much easier to appreciate conservative leaders from the outside. You can agree with their efforts on the European scale without having to consider what they're actually doing in their own country. So as an European I'm grateful for figures like Merkel and Macron while I probably wouldn't vote for them myself. I mean, the alternative we have right now in terms of European leadership is BoJo. Thank goodness they left the EU I guess.
And that means nearly all men of her party, who made her party leader because they needed a scapegoat after a huge donations & dark money scandal. She had absolutely nothing to do with that (that dark money plot began decades earlier when she was still living in the GDR) but she took them out one by one & it was great!
@@swanpride Whether one likes it or not, the current prime minister of India, ie Modi, came into power by popular vote. The current government is right wing, but is certainly not a dictatorship. At least not yet.
@@SolomonSunder An election has little relation to the question if something in a dictatorship or not. A government which is systematically undermining basic rights is a dictatorship or on the way of becoming one, never mind if it was elected.
She's like the PTA mom who organized all the activities so nobody worried about them for her kids' whole school years, and THEN she stayed on after her youngest graduated because of the creepy new principal. Those are some sturdy shoulders. I hope she finds happiness after office.
*THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS* when you elect intelligent capable people to high office... 16 years of growth, prosperity and happiness - leaves with a 70% approval rating.
16 years of crumbling infrastructure, without vision, and a rift between southern and northern Europe, you mean. I have sympathy for her on a personal level. But her politics were awful.
@@holgerj.440 "a rift between southern and northern Europe" but no war. Its easy to criticise - you just proved that. But may I remind you of what HAPPENED in those 16 years. Your criticism is "life is not perfect and its her fault". You do not take into account what life MIGHT have been like with say Boris Johnson in her position.
@@piccalillipit9211 may I remind you what *not* happened in those 16 years? Everything our Klimakanzlerin promised! But hey, we aimed for a market conform democracy instead (by neglecting every current or future problems). Really cool! And if she would haved ruled just a few years earlier, we would also joined Bush Jr.'s war in Iraq. Uh, so close to have a say in colonialism again. Also thanks for the Troika that forced Greece to close their fire departments, not that they have many fires there anyway. You may become that war or at least separation in the future though. Because all of that has lead to more far right-wing leadership in Eastern and South Europe. But please, I won't want to stop you from romanticizing the past. Everyone knows that früher war alles besser.
@@holgerj.440 - Greece spaffed billion of EU € up the wall. I used to holiday in Greece, people were getting 13, 14, even 15 salary payments a year and NO ONE was working. the whole country took a 10 year holiday on EU money.
Being the "lefty", that I am, I never voted for her or her party. But I can't exactly say, that I disapprove of her. I have some disagreement on policy, but I on't dislike her as a person on actually value her character and style of leadership quite a lot.
I think she did what not many leaders would do: Genuinely try to be a leader for *all* the people, and not just for those that voted for her. Which is, I guess, why her party "slipped" more and more into what could be considered the "average German mindset", i.e. somewhat to the left of its original programme.
@@e.mailissimo2146 Yes, I would call myself a social democrat, but that's more of a tendency. I have also voted in the past for the greens and for the left. The lefty was put in "" quotations for that reason.
She embodied every positive virtue I can think of...integrity, ethics, honesty, humanity. She was a breath of fresh air from the standard, selfish egos that are typical in political. Indeed, the epitome of #ServantLeadership globally.
To me as a Dane, with Denmark being a land-linked boarder country to Germany with a century old history of business, war and migration, salute and admire Angela. As a woman I admire Angela. In my opinion she is a world icon for girls and women, who are still fighting the windmills of male-dominated and often painfully conflicting systems. I wish SHE was the one we teach our daughters to look up to, rather than instagram-models, musiciens and actresses. An intelligent, brave, quiet and stable woman who may not smile a lot but when she does, it lights up an event, because she does it with as much grace and dignity as she has always taken bullying and degradation from world leaders. She is said to have a wicked humour which is'nt hard to believe - it's always the quiet ones ;) Europe will be the less without her and I hope their new Kansler will fill just half her shoes. I remember when Helmuth Kohl were in power and she has proceeded him by the tenfolds. In dignity and character. And imagine this, then child, sitting there in '89 watching "Die Mauer" finally being torn down, having been to Berlin on vacation and seen it in all it's horror, not knowing that this amazing woman would be one of the gifts, coming out of East Germany.
re your As a woman I admire Angela. In my opinion she is a world icon for girls and women, who are still fighting the windmills of male-dominated and often painfully conflicting systems. I wish SHE was the one we teach our daughters to look up to, YEAH EXACTLY
Heavy is the head that wears the crown! She literally, singlehandedly held Europe together... Now that's a woman! Stronger & more capable than any man!
So this is what it looks like to have a politician care about their people. Someone who was looked up to for being a true leader (do what is expected of others) and being herself at the same time. Hopefully her example will be followed by those who come after her.
I remember during the Syria refugee crisis, when she opened the German borders to more than a million refugees, many of whom would otherwise have died, and Donald Trump's reaction was to call her a "mad woman", that she had made a "catastrophic mistake", and that she'd "lead to the downfall of Germany". I mean, it's one thing for him not to want to help people in need himself in order to gather all the racist votes, but to publicly trash and make fun of someone who did step in to help save hundreds of thousands of lives, is just... A choice.
@@D-D_AA that's not quite right. Actually under european law the refugees were ordered to stay in hungary and had no right to move further. So technically if they've touched Austrian ground to reach for Germany they could have been pushed back to hungary. It took a lot of negotiations to make this possible because practically it was against european law
@@D-D_AA "In late August 2015, during the height of the European migrant crisis, Merkel's government suspended European provisions, which stipulated that asylum seekers must seek asylum in the first EU country they arrive. Instead Merkel announced that Germany would also process asylum applications from Syrian refugees if they had come to Germany through other EU countries. That year, nearly 1.1 million asylum seekers entered Germany." - That's not exactly "the status quo". Let's avoid rewriting history when we don't have to.
not from Germany, not a supporter But Angela Merkel has been one of my biggest inspirations and the first woman l've ever looked up to and given a huge respect. That time the Chancellor's meeting with the current Russian president when he brought the dog allegedly with an intention has always been in stuck in my head and taught me to put on a brave smile and beat the fear even in the fornt of discomfort. As a supporter, I'd feel like my reliable mom has been replaced.
@@lanalirain210 ohh. My point was , people claim To not support Germany just because of the history forgetting that they use lots n lots of products made by Germans. Pencils n pens for example. The highway itself was a German invention. Hence, ya’ll support.
I just became a German citizen last year and was devastated that I couldn’t vote for her. I don’t agree with everything she did but she was fair and always had her heart on the right place.
I have never voted for her, because she is in the wrong party, but I still respect her. In Germany the line of polarization runs roughly between the racist AfD (10%) and the rest of the country (90%). The 2 party system in the US is just very dangerous for democracy.
@@jayeff6712 I completely agree! We need to eliminate the electoral college, so that we can have more than 2 viable political parties. It forces many of us to claim no party as our own. There are many independents in this country. I believe that it's due to the two party system. Many of us are center moderates who share some beliefs with both parties. We really should have a third party for moderates. Most working class people here pretty much fall into this category. When you live paycheck to paycheck it's much harder to be an extremist.
I always find it baffling she was considered a conservative in Germany. In the US she'd probably fall somewhere in the center, possibly even center-left considering her stance on the refugee crisis. A great world leader, she will be missed.
That's generally true for a comparison from the US to Europe. However Merkel is a conservative in her value policies. She dragged her heels on marriage equality, marriage still holds a high protection, abortion rights in Germany aren't that great (though arguably much better than in parts of the US) and the list of examples continues. What she did realise is that certain social policies incl. For example Minimum wage it is a political advantage to implement these, so she did. She did stick her neck out during the refugee crisis, and on a human and moral level that is to be applauded. It has since then been widely debated in ger own party and her party is advocating quite strict Immigration rules. They also for example never looked into changing the laws that mean people can not easily hold a second citizenship. So I wouldn't call her progressive. Just a pragmatic conservative. (European style)
@@munstergirl25 Thanks for the detailed take! As an American, it's always hard to gauge the politics of other countries because of how warped our own can be. Though by what you say I guess political expedience is still a universal trait. I'm not sure what the current parliamentary makeup of Germany is but hopefully there will be a new chancellor that will be more progressive on issues.
@@andrewjostrander The next government will be made up by a coalition of three different partys, the SPD (centrist-left...which means their political views are comparable to those of Bernie Sanders), the green party (who are comparable to the progressive wing of the democrats) and the FDP (who are centrist libertarians and neo-liberals with a high emphasis on economical freedoms), because the SPD's traditional color is red, the green party's color is obviously green and the FDP's traditional color is yellow, we call this coalition the "Ampel Koalition" ("traffic light coalition"). It's the first time that a coalition of THREE parties will rule Germany and we'll see how it will work out.
@@NKA23 We already had three party coalitions in Germany. Adenauer had almost exclusively 3 party coalitions during his time. TBF that was quite some time ago and for a lot of Germans it is a "new" thing. We'll see how it works out.
@@untergehermuc Nope. Europeans who are afraid of the radicals, are sick of her. Because what she has done is nothing. Except bringing EU to its knees. And now that she's gone populists all over are having a bad time, because what she did enforced the radicals in Europe in every effing step of the way. She was and still is an asset of the right wingers, so called "Christian Conservatives" and such.
That's the reason the Honorable Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg didn't retire. She & Obama spoke about her retirement & replacement, & she wanted to wait to see who would win 2016 POTUS. When djt won, she said (paraphrased)- no way am I retiring, he will undo everything I had a hand in, for Women's rights.
@@dee_dee_place and lo and behold, she was spot on (maybe not about him doing it himself, but certainly about him setting things up for women’s rights to take a hard hit and set the country back a few decades)
Lol, all Germans think she's a treator, all she ever served was pure evil. She is the most hated person here in Germany. Do not believe media and what they tell you about Merkel. Did you know that Germany got the worlds greatest media network. BBC, all Sky services, CNN, etc is owned by Germany and the servants of Merkel supression. I am German and we know that. Corona is a German case and spread all over the world by Germany. Merkel changed the world for others agenda, your world too. Do not believe normality will come back.
@@martinstemmelpoppe2351 Really? Just a copy and paste to your other response? Bigotry must be part of your character. Take a small step back and look at the positive things in life. There's so much more about humanity that you're refusing to see.
