Freedom: Memories 1954 - 2021 Kindle Edition
by Angela Merkel (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
For sixteen years, Angela Merkel was Chancellor of Germany. She led the country through numerous crises, shaping both Germany and international politics with her actions and attitudes. In her memoirs, co-written with her long-time political advisor Beate Baumann, she reflects on her life in two German states - thirty-five years in the German Democratic Republic, thirty-five years in reunited Germany.
More intimately than ever before, she talks about her childhood, youth, and studies in the GDR and the dramatic year of 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell and her political life began. She also shares recollections and insights from her meetings and conversations with the world's most powerful people. Discussing significant national, European, and international turning points, she shows how the decisions were made that shaped our times. Her book offers a unique insight into the inner workings of power - and is a compelling plea for freedom.
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Germany: Angela Merkel's memoirs to be published in November
05/13/2024May 13, 2024
The memoirs of the former German chancellor, titled "Freedom," will be available in more than 30 countries. Merkel has kept a relatively low profile since leaving office.
https://p.dw.com/p/4fnav
An archive photo of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel wearing a red suit jacket
Merkel was the federal chancellor and the chairwoman of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) political partyImage: Getty Images
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Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's memoirs will be published on November 26, the publisher, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, announced on Monday.
It comes nearly three years after the end of Merkel's 16-year tenure and her thoughts will be spilled across some 700 pages.
What we know about Merkel's memoirs
The book, titled "Freedom. Memories 1954 — 2021," will be published in over 30 countries, Kiepenheuer & Witsch said.
In her memoirs, Merkel looks back "on her life in two German states — 35 years in East Germany (GDR), 35 years in reunified Germany," the publisher said.
Merkel was born in Hamburg, northwestern Germany, in 1954 but moved with her family to the former GDR shortly afterward.
She co-wrote the book with her longtime office manager and political advisor, Beate Baumann.
"What is freedom for me? This question has occupied me my whole life," Merkel said in a statement after the announcement.
Freedom is "not to stop learning, not to have to stand still, but to be allowed to go further, even after leaving politics," she said.
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Merkel keeps low profile, as Russia legacy draws fresh criticism
The memoirs come as Merkel maintains a relatively low profile since leaving office.
She has since stayed out of the political fray and away from events of her center-right party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
Merkel, who was "The World's Most Powerful Woman" by Forbes magazine for 10 years in a row, was at the helm of Europe's biggest economy between 2005 and 2021.
She was the first, and so far only woman, to serve as Germany's chancellor.
However, Merkel's legacy has faced criticism since quitting politics, most notably over her approach toward Moscow and Germany's reliance on Russian gas.
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From Australia
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great three themed political history
Reviewed in Australia on 30 November 2024
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There are three themes of importance:
The history of German unification pre and post 1989. Einigkeit.
Her political views (right wing) and morality (what is right). Recht.
Her political views on freedom of action in a political sense through that period, as well as what that meant for various parts of German society and its constraints, internal and external. Freiheit.
So, Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit as seen through a person who loves her country and has done her best by it.
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Jürgen Elsen
1.0 out of 5 stars A reflection of their politics
Reviewed in Germany on 15 December 2024
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Not just a matter of taste. Freedom was simply defined differently in the former “GDR” than in the “Federal Republic of Germany.”
As far as the tasks for the state, the representative of the people, in school lessons are concerned, you would say “topic missed.”
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betty
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 December 2024
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A very interesting account. Particularly some of the political encounters.
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Em
5.0 out of 5 stars A True Inspiration.
Reviewed in Germany on 19 December 2024
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This book isn’t just a reflection of her legacy it’s a guide for how the world’s leaders should act
with integrity, humility, and a genuine commitment to humanity.
Merkel’s vision proves that real power lies in unity and compassion, not division.
She is, and always will be, the standard for leadership in Germany and beyond.
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twooks
4.0 out of 5 stars fascinating, especially in DDR
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 December 2024
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I was expecting a much drier read when I would need to take a couple of breaks.
A fascinating look at events in a difficult time, in an unexpectedly even-handed way, it IS autobiography but nothing like I would expect from any other politician.
Dr Merkel's value system clearly reflects her time behind The Wall & her christian beliefs.
Impressed that she encouraged vote on same-sex and then follwed her value system to vote against.
I think in many ways her christian values contributed to her naivety in believing her integrity was shared with others.
I am only unhappy that the translation was in american not english given the translaters are british - lose a point
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Gwen
3.0 out of 5 stars utterly irritating English translation
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 December 2024
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I was really looking forward to reading this book over the holidays, and I am sure I will carry on doing so. However, what I did not expect, was to find such an utterly terrible translation into English. The translators couldn't even be bothered to abandon German syntax. Hence, I can only recommend to read this book in its original language if you are able to - it will significantly enhance the reading experience.
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marina
5.0 out of 5 stars The memoirs of Mrs. Merkel in English
Reviewed in Germany on 12 December 2024
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I've only just begun, but it's already fascinating from the perspective of a child in the GDR.
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===
Freedom: Memoirs 1954-2021
Angela Merkel
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Xaver
4 reviews
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December 5, 2024
This is a very subjective review. To my surprise, I enjoyed the first part of the book the most, where Merkel describes her upbringing in the GDR, because I could draw some connections to my own experiences as a foreign university student in China. With a spoiler alert: among the passages I liked a lot, the following two stood out.
In her last grade of high school, Merkel’s class pranked the communist “culture program” in the GDR by performing a poem by Christian Morgenstern. I tried my best to translate the sassy undertone to English. The poem is called pug-life.
Pugs like to perch on street corners,
in the bustling old town quarters,
to savor, from such a fine place,
the colorful world at a leisurely pace.
Oh watch yourself with care,
lest you, too, be just a pug out there.
Afterwards, the students sang the Internationale in English not in German as was the norm. Over the following days, all other classes wrote criticisms of their performance, which were pinned on the school board. At the next parents-teachers conference, the parents were encouraged to continue the criticism. Each student was questioned by the Stasi (the East German secret police). This form of subtle, humorous protest, walking the line of what can be said and what not, reminds me of the internet protests in China today.
Merkel talks about her reflections on living under an authoritarian regime. For example, when Merkel was doing her PhD in physics, in a conversation between her and some med-students she said: “For doctors like you, it's clear. They should always do their best no matter under what political system they live because they are saving lives. But what about us physicists? What are we to do in a state like the GDR, which constantly shows us that it acts against common sense?”
