History UsefulNotes / TheChancellorsOfGermany

The Chancellor is the central figure in UsefulNotes/{{Germany}}'s state since 1871, being its chief of government. Titles called "Chancellor" (''Kanzler'') go way back however -- the [[UsefulNotes/{{Charlemagne}} Carolingian Empire]] and the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire had positions called [[Literature/{{Discworld}} "Archchancellor"]] (''Erzkanzler''). After the end of UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} and [[UsefulNotes/TheSoundOfMartialMusic Austria]] had State Chancellors (''Staatskanzler'').

The Chancellor is the central figure in UsefulNotes/{{Germany}}'s government since 1871. Titles called "Chancellor" (''Kanzler'') go way back however -- the [[UsefulNotes/{{Charlemagne}} Carolingian Empire]] and the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire had positions called [[Literature/{{Discworld}} "Archchancellor"]] (''Erzkanzler''). After the end of UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} and [[UsefulNotes/TheSoundOfMartialMusic Austria]] had State Chancellors (''Staatskanzler'').

The Chancellor is the central figure in UsefulNotes/{{Germany}}'s government since 1871. Titles called "Chancellor" (''Kanzler'') go way back. The [[UsefulNotes/{{Charlemagne}} Carolingian Empire]] and the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire had positions called [[Literature/{{Discworld}} "Archchancellor"]] (''Erzkanzler''). After the end of UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} and [[UsefulNotes/TheSoundOfMartialMusic Austria]] had State Chancellors (''Staatskanzler'').

Titles called "Chancellor" (''Kanzler'') go way back. The [[UsefulNotes/{{Charlemagne}} Carolingian Empire]] and the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire had positions called [[Literature/{{Discworld}} "Archchancellor"]] (''Erzkanzler''). After the end of UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} and [[UsefulNotes/TheSoundOfMartialMusic Austria]] had State Chancellors (''Staatskanzler'').

* Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1966-1969) -- Christian Democrat. Nicknamed "Häuptling Silberzunge" ("Chief Silvertongue"/"Chief Sweettalker"), as he was the head of the first grand coalition with the Social Democrats and spent most of his time negotiating between the SPD and CDU/CSU. ''Ministerpräsident'' of Baden-Württemberg from 1958 to 1966. The overwhelming majority of the grand coalition, the introduction of emergency laws (''Notstandsgesetze'') and his past as a Nazi party member (he joined the party in 1933 and made a career as an official in the foreign ministry) made him the target of the rage of the emerging student movement.

* Konrad Adenauer (1949-1963) -- Christian Democrat (i.e. Conservative). Nicknamed "Der Alte" ("The old one" - he was 73 years old in 1949 and died aged 91) and "the Fox of Rhöndorf". [[DecidedByOneVote Won by just one vote]] - it is claimed, his own, but later became the only Federal Chancellor to govern without a coalition partner (from 1960 to 1961). Former ''Oberbürgermeister'' (mayor) of Cologne (since 1917) and a prominent politician of the Centre party, he had already been considered for the chancellor's office during the Weimar Republic. [[DisproportionateRetribution The Nazis destroyed his political career - and later even threw him in a concentration camp - for refusing to meet Adolf Hitler when the latter was visiting Cologne during an election campaign]]. Adenauer oriented Germany towards the West (''Westbindung''), reconciled with France and, together with Ludwig Erhard, made the economic boom (''Wirtschaftswunder'') possible. Together with De Gaulle, he laid the foundation for the EU. He made UsefulNotes/{{Bonn}}, a dinky town on the Rhine within commuting distance from Rhöndorf (the village where he lived), the capital, and secured the return of the last Germany [=POWs=] from the Soviet Union in 1955. He played boccia at his vacation home on Lake Como and had seven kids and even more grandkids. (Helmut Kohl isn't among them, although he called himself "Adenauer's grandson".) Feared for his sharp tongue, he did not endear himself to the Austrians when he said about their demands for reparations that he would like to send Hitler's bones in lieu of payment. Had some memorable missteps such as publicly making snide comments about Willy Brandt's illegitimate parentage on the day the Wall was built (when Brandt was mayor of West Berlin) or the melodramatic Bundestag statement "We have an abyss of treason!" at the beginning of the ''Spiegel'' affair that resulted in the resignation of his minister of defence, Franz Josef Strauß. At the time, some of his policies were very controversial, especially the ''Westbindung'' and rearmament, which were seen by his critics has obstacles to German reunification and e. g. led to his minister of the interior, [[UsefulNotes/ThePresidentsOfGermany Gustav Heinemann]] leaving his cabinet and founding his own party.[[note]] It did not help that Adenauer was a Catholic Rhinelander with a well-known visceral dislike for Prussia and Berlin (which he considered a pagan city) and was suspected of sabotaging reunification so that the Catholic majority in West Germany could endure. [[/note]] With benefit of hindsight, many of Adenauer's policies are now seen as inevitable under the conditions of the Cold War. Adenauer has also been criticized for allowing former Nazis into important government positions too easily (the most infamous case is that of the head of the chancellor's office, Hans Globke, the author of the official legal commentary to the Nuremberg Race Laws)[[note]] Adenauer's comment on this was "I cannot throw away the dirty water if I don't have clean water"[[/note]], but he also did a lot to bring the settlement of Jewish recompensation claims on the road and to usher in friendly relations between Germany and Israel. In 2003, he was voted greatest German of all time.