This goes to show that there are so many more things we have to thank her for. She kept Putin calm all these years. Now she has been gone only a few months... and already war breaks out in Europe. Even when she had been calming the crisis for 16 years... we were still underestimating her 😢 I really think as a woman who grew up in East Germany and hence essentially in the Soviet Union, she had a unique ability to make Putin feel like he had an ally in Germany. Looking back now she was amazing at being right wing and left wing at the same time.
she was neither right-wing nor left-wing. she's been a conservative democrate. even thought that might not make much sense for you, as democrats are considered "the lefties" in your country, i guess - assuming you're from the united states. No offence meant! there's a huge difference between democratic and left-wing politicians in germany! It's not just black and white here ;) we have ~50 shades of gr... ah never mind xD
Angela Merkel leaves office in the age of 67 as one of the worlds most renowned diplomats, she is still younger than when Trump took office as one of the worlds most renowned dorks.
Little side note: Merkel as a person was approved by many, but her party wasn't in the end. In fact the majority of first time voters voted either for the Greens, who are more left or the Free Democrats, who are more capitalist. Both parties were the opposition for 12 out of 16 years.
one of my favorite quotes about her was from Stephen Colbert on Trump's inauguration day. something about the peaceful transfer of power being an inspirational thing: "one day the leader of the free world was Obama; the next, it was Angela Merkel." hilarious, sad, and true.
@@seraphik I keep wondering how many Americans realize how clownish this is and how the rest of the world tries to not make their raised eyebrows too obvious when they hear this kind of talk 😄
@@zorglub667 believe me, i know. there are definitely still people who believe in American exceptionalism, but i think most of us (the sane ones anyway) know we're like everyone else... some of the best, but some of the worst too. i will say our poles are maybe a little more visible than most, maybe just because our media is so pervasive, so you really see all the shine and all the scars.
I have always been envious that Germany had such a great leader. After taking European politics in college, I was like "Why can’t we have someone like her?” She’ll be missed on the world stage for sure.
To see you do an “IYDKNYK” on our Mutti - let’s just say: Right in the feels, Trevor. Thank you for keeping up with international news and caring about what happens outside American borders. And yeah, sorry about those torches, we get it and even Angie looked a tad uncomfortable at times while that went down. She deserved the honor, though.
Too bad non-German speakers don't catch the irony of the songs which she elected for this ceremony, especially the Nina Hagen and the Hildegard Knef song.
@@normaforsyth7950 Oh, that would take an essay...Just one thing: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du_hast_den_Farbfilm_vergessen That article is about one of the songs Merkel chose for that ceremony. To hear it being performed by a military orchester kind of undermined the seriousness of the ceremony and that speaks volumes about Merkel's subtle, ironic and dry humor.
As a german, i never voted for her, because you don't actually vote for a person, but a party. I don't like her party, but I think she did a great job. And she gave us a laugh with her choice of song for that military thing. One of the three songs was by nina hagen. Just google her 😀 And her doctor's degree is actually in physics! We now voted for becoming more social, green and digital. Let's see what the three parties make of it.
Never voted for her party, either. And I never will, unless for some reason they do a MIGHTY 180... But nevertheless, I admire her ability to just sit things out. Sadly, a few of those things she sat out might have gone better if she had done more than sit, but I'm decently sure she has a solid character and the heart on the right place. Even with those big footsteps the next chancellor is going to step in, I'm looking forward to how the future will turn out! Honestly... I'm a little bit happily excited.
@@annaku_baannasplitopen We have two votes here in Germany. The first goes to a person who is set for his/her party in a district. The candidate with most of all votes there goes directly to parliament. The second is for the party you prefer nation-wide. Each party with 5% of all votes at minimum (eventually including direct candidates from first vote when below 5%) gets equivalent to its percentage seats in parliament. If one party gets more delegatees with the first vote than they would be entitled to by percentage of the second vote, all other parties fill seats from a list of candidates to fit the percentage again. This definitely isn't perfect and has its "bad sides" but to me this sounds more democratic than the US-system... 😉
@@annaku_baannasplitopen Marco covered it, but it's important to note, they don't vote for a president, the parties decide who will be the leader. Much like the UK or New Zealand. there are also a lot more than two parties to vote for.
I am an immigrant living in Germany, and I have been here for 5 years. I like Merkel a lot, and I admire her style and competency, but her party was a lot more conservative and religious than most people realize. They kept Germany frozen in place when it comes to a lot of important issues. Now I think Olaf Scholz is totally meh, but the coalition has already signalled a lot of big changes and progress for immigration rights, transgender rights, and many other important issues, so I do believe the change is going to be very positive for the country I chose to call home.
@WARLORD Yeah, a fairly low number of people came and it was the countries complaining the most now that were also the least helpful. The right wing idiots were there before that, it just gave them another excuse.
@WARLORD All theistic religions are harmful, especially the monotheistic ones. Belief is not a pathway to truth. That's no reason to dislike people though. Heck, even some Christians share that sentiment in their own twisted way.
"You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU" "Huh?" "You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU" "Huh?" "You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU" "Huh?" "You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU" "Huh?" "You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU" "Huh?" "You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU" "Huh?" "You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU" "Huh?" "You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU" "Huh?" "You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU" "Huh?" "You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU" "Huh?" "You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU" "Oh, we’ll do a deal with Europe then." www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/angela-merkel-donald-trump-explain-eu-trade-11-times-germany-chancellor-us-president-a7699591.html
@@CHANTARELLA Except, Merkel is the Chancellor, not the President of Germany, which would be Frank-Walter Steinmeier. However, the Chancellor is the leader of government, and thus belongs to the executive branch, wheras the President has largly a ceremonial role, though he has the power to dissolve parliament. Merkel could've gone on if she wanted to, because there's not term limit to the Chancellorship.
What I liked about Merkel as a German citizen: She NEVER played the woman card, she wanted to be treat just as a normal politician (nothing more) and she did her job far better than most male politicians! Her calm and thoughtful attitude saved Germany from a lot of conflicts. A lot of male politicians should learn from her. Yes, how she solved all crisis was far from perfect. But still, I think she was probably one of the better choices available in most elections at that time. She was the only person from her party I would vote for.
She has been an inspiration, and a steadying force for the world, and without the frequent (typical?) corruption and scandal of so many world leaders. A woman of integrity and power. The image of her leaning over the desk and staring down Trump in disgust at the G7 summit in 2018 is my favorite, and shows pictorally her power as even other world leaders seemed to recognize, while the US excuse for president looks like a spoiled naughty toddler.
She also is a pastor's daughter, who stuck to her roots. "Wir schaffen das!"(we can do it) was "alternativlos"(without an alternative) for her. She considers herself Christian. For her there simply never was a way Germany of all countries could turn those poor souls, fleeing from war, down. She kept it real. I had the chance to meet her a couple of times and I am proud to have had her as my chancellor for so many years. Thank you so much for this Trevor. I love your show. Greetings from Germany. I would finish with a joke, but I'll save it. Who knows when im gonna need it. Back to work now...
Greeting from Germany 🇩🇪 and thank you for this well balanced and funny video honoring Dr. Merkel. You made my “Annual laugh” 😉! I never understand why the whole world pays her the well deserved respect and we and especially our media is just complaining about it. She did a fantastic job and I am concerned about what is ahead of us..! Thank you Trevor, very well done 👍
@8ll I like her and so do 70% of Germans. You are entitled to your opinion, but when you pretend everyone agrees with you, it makes you look like you can't stand the idea that anyone would have a different opinion than you, you know, looks weak and slightly delusional. That's just my opinion though.
@8ll Such a high praise, in the "real world", without a TV! Do you even have electricity on that Saxon farm? How did you get that bs that you do own, by a pigeon?
Gotta say Trevor, I highly enjoyed this bit as a German of said generation Merkel. Although I don't really see eye to eye with the internal politics of her party I was always a fan of her foreign politics and how she represented our country on the world stage. I think I won't exaggerate by saying she has been a most influential leader for Germany an by extension Europe an in my opinion has done quite a decent job of representing Germany on the world stage in a positive light. Although I am positively curious for a change of rulership in Germany I am sad to see her go, since global politics has shown us that the pit of worse options is truely bottomless. In general, I want to say that watching another contry's news on my own always is interesting and grounds me, since it shows a different perspective, so thank you for that.
I'm german, and I firmly believe that even though she never was the chancellor we wanted, she was the best chancellor we ever could have had. She never had a vision, she "just" managed the stuff right in front of her, and maybe you couldn't ask for more in a world leader. Sad in a way, quite inspiring in another. I genuinely fear that we - even germans like me who never voted for her - will deeply miss her rather soon.
Apt description. She "just managed". I had hoped somebody with a vision would eventually emerge within those 16 years. Alas, nobody came... (or was squashed by those who love stability above all?) Now we're stuck with people who have neither a vision, nor can they manage, nor do they have a genuine character. The bar is low.
She's one of the leaders who sanctiones letting people drown in the Mediterranean Sea. She made a deal with Erdogan to keep the refugees out of Europe, now they starve in refugee camps in Turkey. I'm German and no, she doesn't have much humanity. She had a centre-left coalition partner is all.
@@mikaellindroos1594 it isn't my opinion. It's happening right now. It's the reason why Europe isn't full of refugees. If you don't know about all of this, do your research.
I am left deeply in awe of her personality, her convictions and her practicality. With her stepping down we're left with a significant political vacuum that I'm not sure *any* of our current politicians, be it ruling coalition or opposition, has the capability to fill even halfway decently. I wish nothing but the best to designated chancellor Scholz, but I fear the country might suffer in the coming years without Merkel's steady and prudent leadership.
Correction: In 2015, when a million migrants came to germany, Merkel did not 'open the borders', als within the EU borders have been open for decades. Merkel did not close them, basically upholding EU ruling rather than falling to a racist panic from europes far rights. Still, it was a great moment to see that european values matter when it counts. Unfortunately, after 2015 migration to germany from wartorn countries was made harder, even sending afghan back. Also, migrants die regularly in the ocean, and Germany criminalized privat rescue missions.
@@lupen_rein The Minister für infrastructure, Andreas Scheuer, restricted german private sea boats so much, that it is now Impossible for private citizens to go on rescue missions. To dig deeper you can read up on Carola Rackete, a young woman and sea captain. She was even arrested in Italy for a short while, for rescueing refugees.
0:55 its called a "Großer Zapfenstreich", a prussian tradition performed for more then 200 years. They do it for important, noteworthy events. Even though we find arround 20 of those every year In case all you americans have no idear what Prussia was, or what happend in europe in that time, i recommend reading a bit on wikipeida about it.
I am from Spain and must admit I did not like her before... but she has grown so much and becomed the only politician people respect, wow years after... do we miss her!! Respect after I started reading about her and when she decided to run again when Trump was elected.