Later Merkel recounts: “At some point, however, I changed my perspective. Regardless of what kind of state the GDR was, this was about my own life. Even under such difficult political conditions, it was in my own best interest to push myself to my limits and show what I could do. Otherwise, I would stagnate, become bitter, or grow numb at a young age.”
Reading how Merkel struggled to find meaning under the political repression of the GDR is quite fascinating. I think at least some Chinese students experience similar dilemmas today, when deciding whether to rebel against the system they live under or to accept it and make the best of their situation. I wonder how Chinese students would react when they read her autobiography, and I hope that when it is translated into Chinese, it won’t be censored.
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Helena
5 reviews
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December 1, 2024
I am very pleasantly surprised. To be honest, I was expecting something in the style of Becoming: yawningly boring childhood stories that you struggle through to get to the politically interesting stuff.
But I found the memories of life in the GDR particularly successful. Merkel and Baumann manage to weave the German-German history with Merkel's personal experiences and present them in a well-structured and vivid way.
The biography does not contain any major revelations or confessions. Rather, it should be read as a classification of Merkel's politics according to her own perception. The style is quite sober, the structure is coherent and the historical lines and key reasons for Merkel's decisions are presented in a relatively entertaining way.
3.5 ⭐️
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Emilia
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December 11, 2024
This assessment does not mean that I agree with all the opinions expressed in this work.
As a person who practically grew up with “Mama Merkel”, I found this book particularly fascinating. I don’t know any time before Merkel; for me, she was part of Germany, just as Nutella bread was part of breakfast. And the older I got, and especially in the last four years, I realized more and more how much I detested her party. But how could I still perceive her as tending to be positive, even when she had different opinions to me? Well, this book explained it to me: because Ms Merkel belongs to a dying breed of politician. One of those who approach the matter with conscientiousness, understanding and logic. In this book, too, she expressed opinions that I do not share. And yet I was mostly able to respect her opinion, because she justified it objectively and professionally, but always with a healthy distance and sometimes an admission of a mistake. And I think we need people like that in politics. No matter which party. A desire for compromise and a desire for coexistence is what politics should be like.
That said: CSU CDU, AfD and FDP I hate you and hope you go under. (This also counts for any other parties but especially you)
This review is not my endorsement of all the opinions shared in this work.
As a person who practically grew up with "Mama Merkel", I was particularly fascinated by this book. I don't know a time before Merkel, for me she belonged to the country of Germany like Nutella bread belonged to breakfast. And the older I got, and especially in the last 4 years, I realized more and more how much I detested her party. But how could I still always perceive her as a positive tendency, even if she had different opinions to mine? Well, this book explained it to me: because Mrs. Merkel belongs to a dying breed of politicians. Those who approach things with conscientiousness, understanding and logic. In this book, too, she expressed opinions that I don't share. And yet I was usually able to respect her opinion because she justified it objectively and professionally, however with a healthy distance and sometimes with an admission of error. And I think we need people like that in politics. No matter which party. A desire for compromise and a desire for cooperation, that's how politics should be.
That said: CSU CDU, AfD and FDP I hate you and hope you flop. (This also applies to any other party, but especially you)
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Svenja
956 reviews
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December 21, 2024
The audio book "Freedom" by Angela Merkel offers an impressive mixture of personal memories and political reflection. Her stories about her childhood and youth in the GDR are particularly touching, making her seem incredibly human - you almost forget that she later became one of the most influential politicians in the world.
At the same time, the audio book takes listeners on a political journey through time. Merkel explains major events and decision-making processes, makes complex topics understandable and sheds light on backgrounds without excessive judgement. She keeps personal opinions to herself, but exciting insights can be glimpsed between the lines.
The pleasant narrator's voice perfectly rounds off the listening experience and makes the work a fascinating look at Angela Merkel as a person and politician.
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Becca Packer
325 reviews
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December 22, 2024
Absolutely fascinating. From growing up in eastern Germany until her stepping down as chancellor after 16 years. It was especially interesting to hear the behind the doors chats with other foreign leaders and her opinions on them. The 5 pages of defending Israel was the only downfall of this book. There is no defense for them and I don't understand why world leaders who continue to support them.
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Helena Truchla
48 reviews
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December 17, 2024
The book is a memoir, a personal history, not an objective, self-critical analysis. If you accept that, it is clear that it is also a good book. Because it is very well written, in a surprisingly light tone (again - given the genre). And in retrospect - it only makes sense that Angela Merkel is someone who knows exactly what to say, when and how to achieve the desired effect.
More in my review for Czech Radio (in CZ): https://plus.rozhlas.cz/helena-truchl...
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Umar Tosheeb
61 reviews
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December 23, 2024
There are so many fascinating aspects of this book. The tone feels candid and open. Most readers have heard of who Angela Merkel is, but before reading this book, most probably didn't know that she is partially of Polish descent and that when most of the Germans were moving from the East to the West, her parents chose to move from West Germany to the East after world war II. The knowledge of this and many other facts about her makes her an even more interesting person and explains some of her politics and decisions later in life. Cold War is almost a distant memory now; this book is a reminder of what people had to go through in former East Germany, where constant monitoring and spying by the government was part of daily life. Angela Merkel and her family were targeted because her father was a protestant priest, and anyone with a religious background was considered suspicious and hence marked as a target in communist East Germany. The PhD program at one of the universities she applied to rejected her because of her father's religious background.
The unification of Germany was a remarkable event in the lives of Angela Merkel and other Germans. As outsiders, we feel that the unification of Germany was a natural and inevitable outcome after the fall of the Soviet Union. As soon as the Soviet Union fell, Eastern Germany was dying to be part of the West. In reality, on the ground, It was a complicated process, the impact of which on the former East Germany continues to be present to this day. We get a first-hand analysis of what occurred during that critical time in Germany because Angela Merkel was amidst all the excitement and chaos. The unification was a messy process, and there were clear winners and losers. Most of the losers were on the Eastern side, and the bitterness of that is still present in the former East, as seen in the outcome of recent elections.
Angela Merkel barely mentions her parents or siblings. In the biographies of American politicians, there is usually a lot about growing up and how parents either positively or negatively influenced that politician. At the end of the book, she briefly mentions her mother's death without details. For American readers, the scant information about family might be unusual, but the feeling I get is that there is a definite purpose behind it, and the book's focus is public Merkel and not private. Her family is almost a side story, which has nothing to do with the public side of Merkel. The lack of family presence can be compared to Merkel's thought process. What I mean by that is that throughout the book, several times, when a meeting had to be held, she asked people if there would be an outcome; she hated having a meeting just for the sake of a meeting. Similarly, I don't think she sees the point of sharing with readers detailed information about her parents, siblings, or her husband in the book because she probably feels as far as her being the Chancellor of Germany is concerned and the politics or issues she had to tackle, the family is irrelevant. It is also remarkable that Merkel barely comments on 9/11. It was one of the most significant events at the start of the 21st century. There are references to the Iraq war but nothing on 9/11. As a politician, she didn't have direct dealings with policies, or her position didn't feel the impact; therefore, she doesn't comment on it.