[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/georg_graf_von_hertling_1918.jpg]]

* From 1945 to 1949, Germany had no Chancellor, as it was ruled directly by the occupying Allied powers (UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates, UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom, UsefulNotes/{{France}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}).

* UsefulNotes/OttoVonBismarck (1871-1890) -- Proud owner of a moustache ''and'' a BaldOfAwesome. Nicknamed "Der eiserne Kanzler" ("The Iron Chancellor"). Most famous for his ''{{Realpolitik}}'' that led to the unification of Germany (minus Austria), the creation of the welfare state[[note]]Despite being a staunch conservative, Bismarck essentially invented the welfare state... as a way of undercutting any attempts of Marxists and other socialists to appeal to the German populace.[[/note]] and his complex system of alliances to keep the peace in Europe by isolating France and being allies or neutral with all other powers. Most infamous for censorship laws, the anti-socialist law, and weakening the democratic organs of the German Empire via the constitution he wrote, a CultureWar against the Catholic church (''Kulturkampf'' - struggle about culture), and [[TheChessmaster his complex system of alliances to keep the peace in Europe]]. He opposed German colonialism, but ended up getting colonies for Germany anyway. Emperor Wilhelm I mostly let Bismarck do whatever he wanted. Wilhelm ''II'' however, wanted to govern the country himself and forced Bismarck to resign after several disagreements over social reforms and anti-socialist laws. During his retirement, [[IgnoredExpert Bismarck]] warned the Emperor several times that his foreign policy would lead to war--and not the "good" kind where Germany wins quickly with minimal losses. He famously predicted both the trigger of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI ("some damned silly thing in the Balkans") as well as the year it broke out. In 2003, he was voted 9th greatest German of all time.

* Helmut Kohl (1982-1998, died June 16th 2017) -- Christian Democrat. That election? The CDU/CSU won it, as the east Germans were understandably suspicious of socialism and bore a great deal of goodwill towards Kohl personally. Some SPD types actually accused him of pursuing the "reunification as quickly as possible" policy in order to stay in power -- which might have been true for all we know. After the Reunification, Kohl struggled with his promises that he had made to the east Germans. The high rates of unemployment resulting from unification and the economic measures that he imposed to cope with the cost of the process ended his chancellorship after 16 years. Due to his long rule, he is sometimes called "Der ewige Kanzler" ("The eternal chancellor"). His talent to a) make friends among the mighty of the world and b) neutralize his political enemies may have helped him stay in power that long.