Thanks for bringing this up Trevor. She was Mutti Merkel for half my life. 2015 and 2016 were extremely controversial years but she stood like a rock because she thought it was the right things to do. It did not went smoothly but „Wir haben es geschafft (größtenteils) / „We did it (for the most part). Even if Olaf Scholz belongs to the „opposite“ party, I think (hope) our general demeanor does not change.
And she always lived with her publicly unknown husband Joachim Sauer in the same apartment as before, no villa, no luxury, no yacht, no overblown ego. Thank you, Trevor. I would like to add a joke, but I already used mine up for this year.
@@lenawagenfuehr53 It's the second time today you make me smile (unusual for a German in one year, let alone a day). What part of Germany are you from? Your humour reminds me of my sister's dark take on things. I was with her boyfriend visiting Copenhagen town square. I blurted out exuberantly: "This is fantastic! I cannot believe how distinctive each town in Europe is!" Her boyfriend laughted ... "When I took your sister here the first time, she said Bah, dreadful! I cannot believe how every town square in Europe looks the same!"
When I was a exchange student in USA 38 years ago many German political discussions appeared small and petty compared to world issues. Trevor's praise of Merkel's 16 years in service is so valuable because he looks from far away and values her humble and strong way of government. I am wondering how history will see her. But at least she has been a honest, trustworthy, intelligent and resilient leader.
Literally can't say a thing without Android or something stopping me. This has to stop. Just now getting rebooted. Okay Angela definitely deserves more.
What Trevor should have mentioned is the fact that Angela Merkel had a doctorat in quantum chemistry (she worked as a research scientist). As opposed to most world leader, she is not a phony nor a clown...
This really tends to be forgotten, really. It´s crusial to me anyway.
@@klausbrinck2137 me too
No, govt work TURNS people into clowns.
And Trump had the audacity to say she‘s dumb 🤦🏻♂️
@@khktgnk57 He's fully qualified to. After all, his uncle was an academic. 🤣
She was not in power, she was in service. That makes all the difference.
true
So true. Especially since she wanted to leave but felt she needed to serve longer because of the ... 'circumstances'.
In service of the Deutschbank.
Yes, she served her own interests very well.
Indeed.
Not having voted for her and her party once - I still have the highest respects for her and her calm, pragmatic, ethical and very intelligent political style. I think we are going to miss that.
Same, that's what I am most impressed by. She is the least offensive representative of her party in media.
@@CE-wg5gn We'll come back stronger in 2025 to solve the problems the left/eco-extremists caused
same !!
Dito 🤣
I would rather drop dead than giving the CDU my vote, but I really admire that woman. I mean it’s so impressive that she got support all over the board no matter which party (except AfD). It’s something special that no one before her did pull off, so let’s see how things gonna work for Scholz. I really don’t like this man, but I’m quite excited for the “Ampel” hopefully we can stay in our position internationally.
She never disrespected another politician, had no scandals, is highly educated and found very often the right words......like when she said "Europe is now on its own", after she met Trump. She is and will be one of the most important and influencal women of all time.
🤮
Europe is alone, we can no longer fall back on the Americans, even with Biden in the White House.
@@olexandrakharchyshyna2095 the quality of this comment … highly educated
Hopefully not "she will be"...there need to come others after her.
Trump demanded that European members of NATO finally paid what they agreed to. Instead of addressing the failure of Europe, Merkel made it seem like the US was the one who failed. Immature to say the least.
Fun Fact: The tradition of the military ceremony, which was shown in the beginning, is literally older than the US.
It's always great when you get a chance to state that haha
@@westhave What, that the house in our town that burned down some 7 years ago was older than the US? At this point, what isn't older than the US XD
@@e.mailissimo2146 I lived in a hotel for a few months where I could hear everyone walking by my room because the floor creaked. Then I realised the building was built in 1682 XD
@123 456 ..so is Anti-Semitism in Germany 🧐
@@maxpeine9888 Anti-semitism errupted throughout the world as an answer to zionism and was mixed with modern "scientific" racism during the 19th century. Before that, the sentiment is known as anti-jewism (Antijudaismus), which was also prevalent throughout Europe (e.g. see Jew of Venice by Shakespeare). So, the Zapfenstreich - the military ceremony - actually also predates anti-semitism.
What I find so remarkable about her is that she was able to talk both to US presidents as well the Russian president in their own languages.
You might call it ... remerkelble.
She grew up in East Germany which was occupied by the Soviet Union so Russian as their second language in the GDR/DDR was a must. It really was an advantage for her later
impressive!!
@@clarimm6675 Still, learning a language in school and using it later are two different levels.
@@JimBlock999 totally! I'm just saying, she has the ability to speak Russian because she learned it in younger years and continues to speak it fluently up to this day because she still uses the language from time to time and doesn't have to rely on an interpreter (even more so since Putin speaks German)
Trevor you forgot to mention that she still lives in her own normal apartment and buy groceries from the shop near her house without fence security or dozens of cars or closing the road for her,
She is also one of the most educated leaders in the world
She is very humble and tolerance
And always goes on Vacation in the Uckermarck.
@@swanpride Well also hiking in Austria and vacations on Ischia (Italian island near Naples)
Yes she does.....richtig
And she flies in Economy class
scared for her safety tho
i think after she leaves office she needs at least for a year security! just in case
I think it’s funny that She’s deeply conservative but is hated by the American right because she isn’t racist, is pragmatic and is actually in favor of democracy and cares about what the citizens who didn’t vote for her think and doesn’t dismiss them as “radical leftists.”
To put that into perspective: The Democrats are a right wing party by European standards. The Republicans are right wing extremists. By European standards the USA do not have a left wing political party or even a center party.
She's not at all deeply conservative
@@HH-hd7nd yep!
@@guantanamo21 I’d say she’s in the mode of Eisenhower.
Her political standpoint is at least as "left" as Bernie Sanders'.
Angela Merkel steered her ship of state through, in chronological order:
- the 2008 global financial crisis
- the 2010 Greek debt crisis
- the 2014 war against ISIS (and the terror attacks on Germany in 2016)
- the 2014 revolution in Ukraine, Russian annexation of the Krim, and the "little green men" soldiers in the eastern half of Ukraine. Remember she and Vladimir Putin lived in the same country GDR for years, so they udnerstood each other and spoke each other's language fluently.
- the 2015 Syrian migrants crisis, where she decided shooting at unarmed incoming foreigners would not lead to the best long-term solution (and she was NOT thanked for that!)
- ramming through previous governments' plans for the Energiewende against the wishes of powerful German industry
- the 2016 USA presidency of .. well. words fail me.
- the growing popularity of the AfD
- the 2016 Brexit and jingoistic UK tabloid propaganda about the enemy EUSSR under the yoke of Germany
Now dear listeners and mr. Noah I have the following "Gedanken-experiment":
Imagine that, instead of Mutti Merkel, some man with the temperament and coarse language of, say, Silvio Berlusconi, had been chancellor of Germany during any one of those crises.
We all in Europe would have been SO F*cked.
I'm not German btw nor do I live in Germany.
You forgot 2020/21 Covid must have been difficult too
2011 after Fukushima make a turn to close all Nuklarpower plants in germany to 2022
That’s really a scary thought
@@uwehansen2915 this is the one grand mistake I credit her with. In the long run it will force us to play technological catch up to countries like France and it increased our carbon emissions. It was the one time she acted reactionary instead of on the basis of well laid plans.
@@de33iene honestly in this case she failed. At the beginning everyone looked at Germany and ask "How do they do this?". Today because of a minority of loud Idiots everyone ask "Why do they still need to do this". I think especially our new minister of health Prof.Dr.MeD Karl Lauterbach, will manage this crisis better as the Merkel Gov. But also in this topic too, she did her best.
Angela was alive proof that women are often underestimated in their careers. She proved her competence several times more than most of politicians, she was a real inspiration for all women around the globe, and yet she was always underestimated by other leaders. Kudos to her and to all women trying to survive and achieve their goals.
Like one politician once said: if you underestimate her, you've already lost.
She actively worked to be unassuming and non-threatening.
Probably because she knew she couldn't play at being imposing to begin with.
But while others had lavish parties she just never stopped talking to everyone behind the scenes and without much fanfare.
So while she never did much to project an impression of domestic progress in Germany, she held steady in every crisis and above all worked to bind Europe together even when drastic measures became necessary.
Her government made it quasi illegal to support the Palestinians. Look up Nemi El-Hassan.
@@MrHodoAstartes She actively worked to be unassuming and non-threatening.
yeah
Totally
RIGHT u are
🤮
One of the most influential individuals of our lives in Germany, I remember her visiting our school and taking the time to explain why democracy was so important and engaging and answering every question we had. She made it clear nothing was off the table and I remember after class walking home with my classmates we could not stop buzzing about how incredible she was! A legend without question 🇩🇪✊🏽
TY for sharing
This is such a cute story! And as someone from America, it’s so sweet to hear I love that you shared this! Passion in children is so important to! And validating everyone’s questions, that just makes me want to tear up when usually someone that famous would never take the time for everybody like that!
Nope.
I had 4 chancellors: The Great Helmut Schmidt, the guy who opened the borders to AfD Country, the Gazprom chancellor and Muddi, Olaf will be my 5th
@@wandilismus8726 Curious to know which was your favorite or most serviceable? My father was a fan of Gerhard Schröder even though I feel his outreach programs were very basic.
They left out her joke when the dog came in. It was absolutely brilliant. Putin said something like: "are you afraid? Dont be, he does not bite" and she said to Putin: "as long as he does not eat journalists."
Thanks for honoring her, Trevor! Though he didn't stress enough how unassuming, undramatic, pragmatic, disciplined and dedicated she has been throughout her job! Big kudos to her for doing her job without ever putting her person before her position. I wish more people in politics had less ego and more job commitment. And with all the dirt going on in politics, there has never been one whiff of corruption around her.
While she certainly got my respect now, after realizing how much worse everything could be, being the head of the most corrupt german party still counts for something. Even though I also agree that every scandal seemed to appear separated from her.
While she herself mostly stayed clean she was still leader of a party with a lot of corruption . And she didnt interven enough in a lot of peoples eyes. While she herself might be fine her party certainly isnt.
She mainly did politics for lobbyists instead of following the will of the people in the country. She and her party are extremely corrupt. Her biggest strength was to sit every scandal out and to let all critics drip off her.
thats right. and you can be sure that there will never be any whiff of corruption because she is an honest person with moral standards: she never gave interviews to trash-journalist like bild-zeitung....
Not only did she never put her person before her position. She also never put her party before the country. That's why Germans from every party respected her.
"Europe's designated driver" is probably the best most concise way to describe Merkel.
Even when Europe feels like a short bus sometimes.
You know who's driving.
ruclips.net/video/BeXHWIJJ0a8/видео.html with a quiet but potent sense of humour
🤮
too bad she lost the windshield and a tire without calling a mechanic ^^
Bad designated driver
Для меня Меркель это эталон того, каким должен быть политик.