Despite being born and growing up around the same time East Germany came into being, there isn't a detailed analysis of the country's society and economy. That is partly because maybe Merkel felt she was merely a citizen. Putin and Russia, especially Ukraine and the European conflict with Russia, are some of the topics comprehensively discussed in the book. The comprehensive retelling of the events that led up to, during, and after the invasion of Georgia should be expected since it had a direct impact on Germany and Europe. There is an extensive discussion of the refugee crisis and the centrist role that Merkel played as opposed to Hungary's president, and some other European countries wanted stricter limits on refugees. Interestingly, when discussing the refugee crisis, we get to notice the most humane side of Angela Merkel. She felt for and initiated policies to help them even under pressure from other Germans and European leaders not to do so.
Angela Merkel cares about the environment, and she devotes a lot of space in the book to that issue. The European financial crisis—particularly Greece—German-Israeli relations—and COVID-19 are some of the topics discussed in detail.
The title of the book—freedom—and the way it is used sound almost too American. For Angela Merkel, it makes sense, given her birth in East Germany, her journey to gain freedom, and her becoming chancellor of the largest and one of the most important countries in Western Europe.
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Indy van Salem
21 reviews
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December 12, 2024
Freedom, Angela Merkel's autobiography, interested me a lot. I didn't want to read the book to judge political decisions or her chancellorship, but to get to know the woman behind it all. I also found the political aspects of her biography interesting, but what made the book particularly exciting for me was that it also opens doors to the private and human sides of a woman who held one of the most powerful positions in the world.
I particularly liked how openly she talks about her childhood and youth in the GDR. I found the impressions of a system that shaped her youth and the move to a reunified Germany very exciting. You can feel how much these experiences shaped her courage and the way she dealt with challenges.
For me, Angela Merkel is not just a politician in this book, but also a human being - a woman who never hesitated to tackle new situations, take risks and constantly challenge herself. That is admirable, even if I don't agree with all of the decisions she made during her chancellorship.
A big highlight for me was the audio book, read by Corinna Harfouch. She gives Merkel's words a lively, sensitive depth that makes listening to them a pleasure. I was particularly touched by the passages in which Merkel becomes more personal.
For me, Freedom is not just a political book, but also a look behind the scenes of an extraordinary life. It encourages you to think about courage, change and your own place in the world.
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Ludwig Reicherstorfer
146 reviews
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December 24, 2024
Contrary to some criticisms, I cannot say that the book is long-winded or that you only learn what you already know. I also find the first half (although it is not even the whole first half), which deals with Merkel's time in the GDR, interesting and well told.
In addition to the major political events, it is the accompanying side stories that are enlightening and entertaining, especially from the Chancellor's perspective: how Merkel and Baumann met, the background to breakfast in Wolfratshausen, the interpretation of meetings with Trump and Putin.
Of course, in many places you would have wanted to have had even deeper insights or seen one or two ideas pursued further - for example, when it comes to whether Russia would have attacked Ukraine even without the pandemic.
But you do get an interesting insight into Angela Merkel's thoughts and beliefs.
Definitely worth reading.
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Anna Popanna
37 reviews
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December 7, 2024
Whether you like Ms Merkel or not, whether you supported her politics or not - this book, her memoirs, are definitely worth reading.
She tells an authentic story about her childhood and youth in the GDR and how she learned her profession as a physicist and later became a politician.
She reflects self-critically on many of her personal and political decisions, explains her motives in a comprehensible way and also which decisions she still stands behind or not.
The book is written in understandable language and also introduces people to political events who have not previously shown any particular interest in them.
Many passages were exciting, some even very funny.
The book is personal, it reflects the world and life of Angela Merkel.
A successful work that I really enjoyed reading/listening to and will certainly read/listen to again.
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Andreas Hänisch
38 reviews
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December 17, 2024
I have never voted for the CDU and never will.
But Angela Merkel's autobiography surprised me in a positive way. The period up to her first chancellorship is particularly exciting to read. Her (often difficult) time in the GDR and the fall of the Berlin Wall had a strong impact on her worldview, which is very clear here. It is also exciting to read how she acted against her convictions several times in order to stay on the party line, but on the other hand she repeatedly prevailed against resistance within the party.
Of course, many of her decisions and attitudes could be criticized, but you have to acknowledge that she is always able to explain in a comprehensible way why she made the decisions she did.
Stylistically, the book is dry, but it is rarely boring.
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Translator Monkey
644 reviews
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December 22, 2024
Don't let the title fool you - her recollections reach all the way into 2024. Excellent read, some dull bits of course - her recall as Chancellor can be exhaustive and exhausting for those of us who don't share the enthusiasm for some of her pet projects - and I would have really enjoyed a bit more of the DDR-eye's view of growing up in the Warsaw Pact. In spite of these modest gripes, a very readable book.
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Show Melis
42 reviews
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December 22, 2024
Actually this is not a good book. You learn little about why she made certain choices. It is mainly a very big defense of Angela's policies. The only thing that is really interesting is the interactions she had with other politicians and what those people are like as people. She is very positive about the American presidents and describes Poutin as a real psychopath, so maybe she writes what people want to read.
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Denise Kruse
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December 12, 2024
So interesting (except for one chapter that lists one by one, minute by minute her duties as the new Chancellor of Germany …yawn). As an American, I am embarrassed when my country proclaims itself “leader of the free world” and I very much enjoyed this global perspective of one whose stances usually resonate with mine. The book is wonkily thorough yet still engaging, honest and down-to-earth.
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Alexa
169 reviews
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December 5, 2024
Me listening to a 24 hour audiobook in such a short time says a lot about how gripping this was. What a crazy life I’m glad I don’t have to live.
2024
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Fabi Angelini
7 reviews
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December 15, 2024
What a book, Angela.
It is incredibly interesting to find out what goes on behind the scenes of 16 years in the Chancellor's office. The 10 pages of "series appointments" in alphabetical order completely blew me away.
I am surprised and infinitely grateful that Angela Merkel and Beate Baumann gave us this book.
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Corry
116 reviews
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November 30, 2024
What a disappointment. Only the part before she went into politics is interesting.