* Helmut Kohl (1982-1998, died June 16th 2017) -- Christian Democrat. Former ''Ministerpräsident'' of Rhineland-Palatinate, he became chancellor through a motion of no confidence against Helmut Schmidt.[[note]]after the FDP changed coalition two years after the election of 1980, mirroring their behavior with regards to Ehrhardt two decades earlier[[/note]] He worked towards a Europe without borders (Schengen Treaty) and laid the foundation for the Euro. Was a favorite target for political cabaretists and caricaturists, and one popular depiction of him was [[https://taz.de/picture/351509/948/titanic_cover.jpg "Birne"]] (pear). In this, he bore some semblance to UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher in Britain, although less for controversial policy (although there was some of that) and more for his personality -- although having been a reformer in his youth, he had by the 80s adopted something of an aggressively anti-elitist and provincial style, with the prime emblem of that being his insistence that visiting heads of state be treated to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saumagen Saumagen]] (a rustic dish that amounts to [[HaggisIsHorrible haggis]], but made from pork and from his native Palatinate) when visiting Germany. He took all the criticism and mockery in stride, but was notoriously hostile to large elements of the media in turn. One aspect of his "provincial-ness" and perhaps Inferiority Complex was that while he grew up with Palatinate dialect, he made a conscious effort not to speak it during his career in federal politics - sometimes going too far the other way such as when he said "Gechichte"[[note]]Palatinate dialect has a tendency to produce a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_postalveolar_fricative#Voiceless_palato-alveolar_fricative ʃ]] where standard German has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_uvular_fricative x]] - however, "Geschichte" is properly pronounced with ʃ first and x later in standard German - what Kohl did is called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercorrection Hypercorrection]] and is very common among speakers ashamed of their natural accent/dialect[[/note]]. He was seen a notoriously boring and uninspiring public speaker, but very good at personal relationships - he became friends with almost every foreign leader (save Thatcher, who despised him) and kept tight control of his government and party (in which he was said to know every local functionary by name) through excessive use of the telephone. In 1989, polls showed that he would lose the next election and even his own party was on the brink of getting rid of him, but then [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp the Wall came down]]. With uncharacteristic energy, he wasted no time, promised ''Reunification as fast as possible'' and garnered the support of the allies of [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII WWII]] for it. This earned him two re-elections in the reunified Germany. Some say he was in favor of ''fast'' reunification mostly because it would guarantee him the eastern vote, whereas his 1990 opponent Oskar Lafontaine pointed out the huge costs of reunification - something which nobody wanted to hear at the time. Kohl himself always stressed that he had feared that the so-called "window of opportunity" for German reunification could be closed by outside events, most notably a change in Soviet leadership. Considering that there was an attempted coup against Gorbachev shortly afterwards, historians believe this to be a plausible explanation.