Ни скандалов связанных с коррупцией, ни сверхраздутое эго.
Только прагматизм, твёрдые убеждения и продвижение демократии.
Спасибо вам госпожа Меркель за службу.
Translation from Russian to English : "For me, Merkel is the standard of what a politician should be. No corruption scandals, no overblown egos. Only pragmatism, firm convictions and the promotion of democracy. Thank you Ms Merkel for your service." Spasibo! We in Germany will always hope that a democratic Russia will one day become an integral part of Europe.
@@dipling.pitzler7650 Well... I believe now more than ever it's high time that Russia becomes both democratic and a part of Europe...
I think it's an _incredible_ testament to Merkel and her leadership that she was German chancellor for _17 years,_ but this was the sort of thing the average German could _forget_ for a few days at a time, because Chancellor Merkel was interested in _running the country,_ not _hogging the spotlight._
Actually its been almost exactly 16 years. In November 2005 she was inaugerated.
@@martinstemmelpoppe2351 Really? Show some proof that she's "pure evil", please. I'm sure the rest of the people want to know..
@@martinstemmelpoppe2351 Lass mich raten: Querdenker?
@@martinstemmelpoppe2351 Speak for yourself...
@8ll Mass murderer? Where do you get that idea from? Do you have evidence for it?
as a black German woman, I am so proud of the way a woman led a first world country without scandals & with great success, shining a light on the progressive & open minded modern country of Germany 👍🏾🔥💥❤🖤
100%, my honourable respect for those words. It wasn't of course not perfect with her, but in a demogracy it just turns that way as it turns. As a woman she knew how to lead our country with success.
As a black German myself, i too am proud of her and was supporting her since she came to office
Don't heap too much praise on her. Sure, things have been fairly stable under her leadership, but that's only because she stands for stagnation. Germany has fallen behind in so many areas, from digitization to combatting climate change or fixing Germany's energy dependence on Russia. She has no convictions, other than doing what is necessary to remain in power.
@@antred11 That's so true. In that regard she is just like Helmut Kohl. Sitting out Problems and hoping that the Problems will resolve themselves. I'm relieved that she isn't in power anymore.
Like what? Open minded in which ways?
She is one of the most respectable politicians our generation will ever know of.
lol
Not hard to be more respectable than most politicians. Not an accomplishment.
@@Francy-zw9uo yes, its easy to be better than average. Even in math.
@@hansberger4939 But it is hard to get and stay there. I think Francy002 doesn't get how possible it could have been for Angela to serve her own interests
As a Dutchman, I'm jealous we haven't had a leader as great as Angela Merkel, ever. But, no one has. She's the GOAT of world leaders.
G O A T ... YES.
Hey we did but that was more then 5 decades ago. His name was Willem Drees.
His nickname was Vadertje Drees. As in Father Drees to Muttis Merkel now.
We didn’t have one since forever
This is a Sri Lankan 🇱🇰
How can you people say that. The German regime is the reason Europe has so many problems, so Germany can get richer.
@@Maximilian-Robespierre Said it, meant it. You give NOT ONE example to support your criticism.
I admire this woman so much. No scandals. Just pure hard work
This is a thing that most men can't do.
No scandals because she mostly just stayed silent when it was time to do something. Well, she isnt as far right as many of her party comrades, but when it comes to progressive policies there is not much to admire about her. :P
@@TheKarl9381 Jup!
@Vasileios Voutsinos And it's not really a scandal about her person, since it was a political decision. If it were:
Bank: Hey, I give you X to let the south suffer.
Merkel: Ok
That would be a scandal, but her deciding that suffering in the south would outweigh the positive of a stable bank for Germany it's a political decision you may not support, but no scandal
@Vasileios Voutsinos Thats not what I said. The made the decicion as a politican, so you can dissagree with her if it was just or not, but that doesnt make it a skandal. Of course she isn't a saint, but you cant go and say: "That politican decided X, that I dont agree with, therefor it's a scandal"
Birbery, inaprotiat personal behavior, that are scandals, but doing what you are elected for not
All you fellow Germans in the comment section emphasizing that they have deep respect for her and her achievements despite situating themselves on the opposite side of the political spectrum makes me incredibly happy and proud to be a German who apparently lives in a well working democracy. Disagreement and debate in policy is important but what we seemingly all agree on is that she served Germany well in her style of “making politics boring”.
She won my respect way earlier,
but she won my heart with "wir schaffen das."
She saved countless people fleeing from war and set an excellent example,
and the pressure on other european leaders to follow her lead was substantial.
It is hard for me to picture a worthy successor to that, so i dont blame germans one bit for freaking out a little.
Macron, as someone who growth in France, now leaving in Germany, I can tell you, Europe has a leader and there is no secret that she was relieved having Macron. The EU was, is and always be, the Berlin-Paris treaty, something that London will never, ever allow to make it possible.... but her decision to allow humans leaving a war created by others, to come and have a home in Germany shows that she is a human with values. Germany will miss her, but as she said, wir schaffen das! And sure we will!
I mean... Germany also just needs a labor force and lots of babies to pay taxes. They have a lot of retirees and not enough people making babies. The 1 mill refugees honestly only helped the stats a little bit.
„Wir schaffen das“ war genau richtig. Wenn das Haus deines Nachbarn brennt, kannst man doch nicht seine Türen verschlossen halten. Auch wenn manche in Deutschland diese Aussage als Angelas größten Fehler sehen, sehe ich dies als einen ihrer prägendsten Momente. Hier geht es um Menschlichkeit, was für Menschen wären wir wenn wir Hilfesuchende einfach sterben lassen? Was für ein Europa wären wir?
@@marcwaidelich4156 Nailed it, i've always thought of it like that too - it would be inhumane to keep the doors closed to people in need.
@@marcwaidelich4156 Naja, irgendwie ein schlechter Vergleich. - Nachbar könnte man bei Frankreich oder Polen sagen ... im Bezug auf Syrien (Wir schaffen das), wäre wohl passender gewesen: Wenn die gruselige Baracke am Ende der Straße anfängt zu brennen ..
As a german person that has never voted for her conservative party, I was always thankful for her decisions, way of leading, her dedication. She is the only conservative that I truly look up to here. During the refugee crisis she made decisions to help save lives, while than and now people in her own party critic as her biggest mistake. And her party is known for being a corrupted and biggoted sausage club. Without her they loose so much and i don't know if they realize. Thanks Trevor, for honouring her.
She never gave me a reason to not trust her.
Completely agree.
She was actually the only reason I ever voted for the conservatives (allthough, not more than I had to, in order to vote for her being chancellor again), likely never gonne happen again.
@@creativedesignation7880 she was the only redeeming factor of cdu! Literally no other reason to vote for them now that she is gone 😭
Same, I have never and will never vote for her party, but I really appreciate her and her work.
I only learned she did a doctorate in quantum chemistry couple years ago, and it just made me respect her even more.
I'm an asian, yet she is one world leader that have my repect. Wish the world have more of her in leading countries.
I agree as well, as a Filipino living in Asia.
Your wording implies that it's commonplace for Asians (an ethnically diverse mix of over 4 billion people) to not have any respect for any world leaders.
I can't imagine that's a universal thought for all Asians. Care to explain why you thought it was worth mentioning that you are asian?
@8ll Don't forget your tin foil..! 🥳🤦🏼♂️
@8ll realtalk from another german.....shut up and hide in your tinfoil-bunker...
Ditto from U.S.A.😒
German here 🇩🇪 I’m not even in her party, and I think she is the best thing that could’ve happened to us politically speaking. She is an awesome human being, scientist, and role-model for us all. Her patience, kindness and keen mind, among else…
Awsome indeed, only lacking any vision.
Zumindest vor 2015 (was ich ihr hoch anrechne) hat sie nie für irgendeine Überzeugung oder Vision gekämpft. Alles was ihr heute an Fortschritt angerechnet wird (Atomausstieg, gleichgeschlechtliche Ehe, ...), wurden gegen, nicht von ihr umgesetzt.
Sie hat Minister wie Andi Scheuer unter sich geduldet und den Klimaschutz komplett ausgebremst. Aber man muss ihr hoch anrechnen, dass sie internationale Krisen gut gemanagt hat.
Kudos to you for acknowledging that!
@Sebastian Stolzmann Wer im Glashaus sitzt...
@Sebastian Stolzmann Du hast definitiv keine Ahnung was ein Fascho ist ich würde sagen du projezierst aber ich weiß deine politische ausrichtung nicht und kann deshalb nur vermuten
@Sebastian Stolzmann was ist denn deine Definition von fascho? Ich bin wirklich neugierig.
Ich wähle übrigens nicht grün
I admire the way he respected her and didn't make any lame jokes on her.
As I loath to see her go I applaud that she leaves office by choice instead of clinging to it.
Like the Snowflake political leaders do in the U.S. They Lie, Cheat & Steal to stay in Power & to get re-elected. A bunch of Grifters. Term Limits is the only way to end this but that will never happen because the U.S. can't get it's parties to agree on anything. And this is Progress??
Well, she's not actually leaving by choice thou... The Chancellor of Germany can only be elected for the maximum of 16 years (4 periods of governance). Many would have liked to keep her (which is why Trevor stated she was stepping down voluntarily I think) but she had to leave office.
@@4immerda no, there is no limit on how often a chancellor can be reelected in Germany. If she wanted she could have run for reelection.
@@4immerda It is my understanding that there are no constitutional term limits imposed on chancellors in Germany.
@@justsaying3729 The US HAS term limits for the executive branch, what are you talking about?
Dear Trevor, you forgot to mention that the military band played a song by a famous East German punk musician for her as a farewell (and, by the way, at Merkel's own request). Long live our Mutti!
I guess this is a detail only Germans do understand and appreciate. He forgot to mention that she had PhD as well.. she is amazing and I am going to miss her. However wishing the best to the next Chancellor.
i actually came to see Trevor comment on this and i am not german
Nina Hagen ist weltbekannt, Süße, he should have mentioned her.
@@Weirdkauz Anscheinend nicht so bekannt wie wir glauben...
@@taen_y Jetzt wo ich's recht bedenke… stümmt wohl. Passt halt nicht ins deutsche Image.
As many have said before me and as a lot of my fellow country men, I'm a German with very opposing views to Merkel and still have a lot of respect for her and am sad to see her go. She was educated, unassuming and rational. Even though I sincerely hope we will progress into a more human and less Conservative era now and get rid of all the goons in her party who were allowed to share the spotlight with her for far too long
She is a true public servant, so rare and infinitely valuable
well said
@@martinstemmelpoppe2351 I didn’t know Q anon is in Germany too LOL. I through the Germany was full of smart intelligent people who only knows facts and not people like you who says sth out of speculation and conspiracy. I want to see someone like Trump becomes your country’s leader because I want to see how f up your country is without a person with her mentality leading your country. You sound very sexist.