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Andrei Poleev
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December 11, 2024
Impostor. In: Civil Service Republic.
The time has come to combine everything, all the partial truths that have been said, written and thought about Angela Merkel into one irrefutable truth. Not to erect a monument to her or to teach her a lesson (this plan is futile because she is incapable of learning and irresponsible1), no, this must happen and be done in order to finally get rid of her and make her a part of history that will never return.
It is obvious that the GDR with all its contradictions continues to exist in Angela Merkel. The contradictions of the GDR represent a main or background against which Angela Merkel's personal contradictions have grown. The deformation of the personality according to the instructions of the GDR leadership went hand in hand with microsocial deformation, i.e. family and environment-related deformation, as a result of which Angela Merkel has become a monster who combines all these absorbed contradictions in herself like a garbage heap, but does not notice their contradiction and is unable to compensate for them adequately. The only compensation that still takes place in her is repression. The end result for an unbiased and healthy observer is a split personality characterized by a loss of touch with reality and uncoordinated behavior. What appears to her to be logical, coherent and without alternative is in reality gross logical errors due to the accumulation of unprocessed and repressed psychological content.
This illogicality is expressed in an exemplary manner in the relationship with current refugees, who are confused both with the Germans expelled after the war and with the refugees from the GDR. The role of a caring mother that Angela Merkel plays in this case is completely absurd because, on the one hand, over 300,000 people in Germany are homeless or without shelter, ie in need, and on the other hand, this excessive care for strangers is a narcissistic gesture to show off her alleged motherly qualities and to show everyone how generous, ie capable of childbearing and milk production, she is, which she justifies with her favorite motto "We can do it!" and delegates to her fellow countrymen.
In reality, this generosity is a wastefulness or extravagance, in which parasitic behavior and schizophrenia are manifested2, and whose direct economic damage is estimated to be several thousand billion euros3. The actual damage is likely to be even greater if one adds to this the construction mania, the consumption mania, the overproduction mania and other types of madness that are taking place in the Federal Republic of Germany. The waste, declared as investments, assistance or unavoidable expenses, caused mass neglect of citizens and the community as a whole, and created holes in the future that are left to the descendants to fill. Despite this, she likes to pose with this descendant, although, unlike Hitler, not exclusively of Aryan origin4-5.
She undoubtedly sees her chancellorship as a triumph of her will to power and the high point of her career. In reality, this achievement turns out to be a failure in many respects. She has achieved nothing in her academic career, her work as a scientist is insignificant and worthless. While in her youth she identified with the Russian tsarina Catherine the Great, in the Federal Republic of Germany she inherited the office of Adolf Hitler. Her successes in this office are modest compared to her female role model and her male predecessor. In retrospect, she is identified with the era that perhaps bears her name, and everything that comes after this time is referred to with the prefix post-. This means that she is already a thing of the past.
In light of another peculiarity of Angela Merkel, her extravagance seems understandable and understandable. Angela Merkel is not only a parasite, which is the norm for many psychopaths, she is also a behaviorally characteristic transvestite who is unable to become a (fully-fledged) woman, to bear children, to feed them with her own breasts, i.e. to raise them, which is why she imagines and presents herself as a woman, i.e. dresses and puts on makeup like a woman, but these are superficial actions and in no way capture and reflect the essence of motherhood. This travesty is ridiculous for the outsider, but for the transvestites themselves it is a way of stabilizing their fragile quasi-integrity. That is why she plays her role so diligently and convincingly, but the indecision about whether to be a woman or a man, which is expressed in corresponding behavior, reveals a profound chaos of mentality, or in other words, her disorganization, which constitutes a psychopathic personality structure that is both eclectic and schizophrenic. The Chancellor’s perionymanic or perionychophagic behavior makes the lack of self-control evident.
The paranoid behavior is the same for both male and female transvestites. The male transvestite translates his desire to penetrate the woman's body with his penis into wearing women's underwear, clothes and shoes, while the female transvestite translates his desire to be a real woman, to be one with her, to put himself in her body, into the same behavior. In both cases, however, the imitation does not lead to the imitator becoming a woman; it is only their delusional wish that is confused with reality. This confusion between desired and real is a sign of mystical mentality, which is present alongside eclectic and schizophrenic mentality, but which is only a symptom and subordinate aspect of schizophrenic personality disintegration and loss of reality6.
The gesture presented at every public event and especially in photographic reports, often misleadingly referred to as the Merkel diamond, has nothing to do with Kurt Tucholsky's poem "Mother's Hands". This gesture represents a compulsive act that can be interpreted as a neurotic emphasis on her sacred triangle7. In view of the context described above, this explanation seems plausible and psychoanalytically correct.
Special attention should be paid to Angela Merkel's co-governors, who all belong to the same milieu. Just like Merkel, they all claim to be something they are not or have not become: scientists, teachers, engineers, thinkers, doctors, judges, Christians... Instead of being something real and actual, they live out their pseudo-identities as chancellors, ministers, state secretaries, presidents, members of the Bundestag or political parties - they are all representatives of the people in the same way that popes are God's representatives on earth, and therefore infallible like God8. What also unites them is the profane driving force of their actions, the greed and desire for power, which is why their initially modest demands grow into megalomania, which requires infallibility for its malicious growth. The limits of their malignant narcissism always become apparent when they are exposed as frauds or as self-serving actors, which has happened several times during Angela Merkel's chancellorship and will continue to happen9-10.
In this fake existence of the megalomaniac petty bourgeoisie, modesty11 is the least respected, which is why the salaries of the members of the Bundestag, who have arbitrarily placed themselves above the people, grow inappropriately to the services they provide and disproportionately to the rest of the population. And where the door is wide open to original sin, others quickly join in. No wonder the people become restless and insult those in power, or even consider overthrowing them by force12.
The sudden change in perspective or worldview that Angela Merkel and many of her fellow citizens experienced after the dissolution of the GDR also indicates an eclectic mentality of these people, who acquired new identities in an act of Oedipal liberation. Contrary to popular belief, the events they experienced did not lead to psychological unity, but on the contrary caused total damage and caused a split in their personality, one part of which remains in the reality of the GDR, and another, having lost their homeland, lives in the FRG. The other truths of completed reunification are that Germans are fed up with each other and still live in the ruins of their history.