* UsefulNotes/AngelaMerkel (2005-2021, still alive) -- Christian Democrat. [[IronLady First woman]] and first person from the former UsefulNotes/EastGermany to have the job.[[note]]Though she was born in Hamburg and moved to the GDR aged only a few weeks when her father became a pastor in Quitzow in Brandenburg[[/note]] She is a Doctor of Physics (her Thesis was about ''quantum chemistry'') who moved into East German politics around the time of the [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp fall of the Berlin Wall]]; she was elected to the first, last, and only democratically-elected ''Volkskammer'' (parliament) of UsefulNotes/EastGermany before it dissolved. Forbes lists her among the most powerful women in the world since 2006. In 2009, the Christian Democrats' traditional allies, the Free Democrats (FDP; free-market liberals) picked up enough seats to allow Merkel to shed the SPD and govern with their preferred partner; however, the FDP were ''completely wiped out'' in the 2013 elections, leaving another grand coalition the only workable alternative. As Chancellor, she is known more for being (or at least trying to be) a [[BoringButPractical steady pair of hands]] at the helm (there are accusations that she's faltered, but some disagree), as opposed to the flashy media-genius of her predecessor. German Media tend to call her "Teflon-Merkel" (being a reactionist politician, accusations don't tend to stick, it's her ministers that fuck up usually), or "Mutti" (mommy, her party-intern nickname). Recently, Americans have been hearing her name in the news a lot, since it was revealed the American spy agencies were spying on her cell phone and her Internet searches, along with her heavy involvement in the Greek bailout negotiations. Despite an initially rough start, she managed to forge a very close working-relationship with Barack Obama, who - at the end of his presidency - called her "his closest partner". Merkel also became the West's chief negotiator with Putin over the Ukraine, together with French president Hollande she helped brokering the Minsk ceasefire agreement. In general, it has often been noted that Germany under Angela Merkel has become more proactive on the European stage, with her often been called the continents de facto leader with all its' implications. In 2015, she surprised watchers by stating that Germany would accept Syrian refugees who were stranded in Hungary, which was interpreted by many as an invitation for refugees who were not yet in Europe. As of June 2016, Germany has received 1,600,000 refugees; [[PetTheDog an action]] that won over many of her former critics, but also weakened her domestic support once it became clear how big of a task the integration of so many refugees would be. In the 2017 election both her own CDU and coalition partner SPD lost a lot of votes prompting the SPD to announce leaving the coalition (although it would still command a majority of seats in the Bundestag), leading to speculations about the first ever "Jamaica" coalition of FDP, [=CDU/CSU=] and Greens on the federal level. The negotiations quickly [[EpicFail fell apart]] leading to [[HereWeGoAgain another Grand Coalition]], the third under chancellor Merkel and the fourth on federal level. While Helmut Kohl is often credited with "discovering" her for the federal political scene and she was often [[NeverASelfMadeWoman dismissed as]] "Kohl's Mädchen" (Kohl's girl) during the time she was in office and Kohl was alive, Kohl would often comment negatively on her politics. She announced her intention of not running again for the 2021 election (which would've allowed her to surpass Kohl's record tenure in office if she won) but the first attempt at replacing her with [[TheUnpronouncable Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer]] at the helm of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) failed spectacularly necessitating a second round of candidate-search which ultimately ended with the rather bland and uninspiring Armin Laschet being chosen as head of the CDU and candidate for chancellor heading into the 2021 federal elections.

* UsefulNotes/AngelaMerkel (2005-2021) -- Christian Democrat. [[IronLady First woman]] and first person from the former UsefulNotes/EastGermany to have the job.[[note]]Though she was born in Hamburg and moved to the GDR aged only a few weeks when her father became a pastor in Quitzow in Brandenburg[[/note]] She is a Doctor of Physics (her Thesis was about ''quantum chemistry'') who moved into East German politics around the time of the [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp fall of the Berlin Wall]]; she was elected to the first, last, and only democratically-elected ''Volkskammer'' (parliament) of UsefulNotes/EastGermany before it dissolved. Forbes lists her among the most powerful women in the world since 2006. In 2009, the Christian Democrats' traditional allies, the Free Democrats (FDP; free-market liberals) picked up enough seats to allow Merkel to shed the SPD and govern with their preferred partner; however, the FDP were ''completely wiped out'' in the 2013 elections, leaving another grand coalition the only workable alternative. As Chancellor, she is known more for being (or at least trying to be) a [[BoringButPractical steady pair of hands]] at the helm (there are accusations that she's faltered, but some disagree), as opposed to the flashy media-genius of her predecessor. German Media tend to call her "Teflon-Merkel" (being a reactionist politician, accusations don't tend to stick, it's her ministers that fuck up usually), or "Mutti" (mommy, her party-intern nickname). Recently, Americans have been hearing her name in the news a lot, since it was revealed the American spy agencies were spying on her cell phone and her Internet searches, along with her heavy involvement in the Greek bailout negotiations. Despite an initially rough start, she managed to forge a very close working-relationship with Barack Obama, who - at the end of his presidency - called her "his closest partner". Merkel also became the West's chief negotiator with Putin over the Ukraine, together with French president Hollande she helped brokering the Minsk ceasefire agreement. In general, it has often been noted that Germany under Angela Merkel has become more proactive on the European stage, with her often been called the continents de facto leader with all its' implications. In 2015, she surprised watchers by stating that Germany would accept Syrian refugees who were stranded in Hungary, which was interpreted by many as an invitation for refugees who were not yet in Europe. As of June 2016, Germany has received 1,600,000 refugees; [[PetTheDog an action]] that won over many of her former critics, but also weakened her domestic support once it became clear how big of a task the integration of so many refugees would be. In the 2017 election both her own CDU and coalition partner SPD lost a lot of votes prompting the SPD to announce leaving the coalition (although it would still command a majority of seats in the Bundestag), leading to speculations about the first ever "Jamaica" coalition of FDP, [=CDU/CSU=] and Greens on the federal level. The negotiations quickly [[EpicFail fell apart]] leading to [[HereWeGoAgain another Grand Coalition]], the third under chancellor Merkel and the fourth on federal level. While Helmut Kohl is often credited with "discovering" her for the federal political scene and she was often [[NeverASelfMadeWoman dismissed as]] "Kohl's Mädchen" (Kohl's girl) during the time she was in office and Kohl was alive, Kohl would often comment negatively on her politics. She announced her intention of not running again for the 2021 election (which would've allowed her to surpass Kohl's record tenure in office if she won) but the first attempt at replacing her with [[TheUnpronouncable Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer]] at the helm of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) failed spectacularly necessitating a second round of candidate-search which ultimately ended with the rather bland and uninspiring Armin Laschet being chosen as head of the CDU and candidate for chancellor heading into the 2021 federal elections.