@@Keoponloeu This guy is
our equivalent to the misinformed American. We have them too 🤷♂️
Thank you Zuck
@@martinstemmelpoppe2351 the truth of the matter is that the majority of germans love Angela Merkel, and your views are a minority of conspiracy-thinking antivaxxer nutheads.
@8ll what? Maybe you should get one or two english lessons, that would be way more productive than posting your conspiracy theories here around. Merkel is often criticized, but ultimately loved by most, that’s just a fact, if you like it or not.
when you own a voice of integrity, people listen to you. Her character was impeccable. Bravo Chancellor Merkel. A job excellently done, and sad to see you go.
I appreciate your comment, but it’s not always true. Americans fail to listen to Bernie Sanders although he has a voice of integrity and impeccable character.
@@nepalrm Thats another issue. Merkel`s politics were not as socialistic as Bernie`s. I'd say along the line of right to left- she was more in the area of Biden ( and she loved Obama) in her politics. The CDU was a party which encouraged a healthy economy and growth. But you have to know that in Germany, healthcare is for everybody and education as well. A semester in medical school there cost me 50$ in tuition. So what Bernie is trying to push through in America already exists in Germany. But I agree with you that Bernie has a great character who cares for the poor and needy.
She never acted but instead just reacted. While she made some tough decisions, she never made them without pressure and she never had a vision where to go. Unlike Kohl she did not have a European project, unlike Schröder she did not have an agenda for the next decades. There is a huge need for reform on all levels.
Unfortunately, when you're a complete lying grifting Conman.....people also listen to you. Especially when they are being brainwashed by 3 fake news networks & fake news on FB.
@@nickisnyder3450 True this- but mainly by people who want to believe in lies. Oftentimes they are also similar.
When the pandemic had startet she explained the scientific reasonings and quoted papers because she actually read them AND understood them! You could clearly see, that she was once a scientist herself(physics for those who don't know) And that made me think of her with respect!
She will be missed.
Quantum physics to be precise
Wow! She must really love her country to give up physics for politics!
Even though i don’t agree with all of her politics, i’m still going to miss her. She’s been my chancellor for my whole life
Can u tell me things u don’t agree on?
yes you can definitely appreciate someone and still have your differences
@@tetraederfisch904 Sadly not in America.
@@themachine8009
for example was against homosexuals being able to marry
I also didn't agree with all her politics, but I do appreciate the stability she brought. In lots of cases, she did the right thing (as opposed to Trump - when faced with a choice, one could be sure he'll pick the wrong one). On the critical side, I would add the energy politics - closing nuclear plants for eco reasons, but we ended up with more coal, because her government didn't want us to be dependent on gas import as an interim solution. I have also expected much much harsher reaction about the dieselgate and some heads rolling, but we shouldn't touch our automotive industry, right?
I think one of the most important facts got overlooked here, she actually is a physicist graduating from a renowned institute, giving her much more credibility in the decisions during the current crisis than other leaders.
I also admire her most for standing her ground in the refugee crisis.
She made a human choice to let in over a million refugees despite knowing this is going to be very unpopular and could have been her undoing.
Her reasoning if it would be: "Dann ist das nicht mein Deutschland".
Yes that is what I like about her the most. That she made a decision for what was right, no matter what :)
Coincidentally it also broke the opposition with the rise of the far right AfD and therby secured her reelection.
She's really inspiring. I think she really understood her job. I think she understood that being a nation's leader means to be a public servant, that everything she did, every decision she made, would then affect people's daily lives and what that meant for her people. She did a great job and stayed humble. She redefined "Würde" (dignity). Hate to see our Mutti go but she definitely deserves to live the life she wants.
What a great woman, but above all a remarkable human being. Only time will tell just how important she really was, not only for Germany but to the entire world.
I agree.
Wow she seems like she is authentic but she is a political strategy person...
@8ll How about going back into the cave you have just left? 🤔
@8ll Who exactly is "we"? Is "we" in the room with us right now?
"Wir schaffen das". Cool, calm and collected. Say what you want about her but she is an impressive figure. As a half German living in Germany I have loads of respect for Angela.
True, but she also waved through unreined cuts in social services and welfare. Services which ultimately helped to allocate welfare and wealth in a kind of manner that made our country great in the first place. And she did that over the course of the last two decades as well... so I am not the biggest fan of her policies (but it could have been worse).
@@florianadolf2256 verstehe ich. Aber in dieser langen Zeit ist es klar das Entscheidungen getroffen wurden die bei einigen nicht gut ankamen. Ich denk mir immer wenn ich das Amt hätte würde ich sicher ständig mit Eiern beworfen werden. Ich leite 19 Leute und die haben ständig was zu bemängeln. Mag mir nicht vorstellen wie es wäre wenn ich für ein ganzes Land zuständig wäre 🙈
@@QueenD75172 Von der Warte aus gesehen haste natürlich auch wieder recht. Ich denke halt nur in punkto Sozialabbau - es ist ein erosiver Prozess und man sollte sich nicht zu sehr auf den paar noch verbliebenen Lorbeeren ausruhen... das Graduelle ist ja gerade das Gefährliche dran... Naja. Bleiben wir mal gespannt. Man sollte ja nie vergessen, dass es schließlich ein Roter war, der das Ganze mit seiner "Arbeitsmarktreform" irgendwo miteingeleitet hat...💁♂️
This made me tear up. An amazing representation of what this woman has had to endure and achieved, narrated by an amazing journalist. Thank you.
As much as some aspects of her politics can be despisable, you got to hand it to her, she is incredible. As à French living in Germany, never saw someone ruling à country with such and aproval rate. It is really outstanding. Her transparency, her simplicité, the fact that she is not a politician but a former scientist who turned to politics, the fact that she is an east German woman and she managed to g
(Get and maintain on top, is again, really outstanding
@@maximebaron254 tip, you can edit your comment, no need to reply to it :D
@@quandangle9397 thanks for the tip !
She did not rule. She served. As it should be.
@@quandangle9397 You're German, aren't you? ;)
Thanks for covering the sexism, Trevor. Many overlook it.
An important point. As a German, I never really was aware of that, because in Germany-internal politics she had crushed a whole lot of men and nobody would have dared judging her because she is a woman.
Never been a supporter of her party but she was an amazing politician and is an incredibly intelligent woman 👍
The tradition with the torchs is called "großer Zapfenstreich" (named by act of an Officer in a military camp going around to signal the end of the day and bedtime) and is used to mark the end of an Era. It's nearly 500 years old and originated in the Netherlands, the biggest Zafenstreich in history was done to honor the Allied Troops that left germany in the 90s. Also, no need to bring this tradition to poland, they also practice it
(
capstrzyk, derived from the german word).
Sorry, getting tired of people reducing german history and traditions to 12 very bad years it stopped being funny when the generation who were Kids during the war reached their 90s.
Fair enough. How Germany has dealt with it's monstrous past (not initially, but starting with the 68-movement) is admirable and important, however. I'll always trust a reformed Germany over a colonialism-nostalgic France.
Thaaank you! And please stop with this "Germans have no sense of humour" nonsense too...
@@lenawagenfuehr53 Just get used to, it´s the usual lazy plan b when "what about the war" didn´t work. I think this quote from Frasier explains why some english people still do it pretty well.
"we whipped the Jerries twice this century & they still have the last laugh" Daphne Moon
Well, these 12 years were preeetty consequential for everyone. You won't be able to erase that from collective memory. We deserve the jokes.
@@unicorntulip4481 the only ones trying to erase that memory are the people who wish these times back. Just saying there´s more to Germany than nazis, war & genocide is not erasing history.
As a German on the opposite side of her political spectrum, I was unwell when she got from minister for the environment - when I felt she was consistently making decisions pro economy in stead of ecology - to chancellor. But I have come to appreciate her. Then respect her, then trust her. And I was very, very glad to have her as chancellor these past terrible years. Levelheaded, is what she is.
Now I'm 52, and I remember the chancellors before her, I see the male pride picking up where they left off, 17 years ago, so I am really and truly afraid to be without Merkel, now. Wish she'd have stayed on.
"Wer hätte das gedacht!?" (Her last words in this clip, meaning: who'd have thought it?)
@cervellone I don't think we came to a standstill. Why do you? Anyway, Young folk are way too reckless.
@cervellone
Standstill? You mean because of Covid-19? That’s not her fault and Germany nevertheless is doing much better than most countries.
While I sympathize with the general sentiment, as far as the environmental politics goes, her entire reputation is built off the work of the (oh so evil) men before here, namely Fischer and Trittin from the green party.
Germanys independence from nuclear, renewables being up to 50% of our mix, all of that was built of the programs installed by the previous red-green government. Merkel wanted to first turn around the fadeout if nuclear (and was only stopped after Fukushima), and the giant solar and wind programs were slowed down and reduced by her governments. In terms of climate compatible energy, we are where we are now not because of her but despite her foot on the brake.
So as far as that goes, credit where credit is due please. Gender doesn't trump everything. Plus, the new government, being a return to more progressive parties, has a *lot* more women in crucial positions than she ever had.
Allthough she is certainly not to blame. She was just a mild centrist politician that somehow landed in a party that is more conservative than her, with the most outdated male/female ratio in Germanys political landscape.
(except the rifgt wing extremists, I guess)
@@zorglub667
Her entire reputation is built off the work of Fischer and Trittin?
Wow, you must be fun at parties.
@@BewareOfTheKraut Supername!
This was posted three months ago and I am already feeling like: "ah, those simpler times" watching this.
"Europe's designated driver" seems like the most apt description. Danke, Frau Merkle!
I worked in Germany, was part of the first American team that met with her, and had to watch Bush unfold...was so happy when it was Obama, he was cool with the German people, and it made the first official visit that much easier with her.
@@Rune-Thorne Obama doesn't underestimate the power of Women because his life partner is a powerful Woman. It takes a very secure Man to appreciate the abilities of a powerful Woman. I can only imagine the level of respect Obama showed Merkel; it probably was the first time a World Leader actually interacted with her on an even playing field.
@@dee_dee_place But the reaction wasn't just her. Bill Clinton was popular with the German people, Obama showed brighter. When meeting with Merkel, you could see the comfort between nations, and it helped make their personal interactions easier. So yes he was gifted with being charming, but he was also gifted with America almost becoming a welcome partner when most Germans wanted us out of the country. Presidents make that whole thing happen, but after hurting his relationship with Germany, Bush realized he still needed them, and that made my diplomatic mission 5 times as hard as it should have been. So glad I wasn't there for Trump that must have been a diplomatic nightmare mission.