Maintaining the appearance of normality is only possible in an environment that is itself psychopathic and eclectic, which is why no distinction is made between normal and not normal. In the beautiful, pseudo-state, everything appears normal; even child molestation and deliberate murder are legitimized and are inevitable side effects of the surreality that is accompanied and shaped by the mass media. Despite such efforts to maintain the status quo, collapse is inevitable and will certainly come, both locally, i.e. for Angela Merkel personally, and globally, i.e. in all of Merkelstan, which on the one hand is to be seen as a positive event because it means first of all the exit from a persistent state of illness. On the other hand, providing therapeutic support for this exit represents a demanding challenge for me and other qualified and rational people, not because we are not up to the task, but because we are in the minority and scattered. That is why existing capacities must be used and combined with careful consideration.
Berlin, October 3, 2018.
Notes.
1 The psychoanalyst Hans-Joachim Maaz on Chancellor Merkel: "The way Merkel is currently behaving - irrationally and without insight - raises fears that she has lost touch with reality," he said in an interview with the Huffington Post Germany.
Maaz is a bestselling author. Before his retirement, he was chief physician of the psychotherapeutic and psychosomatic clinic at the Evangelical Diakoniewerk Halle. He became known throughout Germany in 1990 through his Psychogram of East Germans.
Maaz sees a "basic narcissistic problem" in Merkel. She has an "artificially inflated self-image". The expert says: "One has to fear that Merkel herself believes she is the most powerful woman in the world."
In fact, the Chancellor has no real leadership skills. On the contrary: Maaz sees a "self-esteem deficit, inferiority and insecurity" in Merkel.
According to Maaz, the Chancellor's actions are a danger for Germany because her stubborn insistence is leading to a division in society. The expert also fears for Merkel's mental state: "In the current situation, there is a real fear that a psychological or psychosomatic breakdown is imminent."
http://www.huffingtonpost.de/2016/01/...
2 It is certainly not a contradiction that narcissistic people often tend to be socially active or to represent a social ideology. On the one hand, the demonstratively displayed "social streak" is intended to conceal their own egoism, and on the other, the narcissistically disturbed personality deceives itself into believing that its professional, social and political commitment ultimately serves the common good, the well-being of its employees, and the achievement of social ideals. The narcissist is so identified and merged with its "project" that it does not even notice how much it is using the project and the people associated with it for its own self-affirmation or for its own material and other interests. Ultimately, it is precisely the ideological exaggeration that one's own project primarily serves the common good that leads to the view that antisocial means of promoting it are also considered legitimate. Identification with the idea that one is serving the common good justifies one's own corruption in everyday actions. The supposedly social purpose justifies the antisocial means.
Hans-Jürgen Wirth. Antisocial behavior of the powerful as a subject of research. In: Handbook of Antisocial Personality Disorder, Schattauer, 2017.
3 Dr. Daniel Stelter asks in his book "The fairy tale of the rich country: How politics is ruining us": Can Germany still afford Angela Merkel?
4 Merkel praises integration of young migrants in fire departments - Bild, 14.11.2016.
http://www.bild.de/regional/aktuelles...
5 Chancellor Merkel visits youth fire department in Berlin-Wedding - Morgenpost, 14.11.2016.
http://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/artic...
6 Типология ментальности (Typology of Mentality), 2018.
http://enzymes.at/download/mentality.pdf
7 It is as if Gerhard Schröder would show the middle finger on such occasions. I have explained the meaning of the Hitler salute and other gestures elsewhere:
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which comprehensively describes the disturbed relationship between science and mass society, 2005.
http://www.enzymes.at/metascience/met...
8 Priest. In: Ungeziefer, 2014.
http://www.enzymes.at/indictments/Ung...
9 According to the Federal Audit Office, Merkel's Minister of Defense is in the service of selfish enrichment for the benefit of her own offspring: Matthias Gebauer. The Ministry of Defense illegally awarded contracts worth millions to consultants. Spiegel, 23.09.2018.
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutsch...
10 Matthias Gebauer. Another report by the Court of Auditors: The Defense Ministry paid up to 150 million euros annually to consultants. Spiegel, 25.09.2018.
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutsch...
11 If the word "tragic" is to have any applicable meaning not only in art but also in life, then one must call the fate of Kaiser Wilhelm tragic, indeed a Shakespearean one that has just not yet found a Shakespeare. The tragedy that magically radiates from every throne was also his: the demonic temptation of man to consider himself higher than other mortals because he has been placed higher by external circumstances, the dangerous belief of the one marked by the crown that he can freely dispose of earthly souls and fates because he has apparently been given the power to do so, while not a single created being has the right to divert another creature from its own God-given path for even a single breath. "Who should be emperor? The most modest": this simple and striking formula proclaimed by the "Rembrandt German" was unfortunately not embodied in Kaiser Wilhelm. But isn't this aberration very human? Are we not all equally succumbing to it, each in his own sphere? And are we less guilty just because our circle of power is smaller and the opportunity to sin against the will of others is much smaller? Egon Friedell. Cultural History of the Modern Age, 1927 - 1931.
12 "... "Liar", "slut", "traitor" - these are the more harmless descriptions used to insult Chancellor Angela Merkel in the comment columns of social networks after her election campaign appearance on Bremen's market square. There were more than 3,500 comments under the corresponding video post on the WESER-KURIER Facebook page alone. Many of them are full of pure hatred for the Chancellor. The tirades go as far as calls for murder: "If someone wants to be a hero, shoot them," writes one user... "
http://www.weser-kurier.de/bremen/bre...
I deal with individual aspects of the Angela Merkel phenomenon in my other publications, which are listed below in chronological order:
Merkel madness in the CDU state. In: Essays and Letters, 2010.
http://www.enzymes.at/download/essays...
Nothing new on the home front - 18.05.2011
http://poleev.blogspot.com/2011/05/fa...
Trick theft.
http://enzymes.at/download/Trickdiebs...
Is the republic bursting? Epilogue to a speech by Federal President Heinz Fischer to commemorate Austria's "Anschluss" to Hitler's Germany 75 years ago.
http://poleev.blogspot.com/2013/03/ir...
25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In: Berlin - Zoologischer Garten, 2015.
http://www.enzymes.at/download/Berlin...
Civil service republic. In: Right to Resistance, 2016.
http://enzymes.at/indictments/Widerst...
Review of the "Handbook of Antisocial Personality Disorder", Schattauer, 2017.
http://enzymes.at/download/Rezension.pdf
German Laundromat, 2017.
http://enzymes.at/indictments/laundro...
