Daily Times

May 8th, 1945, a day after when Grand Adm. Karl Donitz signed a formal surrender to the victorious Allies, the jubilant crowds were chanting the victory in the streets of Moscow, Paris, London, and Washington. In the meanwhile, after consuming hundreds of thousands of their loves, the wounded Germans were mourning the ashes of racial supremacy, and senselessly staring at Russian tanks trampling the lanes and bricks of Berlin. The Red Army fought its way into the Reichstag and raised the red flag over the smoldering capital- that Hitler had once proclaimed would last for a thousand years.

75 years later, Nazism, the Holocaust, and the scars of war still impact German identity and societal process. The humiliating defeat turned into a promise to redeem and rebuild. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier noted while commemorating the 75th anniversary of the fall of Berlin “It took years, indeed decades for Germany to undergo the process of de-Nazification and earn its place back in the community of nations. Today, Germany is a strong, solid democracy in the heart of a peaceful and united Europe. We enjoy trust and reap the benefits of collaboration and partnerships around the world”.

The German leadership with a habit of longevity; Konrad Adenauer for 14 years, Helmut Kohl for 16, played a key role in consolidating the remarkable shift using the power of confession and diligence. Angela Markel personified and raised it to the pinnacle after sworn in as the Chancellor of The Federal Republic of Germany back in 2005.

Angela is a Pastor’s daughter born and raised in Hamburg, West Germany. She got her PhD from Central Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences in East Berlin for her thesis on quantum chemistry in 1986. She entered politics after the fall of Berlin’s Wall and Joined the Democratic Awakening which after the unification of Germany merged into the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). She moved her party from far-right to center.

While addressing a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall, she asserted “No wall that keeps people out and restricts freedom is so high… that it cannot be broken down”

Her achievements at home and abroad have seen her top Forbes’ most powerful women list eight times. She is the torch-bearing decider of the European Project- the de-facto leader of Europe-proved from her expressive role in consolidating the Treaty of Lisbon and the Berlin Declaration. She cemented her role during the Euro crisis with a strong focus on austerity, balanced budgets, and strict no to Eurobonds.

Her declaration that if the euro fails, Europe fails depicts her enterprise to unify Europe constructively. She led central Europe in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the subsequent fighting in Ukraine. She played articulately and prudently on the global stage. She also helped the international treaty to end Iran’s economic isolation over its nuclear program.

A survey conducted in October 2020 found 75% of adults in 14 European countries trust Merkel more than any other leader in the region.  She saved the Eurozone from collapse after bailouts were organized three times for Greece and to Cyprus, Portugal, and Ireland.

Downsizing the military and increase in funding for Health and Education infrastructure is another feather in her cap. After more than 50 years, her defense minister abolished compulsory conscription as part of plans to reduce non-productive spending. The size of the military clipped from around 240,000 soldiers to 170,000.

Her commitment to Climate Change was adorable. Very soon after the Fukushima disaster, Merkel made the declaration to close eight of Germany’s 17 nuclear reactors and that the others would be phased out by 2022. The closure was part of her stand with Sustainable Development Goal-transition to alternative energy sources. Merkel’s government introduced the tax-financed scheme that allows parents to share up to 14 months off after the birth of a child and gives each up to 67% of their salary during that time. The policy was a fruitful effort to nurture a healthy family system. She introduced €8.50-an-hour (£7-an-hour) minimum wage in 2015 which helped reducing class divisions and income inequality.

She adroitly drove Germany safely through the global pandemic crisis. “Confidence among consumers and companies is stronger than in many other European countries,” said Professor Marcel Fratzscher, head of Germany’s leading economic research institute DIW. “I think overall, Merkel’s government has handled the crisis quite well from an economic perspective.”

Her diplomatic achievements are no exception to the list. When Angela reached Harvard to get his honorary doctorate, Nicholas Burns, the professor of Diplomacy at Harvard’s John F Kennedy School of Government welcomed her as “The most dangerous issue in the West is that democracy is under siege. It is being challenged by Russian cyberattacks, by divisive politics here at home, by the rise of the anti-democratic populists in Europe, and by Donald Trump. And for a lot of us who think that the West is important, the idea of a democratic world, she’s now the leader of the West. I think she will arrive at Harvard with many, many people on both sides of the Atlantic seeing her as a figure of hope”.

While addressing a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall, she asserted “No wall that keeps people out and restricts freedom is so high… that it cannot be broken down”. The wall was the ugliest memory of the doomed day. It had torn apart Soviet-controlled East Berlin and capitalist West Berlin during the Cold War. Its fall in 1989 was a victory for freedom, liberal democracy, and led to Germany’s reunification a year later. However, Mrs. Merkel was well-aware of the far-right populism posing threat to free Germany. She warned “the values on which Europe is founded – freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, human rights – they are anything but self-evident and they have to be revitalized and defended time and time again. We stand stripped of any excuses and are required to do our part of freedom and democracy.”. The time expects no mistake by Germans in making another intelligent choice. Who knows the worth of peace and freedom better than them.

The writer is an academic, columnist, and public policy researcher