@@Rune-Thorne That's the reason World Leaders, especially from the USA, should adopt Theodore Roosevelt's motto:
"Speak softly & carry a big stick; you will go far".
Though I did not agree with her on many political terms I always liked her calm and scientific approach. Also she managed to move her party (Christian Democrats) more towards the center. You have to keep in mind though that center in Germany would be considered left wing/liberal in the US. Most of our conservatives would be dems.
Did she though, or was it maybe the fact that for the most part there was a coalition with the SPD? Somehow everyone forgets the Socialdemocrats were part of the gouvernment.
@@unicorntulip4481 12 out of those 16 years were in a coalition with the social democrats, the other 4 years were with the FDP.
Merkel certainly moved her party towards the center and now that she is gone the party moved back to the right and instantly suffered it's most devastating loss in its history...
Many say that she moved her party and German politics to the left, not the center.
@@rainerm.8168 I‘d argue that she moved her party to center. If you start on the conservative side you must move left in order to reach the center.
@@rainerm.8168 these claims don't hold water when thoroughly analysed though.
As a German, while I can admire Merkel's personality and a lot of her successes, I do think a lot of the international appreciation she gets is excessive. While her political positions were always leaning to the center, it should be noted that she is in fact very conservative, less in ideological terms, but in a very literal manner. Meaning, she always was cautious of rapid progress and favoured political and economic stability over any other value. While this helped her overcome many crises, it also showed she lacked audacity for any major societal change. During her time in office, Germany hasn't really fixed any of the major structural problems it had back when she became chancellor, like growing inequality, the messy immigration system, and lack of inventions in the industrial sector. Most prominently, she never took decisive incentive concerning climate change and digitization, leaving Germany in a standstill. It may well be that in few years her tenure will be remembered as lost years. Also, her reserved style of communication in many ways is a testimony of her personal humility, but it also gave room for more vocal politicians like the right-wing minister of the interior to shape policy.
You should very well appreciate that western Europe has a great player in messing up the Arab world and some parts of Africa. American and the so called Allies start wars in other countries, create the refugee crisis and therefore Countries such as yours should receive these people with open Arms
@@talida1889 I agree, but one shouldn't deny that the immigration system she put in place had a ton of problems and wasn't very effective in helping immigrants. Still better than what my own country, Austria did, though.
I'm picking up what you are putting down.
I found that to be a thoughtful response.
Seems to me like her legacy is already under heavy fire due to the Ukraine crisis. My hope for the lacking innovations you mentioned currently rests on the Green party in both Germany as well as my own country of Switzerland.
I think it's much easier to appreciate conservative leaders from the outside. You can agree with their efforts on the European scale without having to consider what they're actually doing in their own country. So as an European I'm grateful for figures like Merkel and Macron while I probably wouldn't vote for them myself. I mean, the alternative we have right now in terms of European leadership is BoJo. Thank goodness they left the EU I guess.
"She had a knack for toppling those who underestimated her." Something about that sentence brings me joy!! Women get it done! ❤️
And that means nearly all men of her party, who made her party leader because they needed a scapegoat after a huge donations & dark money scandal. She had absolutely nothing to do with that (that dark money plot began decades earlier when she was still living in the GDR) but she took them out one by one & it was great!
Has nothing to do with being woman. Indian had a woman prime minister long back and that was the only time we came close to a dictatorship.
@@SolomonSunder Looking at the current leadership of India that is hard to believe....
@@swanpride Whether one likes it or not, the current prime minister of India, ie Modi, came into power by popular vote. The current government is right wing, but is certainly not a dictatorship. At least not yet.
@@SolomonSunder An election has little relation to the question if something in a dictatorship or not. A government which is systematically undermining basic rights is a dictatorship or on the way of becoming one, never mind if it was elected.
She's like the PTA mom who organized all the activities so nobody worried about them for her kids' whole school years, and THEN she stayed on after her youngest graduated because of the creepy new principal. Those are some sturdy shoulders. I hope she finds happiness after office.
She obtained a doctorate in quantum chemistry in 1986 and worked as a research scientist until 1989.
Seems like an important thing to mention.
*THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS* when you elect intelligent capable people to high office... 16 years of growth, prosperity and happiness - leaves with a 70% approval rating.
16 years of crumbling infrastructure, without vision, and a rift between southern and northern Europe, you mean. I have sympathy for her on a personal level. But her politics were awful.
@@holgerj.440 "a rift between southern and northern Europe" but no war. Its easy to criticise - you just proved that. But may I remind you of what HAPPENED in those 16 years.
Your criticism is "life is not perfect and its her fault". You do not take into account what life MIGHT have been like with say Boris Johnson in her position.
@@piccalillipit9211 may I remind you what *not* happened in those 16 years? Everything our Klimakanzlerin promised! But hey, we aimed for a market conform democracy instead (by neglecting every current or future problems). Really cool! And if she would haved ruled just a few years earlier, we would also joined Bush Jr.'s war in Iraq. Uh, so close to have a say in colonialism again. Also thanks for the Troika that forced Greece to close their fire departments, not that they have many fires there anyway. You may become that war or at least separation in the future though. Because all of that has lead to more far right-wing leadership in Eastern and South Europe.
But please, I won't want to stop you from romanticizing the past. Everyone knows that früher war alles besser.
@@holgerj.440 - Greece spaffed billion of EU € up the wall. I used to holiday in Greece, people were getting 13, 14, even 15 salary payments a year and NO ONE was working. the whole country took a 10 year holiday on EU money.
@@piccalillipit9211 thanks for pointing out where you are coming from. Politically speaking.
Being the "lefty", that I am, I never voted for her or her party. But I can't exactly say, that I disapprove of her. I have some disagreement on policy, but I on't dislike her as a person on actually value her character and style of leadership quite a lot.
I think she did what not many leaders would do: Genuinely try to be a leader for *all* the people, and not just for those that voted for her. Which is, I guess, why her party "slipped" more and more into what could be considered the "average German mindset", i.e. somewhat to the left of its original programme.
It's exactly the same for me.
Kudos to you for acknowledging that!
If you have just "some disagreement" with her politics, you are not a lefty. Are you one of those social democrats?
@@e.mailissimo2146 Yes, I would call myself a social democrat, but that's more of a tendency. I have also voted in the past for the greens and for the left. The lefty was put in "" quotations for that reason.
She embodied every positive virtue I can think of...integrity, ethics, honesty, humanity. She was a breath of fresh air from the standard, selfish egos that are typical in political. Indeed, the epitome of #ServantLeadership globally.
To me as a Dane, with Denmark being a land-linked boarder country to Germany with a century old history of business, war and migration, salute and admire Angela.
As a woman I admire Angela. In my opinion she is a world icon for girls and women, who are still fighting the windmills of male-dominated and often painfully conflicting systems. I wish SHE was the one we teach our daughters to look up to, rather than instagram-models, musiciens and actresses.
An intelligent, brave, quiet and stable woman who may not smile a lot but when she does, it lights up an event, because she does it with as much grace and dignity as she has always taken bullying and degradation from world leaders. She is said to have a wicked humour which is'nt hard to believe - it's always the quiet ones ;)
Europe will be the less without her and I hope their new Kansler will fill just half her shoes.
I remember when Helmuth Kohl were in power and she has proceeded him by the tenfolds. In dignity and character.
And imagine this, then child, sitting there in '89 watching "Die Mauer" finally being torn down, having been to Berlin on vacation and seen it in all it's horror, not knowing that this amazing woman would be one of the gifts, coming out of East Germany.
re
your
As a woman I admire Angela. In my opinion she is a world icon for girls and women, who are still fighting the windmills of male-dominated and often painfully conflicting systems. I wish SHE was the one we teach our daughters to look up to, YEAH
EXACTLY
Well said ma'am!
Heavy is the head that wears the crown!
She literally, singlehandedly held Europe together... Now that's a woman! Stronger & more capable than any man!
Nope.
Agreed!
I think thats giving her too much credit. But she did make Germany a stable cornerstone.
Holding Europe together? Ask the British about that.
So this is what it looks like to have a politician care about their people. Someone who was looked up to for being a true leader (do what is expected of others) and being herself at the same time. Hopefully her example will be followed by those who come after her.
Well, it wasn't that exciting. It was more like "before I do anything wrong, I better don't do anyhting". Very hesitating.
I remember during the Syria refugee crisis, when she opened the German borders to more than a million refugees, many of whom would otherwise have died, and Donald Trump's reaction was to call her a "mad woman", that she had made a "catastrophic mistake", and that she'd "lead to the downfall of Germany". I mean, it's one thing for him not to want to help people in need himself in order to gather all the racist votes, but to publicly trash and make fun of someone who did step in to help save hundreds of thousands of lives, is just... A choice.
To be more precise she didn't open the borders, that's the status quo. She just didn't close them.
Trump is a clown of the first order and didn't have 2 brain cells to warm each other.
I feel trump tried to be her but with his own ideals was failing so he didn't like her 🤣
@@D-D_AA that's not quite right. Actually under european law the refugees were ordered to stay in hungary and had no right to move further. So technically if they've touched Austrian ground to reach for Germany they could have been pushed back to hungary. It took a lot of negotiations to make this possible because practically it was against european law
@@D-D_AA "In late August 2015, during the height of the European migrant crisis, Merkel's government suspended European provisions, which stipulated that asylum seekers must seek asylum in the first EU country they arrive. Instead Merkel announced that Germany would also process asylum applications from Syrian refugees if they had come to Germany through other EU countries. That year, nearly 1.1 million asylum seekers entered Germany." - That's not exactly "the status quo". Let's avoid rewriting history when we don't have to.
not from Germany, not a supporter
But Angela Merkel has been one of my biggest inspirations and the first woman l've ever looked up to and given a huge respect. That time the Chancellor's meeting with the current Russian president when he brought the dog allegedly with an intention has always been in stuck in my head and taught me to put on a brave smile and beat the fear even in the fornt of discomfort. As a supporter, I'd feel like my reliable mom has been replaced.
The female leaders of the world have been killing it lately.
Not a supporter? but I bet u would buy a Benz BMW Audi, Porsche etc. That’s support.
@@RuffianEnt. I wish l could.
@@lanalirain210 ohh.
My point was , people claim
To not support Germany just because of the history forgetting that they use lots n lots of products made by Germans. Pencils n pens for example. The highway itself was a German invention. Hence, ya’ll support.
@@RuffianEnt. I meant the word, supporter for the Chancellor , not for Germany.
I just became a German citizen last year and was devastated that I couldn’t vote for her. I don’t agree with everything she did but she was fair and always had her heart on the right place.