Culture, 2018.
http://enzymes.at/download/culture.pdf
Letter to the Defense Attaché of the United States of America Terry Anderson dated March 7, 2018. In: Letters to the American people, 2018.
http://enzymes.at/download/letters.pdf
Charité, mon amour.
http://enzymes.at/download/Charite.pdf
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Qaisar Rashid
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December 19, 2024
Angela Merkel, who was Germany’s first female chancellor (2005-2021), and who was the leader of Germany’s center-right political party, Christian Democratic Union (2000-2018), has written a collection of her memories, “Freedom: Memoirs 1954-2021”. Merkel’s personal assistant Beate Baumann is the co-author.
Originally written in German but got translated into English, the book saw daylight last month. In the book, Merkel equates the word “freedom” with western democracy: the advent of western democracy in Germany beckoned freedom for the Germans. This is the central idea of the book, and the same is an exciting point because her ascension to the office of Chancellor in 2005 is attributed to her right-wing sloganeering which helped her oust from power the center-left party of the then Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). In her election campaign, Merkel raised right-wing slogans such as “Conserve German competitiveness” (Deutsche Wettbewerbsfähigkeit) by pushing non-Germans out of Germany. By saying so, she condemned Schröder’s policy of opening Germany to the outside world.
After assuming power, Merkel turned moderate. The about-face exasperated her right-wing followers. In October 2010, in Brandenburg State, at Potsdam, while addressing the youth wing of her party, she stated unequivocally that the idea of multiculturalism had failed in Germany (Multi kulti ist gescheitert) leaving no space for any culture other than German culture to thrive in Germany. That is, instead of advising the youth on the benefits of western democracy facilitating multiculturalism, she pandered to the need of the audience. Nevertheless, the youth wing remained dissatisfied and, consequently, in April 2013, in thousands, the youth forfeited their allegiance to the Merkel’s party and founded the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right political party, to relive the dream of right-wing conservatism which had helped Merkel woo voters to get elected to be the Chancellor.
In her book, Merkel expresses abhorrence for East Germany and articulates her admiration for West Germany. For instance, she asserts that her birth place was in Hamburg, West Germany, and that her parents moved (without her consent) to Brandenburg, East Germany, where she was educated to earn a PhD in Physics from the University of Leipzig. She surprises the readers by mentioning that her father, who was a pastor, had political leaning to the left, but he decided to move to East Germany, where the right was mighty. Apparently, she makes all such claims to express that she remained a reluctant inhabitant of East Germany. Ironically, instead of being indebted to East Germany, which offered her opportunities to seek education to be a physicist, she kept disliking it. Nowhere in the book did Merkel try to introduce readers to the positives of East Germany. This point simply means that, while recording her recollections, she kept nurturing the idea of appeasing the prospective readers associated with the left. Her antipathy to East Germany is a prominent theme running throughout her voluminous recollection. Certainly, it was the Potsdam Conference in August 1945 between the Allied and the Soviets to divide Germany. It was not the decision of East Germany to join the former Soviet Union in 1949 owing to the Cold War.
When the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, Merkel was 35 by age. The fall permitted her to enter West Germany and start a political career. It was the time to make her obsession for West Germany come true. However, two interesting twists appear. First, after German reunification (1989-1990), contrary to her father’s inclination to the left and her dream for freedom prevalent in West Germany, Merkel joined the center-right conservative political party, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which formed a coalition with another center-right conservative party, Christian Social Union (CSU). Second, contrary to her liking for West Germany, Merkel selected electoral Constituency 15 in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state located in the northeast of East Germany. Merkel kept on representing the constituency till 2021. In principle, as per her narrated proclivity in the book, she should have joined any center-left political party such as the SPD. Moreover, she should have selected an electoral constituency in West Germany. However, she did not do so.
In the chapter on American politics (Donald Trump), Merkel wishes for the success of Kamala Harris who was representing the Democratic Party, as the book had gone to publication before the presidential election in the United States (US) this year. For the launch and promotion of the English-language edition of her book in the US, Merkel met the former US President Barack Obama at the Anthem Theatre in Washington DC on December 2.
On the one hand, as German Chancellor, Merkel watched the interests of center-right CDU-CSU union for four terms (2005-2021) by opposing multiculturalism in Germany and by declaring Schröder guilty of polluting the German land with foreigners (aüslanders) including workers, PhD students and researchers, who happened mostly to be non-white, and who were condemned for challenging German competitiveness in Germany. In fact, by pursuing the policy of German protectionism, Merkel ruined careers of thousands of foreigners at the expense of her desire to ascend the throne. On the other hand, in the book, Merkel extends heart-warming wishes to the US’ center-left Democratic Party which stands for promoting multiculturalism in the US and which pleads for inviting foreign workers, PhD students and researchers of any colour to introduce competitiveness to the US’ society and system. Interestingly, Harris and Obama are both non-white supportive of multiculturalism in the US. Further, both are opposed to American protectionism. Similarly, whereas Merkel remained opposed to non-white foreigners especially those who could speak English in Germany, she sought the support of non-white English speaking Americans to promote her book outside Germany. By doing so, she has acknowledged that publishing the book in the German language would reduce its reach. She had to rely on English to reach out to a wider audience.
In short, the book says: Merkel’s political expediency was specific to Germany only.
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Dr. André
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December 1, 2024
I have now lived in Germany for 46 years, a country that has undergone profound change in that time - politically, economically and socially. I spent 16 years of my time here under the chancellorship of Helmut Kohl, an era marked by reunification and the challenges that came with it. During that time I was perceived as a foreigner. There was an interruption during the chancellorship of Gerhard Schröder, during which I became German. Under Schröder I experienced how the country changed both domestically and in its foreign policy. Then I spent another 16 years under the chancellorship of Angela Merkel, during which I was perceived as a person with a migration background and the country was increasingly confronted with the issues of migration and integration. The terms foreigner, immigrant and person with a migration background were always presented to me from outside. During this long period of time I have closely followed the political developments and their effects on the country and on me personally - and now, with Merkel's memoirs, another opportunity has arisen to reflect on and question this period of German history.
In Freedom: Memories 1954 - 2021, Angela Merkel and Beate Baumann describe Angela Merkel's life story from her childhood in the GDR through her studies and her academic career to her time as Chancellor.
Angela Merkel writes about her time as a cultural functionary in the FDJ and the intensive ideological training that came with this role. The compulsory courses included lectures on Marxism-Leninism, which had to be completed with a formal proof of knowledge. She describes the triad of dialectical materialism, political economy and scientific communism, which formed the core of the training courses but was often perceived as a theoretical foreign body. The final thesis, in which she had to deal with the role of the working class and the peasants in real existing socialism, was particularly challenging.
