Who became the first female chancellor of Germany in 2005?

Angela Merkel (also known as Angela Dorothea Kasner) was born on July 17, 1954, became the first female chancellor of Germany in 2005. She was appointed the head of a grand coalition consisting of the CDU, its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).

Today, Merkel’s style of government has been characterized by pragmatism. But, some critics have decried her approach as the absence of a clear stance and ideology. And, she has demonstrated a willingness to adopt the positions of her political opponents if they have proved to be sensible and popular. One notable example was Merkel’s decision to phase out nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima accident in 2011. She took this action after having previously passed a law to prolong the operating life of Germany’s nuclear power plants.

Merkel’s handling of the euro-zone debt crisis, on the other hand, has led to criticism of an approach many have considered too strict. Indeed, even the broadly pro-austerity International Monetary Fund director, Christine Lagarde, drew attention to the harm that harsh austerity measures could inflict on an already-damaged economy. In spite of those challenges, the leader of Europe’s most populous and economically powerful country continued to enjoy strong domestic approval with her country's citizens.