Gj voting for the regime that ruined Europe
@@Maximilian-Robespierre wait, the CDU ruined Europe?
@@MiguelStinson88 Mostly yes. Among other things
@@Maximilian-Robespierre Jeez, people these days with their easy explanations and strong, doubtless opinions.
CDU is not angela Merkel. So I am happy that you weren't able to vote
I have just voted for her once in her 16 years, but I still have huge respect for her. She will be missed.
I never voted for her, but I'm still gonna miss her.
@8ll Hey, your mom says it's time for you to take your meds ...
I have never voted for her, because she is in the wrong party, but I still respect her. In Germany the line of polarization runs roughly between the racist AfD (10%) and the rest of the country (90%). The 2 party system in the US is just very dangerous for democracy.
We don´t vote our chancelors we vote parties
@@jayeff6712 I completely agree! We need to eliminate the electoral college, so that we can have more than 2 viable political parties. It forces many of us to claim no party as our own. There are many independents in this country. I believe that it's due to the two party system. Many of us are center moderates who share some beliefs with both parties. We really should have a third party for moderates. Most working class people here pretty much fall into this category. When you live paycheck to paycheck it's much harder to be an extremist.
I always find it baffling she was considered a conservative in Germany. In the US she'd probably fall somewhere in the center, possibly even center-left considering her stance on the refugee crisis. A great world leader, she will be missed.
That's generally true for a comparison from the US to Europe. However Merkel is a conservative in her value policies. She dragged her heels on marriage equality, marriage still holds a high protection, abortion rights in Germany aren't that great (though arguably much better than in parts of the US) and the list of examples continues. What she did realise is that certain social policies incl. For example Minimum wage it is a political advantage to implement these, so she did.
She did stick her neck out during the refugee crisis, and on a human and moral level that is to be applauded. It has since then been widely debated in ger own party and her party is advocating quite strict Immigration rules. They also for example never looked into changing the laws that mean people can not easily hold a second citizenship.
So I wouldn't call her progressive. Just a pragmatic conservative. (European style)
@@munstergirl25 Thanks for the detailed take! As an American, it's always hard to gauge the politics of other countries because of how warped our own can be. Though by what you say I guess political expedience is still a universal trait. I'm not sure what the current parliamentary makeup of Germany is but hopefully there will be a new chancellor that will be more progressive on issues.
@@andrewjostrander The next government will be made up by a coalition of three different partys, the SPD (centrist-left...which means their political views are comparable to those of Bernie Sanders), the green party (who are comparable to the progressive wing of the democrats) and the FDP (who are centrist libertarians and neo-liberals with a high emphasis on economical freedoms), because the SPD's traditional color is red, the green party's color is obviously green and the FDP's traditional color is yellow, we call this coalition the "Ampel Koalition" ("traffic light coalition"). It's the first time that a coalition of THREE parties will rule Germany and we'll see how it will work out.
@@NKA23 We already had three party coalitions in Germany. Adenauer had almost exclusively 3 party coalitions during his time. TBF that was quite some time ago and for a lot of Germans it is a "new" thing. We'll see how it works out.
@@NKA23 Sorry, aber wir wurden überwiegend von Dreierkoalitionen regiert. Falls du anderer Meinung bist kannst du das mit der CSU diskutieren ;-)
Daily Show Team: So how many stereotypical German jokes should we include?
Noah: Yes.
Which jokes do u mean?
We ❤ you Angela! What a role model not just for Germans but people around the world
I have never been to Germany but man what an inspiration she has been
I don't think we need to love her... she was... ok.
@8ll BS. She is still by far the most popular politician in Germany. Only the 10% AfD-voters don’t like her.
@8ll
@@untergehermuc Nope. Europeans who are afraid of the radicals, are sick of her. Because what she has done is nothing. Except bringing EU to its knees. And now that she's gone populists all over are having a bad time, because what she did enforced the radicals in Europe in every effing step of the way. She was and still is an asset of the right wingers, so called "Christian Conservatives" and such.
She stayed to attmpt to protect everyone in the world from trump... thank you mam.
That's the reason the Honorable Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg didn't retire. She & Obama spoke about her retirement & replacement, & she wanted to wait to see who would win 2016 POTUS. When djt won, she said (paraphrased)- no way am I retiring, he will undo everything I had a hand in, for Women's rights.
@@dee_dee_place and lo and behold, she was spot on (maybe not about him doing it himself, but certainly about him setting things up for women’s rights to take a hard hit and set the country back a few decades)
Lol, all Germans think she's a treator, all she ever served was pure evil. She is the most hated person here in Germany. Do not believe media and what they tell you about Merkel. Did you know that Germany got the worlds greatest media network. BBC, all Sky services, CNN, etc is owned by Germany and the servants of Merkel supression. I am German and we know that. Corona is a German case and spread all over the world by Germany. Merkel changed the world for others agenda, your world too. Do not believe normality will come back.
@@martinstemmelpoppe2351 Really? Just a copy and paste to your other response? Bigotry must be part of your character. Take a small step back and look at the positive things in life. There's so much more about humanity that you're refusing to see.
@UCqepdjhgHSuFHkIc-97uLrA that hag should have stepped down earlier, could have been replaced by obama
This goes to show that there are so many more things we have to thank her for. She kept Putin calm all these years. Now she has been gone only a few months... and already war breaks out in Europe. Even when she had been calming the crisis for 16 years... we were still underestimating her 😢 I really think as a woman who grew up in East Germany and hence essentially in the Soviet Union, she had a unique ability to make Putin feel like he had an ally in Germany. Looking back now she was amazing at being right wing and left wing at the same time.
she was neither right-wing nor left-wing. she's been a conservative democrate. even thought that might not make much sense for you, as democrats are considered "the lefties" in your country, i guess - assuming you're from the united states. No offence meant! there's a huge difference between democratic and left-wing politicians in germany! It's not just black and white here ;) we have ~50 shades of gr... ah never mind xD
Angela Merkel leaves office in the age of 67 as one of the worlds most renowned diplomats,
she is still younger than when Trump took office as one of the worlds most renowned dorks.
What have dorks done to you that you insult them this way?
@@oerthling What haven't they done , actually they only created messes all over the world.
That was nice, Trevor. Wonderful goodbye to a great world leader. Angela, you will be greatly missed. 🙏
Little side note: Merkel as a person was approved by many, but her party wasn't in the end. In fact the majority of first time voters voted either for the Greens, who are more left or the Free Democrats, who are more capitalist. Both parties were the opposition for 12 out of 16 years.
one of my favorite quotes about her was from Stephen Colbert on Trump's inauguration day. something about the peaceful transfer of power being an inspirational thing: "one day the leader of the free world was Obama; the next, it was Angela Merkel." hilarious, sad, and true.
It never was Obama...Mutti was there before him!
@@lenawagenfuehr53 yes, but we Americans like to call our president the leader of the free world 😆
@@seraphik I keep wondering how many Americans realize how clownish this is and how the rest of the world tries to not make their raised eyebrows too obvious when they hear this kind of talk 😄
@@zorglub667 believe me, i know. there are definitely still people who believe in American exceptionalism, but i think most of us (the sane ones anyway) know we're like everyone else... some of the best, but some of the worst too. i will say our poles are maybe a little more visible than most, maybe just because our media is so pervasive, so you really see all the shine and all the scars.
I have always been envious that Germany had such a great leader. After taking European politics in college, I was like "Why can’t we have someone like her?” She’ll be missed on the world stage for sure.
Perhaps you ought to be "someone like her"? You can have her as a role model, that's already more than she had.
I liked her as a leader, even though i would never elect her party. Always respectful and smart and capable.
To see you do an “IYDKNYK” on our Mutti - let’s just say: Right in the feels, Trevor. Thank you for keeping up with international news and caring about what happens outside American borders. And yeah, sorry about those torches, we get it and even Angie looked a tad uncomfortable at times while that went down. She deserved the honor, though.
Too bad non-German speakers don't catch the irony of the songs which she elected for this ceremony, especially the Nina Hagen and the Hildegard Knef song.
@@Pedroleum100 can you elaborate?
@@normaforsyth7950 Oh, that would take an essay...Just one thing: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du_hast_den_Farbfilm_vergessen That article is about one of the songs Merkel chose for that ceremony. To hear it being performed by a military orchester kind of undermined the seriousness of the ceremony and that speaks volumes about Merkel's subtle, ironic and dry humor.
@@NKA23 thanks :)
@@Pedroleum100 yes.
As a german, i never voted for her, because you don't actually vote for a person, but a party. I don't like her party, but I think she did a great job. And she gave us a laugh with her choice of song for that military thing. One of the three songs was by nina hagen. Just google her 😀
And her doctor's degree is actually in physics!
We now voted for becoming more social, green and digital. Let's see what the three parties make of it.
Never voted for her party, either. And I never will, unless for some reason they do a MIGHTY 180... But nevertheless, I admire her ability to just sit things out. Sadly, a few of those things she sat out might have gone better if she had done more than sit, but I'm decently sure she has a solid character and the heart on the right place.
Even with those big footsteps the next chancellor is going to step in, I'm looking forward to how the future will turn out! Honestly... I'm a little bit happily excited.
@@annaku_baannasplitopen We have two votes here in Germany.
The first goes to a person who is set for his/her party in a district. The candidate with most of all votes there goes directly to parliament.
The second is for the party you prefer nation-wide. Each party with 5% of all votes at minimum (eventually including direct candidates from first vote when below 5%) gets equivalent to its percentage seats in parliament.
If one party gets more delegatees with the first vote than they would be entitled to by percentage of the second vote, all other parties fill seats from a list of candidates to fit the percentage again.
This definitely isn't perfect and has its "bad sides" but to me this sounds more democratic than the US-system... 😉
you Germans laugh???
@@annaku_baannasplitopen Marco covered it, but it's important to note, they don't vote for a president, the parties decide who will be the leader. Much like the UK or New Zealand.
there are also a lot more than two parties to vote for.
@@CookRugbyCinemaTravel southern germans are hilarious, bavarians have all the fun:)
I am an immigrant living in Germany, and I have been here for 5 years. I like Merkel a lot, and I admire her style and competency, but her party was a lot more conservative and religious than most people realize. They kept Germany frozen in place when it comes to a lot of important issues. Now I think Olaf Scholz is totally meh, but the coalition has already signalled a lot of big changes and progress for immigration rights, transgender rights, and many other important issues, so I do believe the change is going to be very positive for the country I chose to call home.
@WARLORD Actually, only for atheists. Christians seem to lack a solid moral foundation.
@WARLORD Which Islamic migration?
@WARLORD Yeah, a fairly low number of people came and it was the countries complaining the most now that were also the least helpful. The right wing idiots were there before that, it just gave them another excuse.