Angela Merkel, who in her memoirs describes Federal President Roman Herzog as "above all doubt", fails to recognise the problematic reality of his attitude, particularly with regard to the genocide of the Herero people. Herzog was the one who, like Chancellor Kohl before him, refused to apologise for this historical injustice, which, in the context of Germany's coming to terms with colonial crimes, shows shocking ignorance. Herzog's justification that an apology is just an "empty phrase" that does more harm than good is a cynical trivialisation that completely negates the profound responsibility and the need for a moral admission of guilt. The fact that he did not consider the genocide worthy of an apology due to the "great temporal distance" gives an idea of how little he was prepared to deal with Germany's historical responsibility. The "grace of being born late" that he cited as an excuse is a paradigmatic expression of the refusal to face up to the dark chapters of one's own history. It is particularly disappointing to see such an attitude from a president who, in his position, is expected to have moral integrity and responsibility. And Merkel, who praises Herzog, remains at a comfortable distance from this critical question of German culture of remembrance, which calls her own political sensitivity in this regard into question.
In her memoirs more than two decades later, Merkel still lacks this political sensitivity. Namibia appears in an insignificant context: she had to
on Monday welcomed their first foreign guest for lunch, Hifikepunye Pohamba, the President of Namibia
. Such a fleeting mention of a country whose history is marked by German colonialism and the devastating crimes of the genocide against the Herero shows how little Merkel seems to understand the profound historical and political implications of this issue. It is another expression of her unwillingness to really deal with the shadows of German history and take responsibility. Instead of taking up the issue of Namibia and its colonial history and addressing the demands for compensation by the Herero and Nama, it remains on a superficial level that lacks any political and moral depth.
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Frank Lang
1,135 reviews
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December 8, 2024
I sometimes wonder why people buy Angela Merkel's written memoirs when they know in advance that they won't like them because they don't like the former Chancellor. Well, either way, at the time I wrote these lines, the first edition from KiWi-Verlag was sold out.
Nothing against Beate Baumann, but I think that Angela Merkel's memoirs would have benefited if someone had held the pen who could write a little more emotionally and enthusiastically. Dr. Merkel was not only Chancellor for 16 years, she also set many course and experienced a lot in life.
The somewhat cool, almost distant writing style is evident, for example, in the highly emotional day for Angela Merkel, November 22, 2005. This section gives an idea of what must have been going through the mind of the first Chancellor on the day of her appointment, based on small comments. In the book, it is more of a detailed account of bare facts.
As a result, some passages or sections can trickle into the reader's brain in a very dry manner. Moments when I skimmed through the pages. I found the stories from the time before big politics more appealing. Many people seem to forget that celebrities were also once children, teenagers and students. Because I am a child of the West, I found it exciting to read how East Germans experienced the fall of the Wall and how they felt. For me, nothing had changed and the falling Wall was a long way away. For East Germans, however, everything changed. The former Chancellor conveys this very well.
It is obvious that this book does not contain any revelations, reckonings, accusations, hidden intrigues, secrets from her time in office or other "whistleblower content". Some expectations seem to be a little too high here.
What readers can expect are insights behind the scenes of major events and explanations for media events that Merkel has unexpectedly exaggerated, such as George W. Bush's "shoulder grab" or the famous phrase "We can do it." Anyone who reads a politician's autobiography must of course be interested in a lot of political stories and historic events. For me, this is obvious, for someone else I obviously have to mention it explicitly.
Conclusion
In this book, Angela Merkel remembers 67 years of her life. In her afterword, she writes that she not only spent two years writing this book, but that she repeatedly struggled to bring back the memories from oblivion. She obviously succeeded and was able to fill an enormous 700 pages with them. I didn't find everything appealing and too many sections were too dry for my liking. Nevertheless, I found it extremely exciting to take a look behind the scenes of big politics and find out the reasons why certain decisions were made.
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Bookworm
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December 3, 2024
Like many other people I respected Merkel for leading Germany, even though I arguably do not know much about the country's history or politics or much else, really. All the same, I was curious to know what this woman, who has been known to be hard to read would have to say. From seeing the rise of the Berlin Wall to watching that same wall come down to more recent tumultuous times like Brexit, etc. there would definitely be a story here.
Merkel (with a co-writer) tells us about her life, from growing up as a child to eventually becoming Chancellor, etc. As mentioned, for someone who does not know much about the era (I was really young when the Berlin Wall fell and did not understand the significance until decades later) there's a lot to absorb. There was a lot I could not relate to, being someone who grew up entirely in the United States and all, but still all the same it was interesting to see how she became the first woman Chancellor of Germany (sighs in 2016 and 2024 US presidential elections).
For me, it was definitely more interesting when it moves into the more recent era and I could recognize the names. You won't get a lot of gossip/stuff that was not already reported, but it was interesting to see multiple events such as the Great Recession, Brexit, the election of Trump, etc. all through her perspective. I can't lie, one of the funniest parts for me was finally seeing the context of a certain picture where Merkel and other world leaders are standing in a field with trees and mountains in the background and then-President Barack Obama sitting on a bench away from the camera. Apparently Merkel didn't have the English words to describe the bench he was sitting on so she was trying to gesture with outstretched arms instead. Unimportant in the scheme of things but it was a commonly used picture for awhile and I was curious what the context was.
Overall though, I will say the book was very dull. I have no idea if this is a reflection of Merkel herself, that she used a co-writer, that she is deliberately abstaining from certain things for legal/political/etc. reasons, etc. But it was definitely a long slog to get through and as a casual reader I would guess I might not have gotten as much out of it as a student of German history/politics/etc. might.
For the right reader I am sure this is a fantastic read that many will enjoy. Scholars of her, German history/politics, world events, etc. will likely find this useful as a reference to keep on hand and I would not be surprised to see it on a class syllabus. You can read it as a layperson, but it is a long read and I would guess people who have more knowledge than I would get more out of it.
Borrowed from the library and that was best for me.
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Andrea
264 reviews
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December 21, 2024
I probably wouldn't have read it as a book, but as an audio book it is certainly entertaining and interesting. I found the detailed insights into the work of a Chancellor really exciting.
The book is also a piece of German contemporary history and it showed me again how many crises we have experienced and overcome in recent decades.
Especially in these times when people often act as if there were no problems in the past, I find it helpful to remind ourselves of this.
Even if it is difficult for us - several things can be true and right at the same time.
I consider Angela Merkel to be an authentic and honest person and I believe her when she says that, from her point of view, she has always done the best she could in the given situation.
Politics is extremely complex and we often forget how difficult it is in reality to achieve real change and find consensus.