@WARLORD All theistic religions are harmful, especially the monotheistic ones. Belief is not a pathway to truth. That's no reason to dislike people though. Heck, even some Christians share that sentiment in their own twisted way.
Imagine if we had a president, from any party, that had even a tenth of the content of character of Angela Merkel... We would have no problems by now.
Daily Reminder: "Presidents are not kings and plaintiff isn't the president." - 11/09/2021 D.C. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan
Merkel knew this
Reminder. Everyone poops.
"You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU"
"Huh?"
"You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU"
"Huh?"
"You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU"
"Huh?"
"You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU"
"Huh?"
"You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU"
"Huh?"
"You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU"
"Huh?"
"You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU"
"Huh?"
"You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU"
"Huh?"
"You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU"
"Huh?"
"You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU"
"Huh?"
"You can't do a trade deal with Germany, you have to deal with the EU"
"Oh, we’ll do a deal with Europe then."
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/angela-merkel-donald-trump-explain-eu-trade-11-times-germany-chancellor-us-president-a7699591.html
@@CHANTARELLA Except, Merkel is the Chancellor, not the President of Germany, which would be Frank-Walter Steinmeier. However, the Chancellor is the leader of government, and thus belongs to the executive branch, wheras the President has largly a ceremonial role, though he has the power to dissolve parliament. Merkel could've gone on if she wanted to, because there's not term limit to the Chancellorship.
@Hanna Sweetie, are you sure you're in the right comment section?
What I liked about Merkel as a German citizen: She NEVER played the woman card, she wanted to be treat just as a normal politician (nothing more) and she did her job far better than most male politicians! Her calm and thoughtful attitude saved Germany from a lot of conflicts. A lot of male politicians should learn from her. Yes, how she solved all crisis was far from perfect. But still, I think she was probably one of the better choices available in most elections at that time.
She was the only person from her party I would vote for.
I whant to like this twice
She did do that though
@@tilltronje1623 when?
@@dannychane when she was elected for the first time for example. You can even see it in this video
As a german I can say for sure we will miss her. She was such an analytic mind compared to most politicians
@8ll sweet
@8ll Alles gut, bleib gesund
You mean dumb hateful for german culture???
She has been an inspiration, and a steadying force for the world, and without the frequent (typical?) corruption and scandal of so many world leaders. A woman of integrity and power. The image of her leaning over the desk and staring down Trump in disgust at the G7 summit in 2018 is my favorite, and shows pictorally her power as even other world leaders seemed to recognize, while the US excuse for president looks like a spoiled naughty toddler.
She also is a pastor's daughter, who stuck to her roots. "Wir schaffen das!"(we can do it) was "alternativlos"(without an alternative) for her. She considers herself Christian. For her there simply never was a way Germany of all countries could turn those poor souls, fleeing from war, down. She kept it real. I had the chance to meet her a couple of times and I am proud to have had her as my chancellor for so many years. Thank you so much for this Trevor. I love your show. Greetings from Germany. I would finish with a joke, but I'll save it. Who knows when im gonna need it. Back to work now...
Pragmatic . . . such a wonderful, underappreciated word.
True! Thanks for pointing that out.
Greeting from Germany 🇩🇪 and thank you for this well balanced and funny video honoring Dr. Merkel. You made my “Annual laugh” 😉!
I never understand why the whole world pays her the well deserved respect and we and especially our media is just complaining about it.
She did a fantastic job and I am concerned about what is ahead of us..!
Thank you Trevor, very well done 👍
_"She did a fantastic job and I am concerned about what is ahead of us..!"_ What's wrong with the Traffic Light?
@8ll Are you even German?
@8ll I like her and so do 70% of Germans. You are entitled to your opinion, but when you pretend everyone agrees with you, it makes you look like you can't stand the idea that anyone would have a different opinion than you, you know, looks weak and slightly delusional. That's just my opinion though.
@8ll Such a high praise, in the "real world", without a TV! Do you even have electricity on that Saxon farm? How did you get that bs that you do own, by a pigeon?
@8ll Oh please, stop sniffing glue...! 🙈
Gotta say Trevor, I highly enjoyed this bit as a German of said generation Merkel. Although I don't really see eye to eye with the internal politics of her party I was always a fan of her foreign politics and how she represented our country on the world stage. I think I won't exaggerate by saying she has been a most influential leader for Germany an by extension Europe an in my opinion has done quite a decent job of representing Germany on the world stage in a positive light. Although I am positively curious for a change of rulership in Germany I am sad to see her go, since global politics has shown us that the pit of worse options is truely bottomless.
In general, I want to say that watching another contry's news on my own always is interesting and grounds me, since it shows a different perspective, so thank you for that.
I'm german, and I firmly believe that even though she never was the chancellor we wanted, she was the best chancellor we ever could have had. She never had a vision, she "just" managed the stuff right in front of her, and maybe you couldn't ask for more in a world leader. Sad in a way, quite inspiring in another. I genuinely fear that we - even germans like me who never voted for her - will deeply miss her rather soon.
Apt description. She "just managed". I had hoped somebody with a vision would eventually emerge within those 16 years. Alas, nobody came... (or was squashed by those who love stability above all?) Now we're stuck with people who have neither a vision, nor can they manage, nor do they have a genuine character. The bar is low.
She „never had a vision“? How do you know?
Her vision was stability and prosperity?
@@seunosewa Her goal was to preserve the status quo, that's very much the opposite of a vision. Stability was her thing, prosperity - eh, not so much.
@@BewareOfTheKraut I know by observing her politics for 16+ years? I mean, it's not like I'm the only one who thinks like this.
Thank you ANGELA MERKEL for beeing the voice of humanity and common sense.
She's one of the leaders who sanctiones letting people drown in the Mediterranean Sea. She made a deal with Erdogan to keep the refugees out of Europe, now they starve in refugee camps in Turkey. I'm German and no, she doesn't have much humanity. She had a centre-left coalition partner is all.
@@unicorntulip4481 thats your opinion.
@@mikaellindroos1594 it isn't my opinion. It's happening right now. It's the reason why Europe isn't full of refugees. If you don't know about all of this, do your research.
@@unicorntulip4481 yee yee and the world is flat.
@@mikaellindroos1594 seriously, research. Ever heard of Frontex?
I am left deeply in awe of her personality, her convictions and her practicality. With her stepping down we're left with a significant political vacuum that I'm not sure *any* of our current politicians, be it ruling coalition or opposition, has the capability to fill even halfway decently. I wish nothing but the best to designated chancellor Scholz, but I fear the country might suffer in the coming years without Merkel's steady and prudent leadership.
She's one of the world's most under-rated leaders. I suspect that her impact will only be appreciated by comparison with the leaders that follow her.
Because she's a Woman. Very little Respect are given to women in the World. WWJS!
Imagine every country on this planet having a political leader like Angela for just a decade from now on.
WW3?
@@Maximilian-Robespierre more like WW3 after she left.
I'm afraid to dream
@@chiaraheyer6343 Irrelevent. And this is not WW3, this is US expansion and division of Europe.
@@Maximilian-Robespierre Let's agree to disagree.
Correction: In 2015, when a million migrants came to germany, Merkel did not 'open the borders', als within the EU borders have been open for decades. Merkel did not close them, basically upholding EU ruling rather than falling to a racist panic from europes far rights.
Still, it was a great moment to see that european values matter when it counts. Unfortunately, after 2015 migration to germany from wartorn countries was made harder, even sending afghan back. Also, migrants die regularly in the ocean, and Germany criminalized privat rescue missions.
Germany criminalized private rescue missions? Wasn‘t that the Italians in some places which was later overruled as unhuman?
@@lupen_rein
The Minister für infrastructure, Andreas Scheuer, restricted german private sea boats so much, that it is now Impossible for private citizens to go on rescue missions.
To dig deeper you can read up on Carola Rackete, a young woman and sea captain. She was even arrested in Italy for a short while, for rescueing refugees.
0:55 its called a "Großer Zapfenstreich", a prussian tradition performed for more then 200 years. They do it for important, noteworthy events. Even though we find arround 20 of those every year
In case all you americans have no idear what Prussia was, or what happend in europe in that time, i recommend reading a bit on wikipeida about it.
Bro chill let them laugh
Nein ò_ó
I am from Spain and must admit I did not like her before... but she has grown so much and becomed the only politician people respect, wow years after... do we miss her!! Respect after I started reading about her and when she decided to run again when Trump was elected.
The UN veto joke....I don't know whether I wanted to laugh or to cry.
She was amazing. I never thought she would lead Germany the way she did. Thanks for everything.
Why did you forget to mention that she's got a doctorate in physics?
Thanks for bringing this up Trevor. She was Mutti Merkel for half my life. 2015 and 2016 were extremely controversial years but she stood like a rock because she thought it was the right things to do. It did not went smoothly but „Wir haben es geschafft (größtenteils) / „We did it (for the most part).
Even if Olaf Scholz belongs to the „opposite“ party, I think (hope) our general demeanor does not change.
Yes, „Ihr habt es geschafft/you did it“, something all these right wing populists always forget to mention, when they talk about the migration crisis.
@@DerTaran l am surprised she did not get a Noble for taking all those refugees in wich nobody wantet . There has to be a reward for doing so .
And she always lived with her publicly unknown husband Joachim Sauer in the same apartment as before, no villa, no luxury, no yacht, no overblown ego. Thank you, Trevor. I would like to add a joke, but I already used mine up for this year.
Yes, because the same people who delight in toilet humour say we aren't funny...🙄
@@lenawagenfuehr53 you are funny🙄
@@lenawagenfuehr53 It's the second time today you make me smile (unusual for a German in one year, let alone a day). What part of Germany are you from? Your humour reminds me of my sister's dark take on things.
I was with her boyfriend visiting Copenhagen town square. I blurted out exuberantly: "This is fantastic! I cannot believe how distinctive each town in Europe is!" Her boyfriend laughted ... "When I took your sister here the first time, she said Bah, dreadful! I cannot believe how every town square in Europe looks the same!"
When I was a exchange student in USA 38 years ago many German political discussions appeared small and petty compared to world issues. Trevor's praise of Merkel's 16 years in service is so valuable because he looks from far away and values her humble and strong way of government. I am wondering how history will see her. But at least she has been a honest, trustworthy, intelligent and resilient leader.
She is the best. Hopefully we can have a leader like her. 16 years is tough. She held strong. That's awesome. Appreciate that use of office.
Literally can't say a thing without Android or something stopping me. This has to stop. Just now getting rebooted. Okay Angela definitely deserves more.
As a german 18 year old, yes. I would love to keep her. It's gonna be so weird to have a new chancellor.