And yet you can criticize her for not doing more, for not standing up for certain things and fighting more vehemently.
She speaks so passionately about the pandemic and her despair when she knew exactly what catastrophe we were heading towards and many others didn't want to believe it.
I'm surprised that she didn't seem to view the climate catastrophe with the same despair.
Overall, I would recommend the book - as an audio book. It would do us good to understand more precisely what political work really means, how it works and what challenges there are. It's worth it for that alone.
Everyone can then form their own opinion about Angela Merkel's policies.
non-fiction
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Petra
912 reviews
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December 8, 2024
It's as if you were listening to her at a press conference, in an interview or at a political talk. As a reader, you get what you expect, because she herself reports on her life, her career, her political ambitions and successes. In the first part of the book, she reports objectively and without great emotion, for example, about the days of the fall of the Berlin Wall, her childhood and youth in the GDR. The following chapters are mainly about her political career. You know a lot from media reports, but reading it with her words and descriptions is different, more personal than if you were there in the background this time. The big names in politics are suddenly within reach. For me, the book is and always has been the medium that I can deal with more intensively. TV more or less passes me by. Apart from the news, I watch very little.
The writing style is as expected: sober, objective, even her long-time office manager, who acts as co-author, has little influence. But I didn't expect anything else. Feelings apparently belong in private life, which we as humans absolutely have to accept. She doesn't explain, she doesn't apologize. Even in retrospect, she thinks her decisions were right. That is her right. Posterity will judge her and everyone else, as is always the case with people in the public eye.
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Martina Weiss
426 reviews
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December 23, 2024
I was really curious about this book.
Regardless of your political stance on Ms Merkel, she is an undisputedly impressive person who not only achieved a lot for herself, but also led Germany moderately for 16 years and enjoyed a lot of respect abroad.
You can't review a biography, so I will be careful not to do that here. But I can report on how the book is written.
For a political non-fiction book, it is definitely not dry; Beate Baumann managed to capture Merkel's tone well, but also chose a very enjoyable writing style.
Of course, the first part with the memories of childhood and youth was the most relaxed; when it gets political, there are perhaps one or two chapters where my thoughts wandered a little. However, it was also extremely interesting to be able to look behind the scenes of political events. A lot of things were no longer in my consciousness, and even more were new to me.
In every line, you can hear the most personal Merkel you can get to know.
I was able to enjoy the audio book, which is excellently read by Corinna Harfouch.
I believe this book is one of the most important biographies of this year and is highly recommended for all readers of modern history.
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Simone Laviola
42 reviews
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December 17, 2024
while i was reading the book i was told "ah i didn't make you a fan of merkel" and in this sentence is enclosed a great paradigm of today's politics.
everything is summed up like this: either you are a fan or you are against, there is no middle ground and in this massacre politics in the last 20 years has lost its essence. because politics is care, it is passion, it is the art of compromise. all values that today have been lost, in favor of hate, superficiality and ignorance.
this book is worth reading because it talks about us, it talks about our history and it is only by knowing the past that we can look to the future with a little more awareness.
i am not a supporter of merkel's political ideas, but i admire and respect her, as a person and as a politician because she has undoubtedly influenced 20 years of our history both at home and in the european union. and she did it with a calmness and intelligence that today we find almost out of place, because by now we are used to something completely different. This book is a necessary, powerful and at times even moving read. A book that helps us understand the facets of historical events from the point of view of those who helped shape those events.
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Alina_liest07
88 reviews
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December 19, 2024
There is little to say about the content - "Freedom" tells the story of Angela Merkel's unique life - the first half in the GDR, the second in the reunified Federal Republic.
As has already been reported in several places, you learn little that is really new or unknown, and "Freedom" is not a major reckoning with political opponents and companions.
Rather, it is an attempt at explanation, apparently driven by the desire to be able to present one's own perspective and thoughts.
And so I found the more personal insights and stories - especially those about the time and career in the GDR, which was rather unknown to me, exciting and informative. The path to the top of the CDU and the review of 16 years in government are also well worth reading in this condensed form. The writing style is pleasant.
Conclusion: On the whole, my expectations were met - anyone expecting explosive political information or an admission of their own mistakes will not find it here.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed following the story of this unique woman and her impressive career.
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Libby Andrews
290 reviews
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December 20, 2024
Angela Merkel’s Freedom offers an insightful glimpse into the life and legacy of one of modern history’s most formidable female leaders. The first part of the book delves into Merkel’s upbringing in the GDR, painting a vivid picture of the restrictions she faced under a repressive regime. Her perspective on the fall of East Germany is particularly compelling—she firmly reminded Putin that the West didn’t cause it; the people of the GDR themselves longed for change.
As a leader, Merkel’s belief in communication and diplomacy as tools for maintaining global peace stands out. The book provides a fascinating look at the intricate workings of politics, emphasizing the importance of compromise and understanding in resolving complex issues. I found her handling of major crises, such as the Greek financial collapse and the migrant crisis, particularly illuminating. While not without mistakes, Merkel approached governance with good faith, striving for solutions in challenging times.
Freedom not only deepens one’s understanding of global politics but also solidifies Merkel’s place as a leader of remarkable strength and integrity.
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Angelika
1,966 reviews
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December 5, 2024
Content:
Born in Hamburg and raised in the GDR, Angela Merkel became Chancellor and shaped the country during her sixteen-year term in office, but she was also very present in international affairs.
My opinion:
This was a tome or audio book of quite a length, but the woman has had a very eventful life, like not many. Who grew up in the GDR and then became the most important woman in the Federal Republic of Germany? She probably never expected what an important person she would become. I liked the fact that she also critically questioned some of the actions and did not portray everything as good and right, even if she felt it was right at the time. I found the book really exciting, as it also gives a glimpse behind the scenes of the political spectacle. Fortunately, she only speaks the foreword and afterword, because Ms. Harfouch's voice is much more pleasant to listen to. I can recommend both the book and the audio book.
Conclusion:
Interesting
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Evelyn
32 reviews
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December 23, 2024
"Freedom" by Angela Merkel offers exciting insights into her political career, from her beginnings in the GDR to international encounters. The detailed descriptions of events, the people she met and the topics that were discussed/talked about are particularly interesting.
Due to the wealth of information, it is advisable to read the book bit by bit in order to better process the impressions.
The audio book is well spoken and it is a particular plus point that Ms. Merkel recorded the prologue and epilogue herself.
Overall, an enriching read, but one that requires concentration.
*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing the eBook! Of course, this review still reflects my own opinion.
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