In the German Empire, the Imperial Chancellor (''Reichskanzler'') was appointed by the Emperor. The parliament (''Reichstag'') could do jack shit about it and was mostly there to argue about the budget or wait for the chancellor to initiate a bill (which they couldn't do themselves). The Reichskanzler was technically a one-man administration, who appointed secretaries to assist him.

Today, all of the chancellors of the German Empire are rather obscure outside of historical circles. Except for Bismarck, of course.

* UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler (1933-1945) -- [[ThoseWackyNazis National Socialist]]. After being appointed, Hitler wasted no time and formed a coalition of anti-democratic/anti-communist parties, talked Hindenburg to give him more powers and used the Reichstag Fire to pass the Enabling Act (''Reichsermächtigungsgesetz''). In the ''Night of the Long Knives'' (aka Röhm-Putsch), Hitler's SS killed several SA competitors and drove many of his allies (including von Papen) out of politics. Upon Hindenburg's death, Hitler merged the offices of chancellor and president into one position called "(Supreme) Leader and Reich Chancellor" (''"Führer und Reichskanzler"''). As the years passed and the Nazis tightened their control over Germany, the trappings of parliamentary government faded away--the Cabinet met as a body for the last time in 1938, the Reichstag met for the last time in 1942, and in the later years Hitler was referred to only as ''Führer'', with ''Reichskanzler'' being dropped. [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany The rest]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII is history]]. More about him on [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler his own page]].

\\

* Georg von Hertling (1917-1918) -- [[BlessedWithSuck Becoming chancellor during the military and economic collapse of the country]], he struggled to implement democratic reforms to prevent a revolution in Germany, but lost support in the Reichstag when his reforms didn't go fast enough.

* Prince Maximilian of Baden (1918) -- Hastily appointed when Germany needed a head of government with the support of the Reichstag and whom the Entente would negotiate with. He fired Ludendorff, ended the U-boat war, sued for peace and declared the abdication of Wilhelm II. He resigned on first day of the ''November Revolution'', which ended the German Empire.

Today, all of the chancellors of the German Empire are rather obscure outside of historical circles. Except for Otto von Bismarck, of course.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/otto_von_bismarck.png]]

* Olaf Scholz (2021-) -- Social Democrat. Previously served as vice chancellor to Merkel and as minister of Finance from 2018 to 2021. He was also First Mayor of Hamburg from 2011 to 2018 and deputy leader of the SPD from 2009 to 2019. His government is a "traffic light coalition" composed of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP.

Titles called "Chancellor" (''Kanzler'') go way back. The Carolingian Empire and the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire had positions called [[Literature/{{Discworld}} "Archchancellor"]] (''Erzkanzler''). After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Prussia and Austria had State Chancellors (''Staatskanzler'').

The [[UsefulNotes/AllTheLittleGermanies North German Confederation]] (which was the prototype of the [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany empire]]; it even had the same flag) had a Federal Chancellor (''Bundeskanzler'') between 1867 and 1871, who was, of course, Otto von Bismarck.

* Gerhard Schröder (1998-2005, still alive as of August 2021) -- Social Democrat. Former head of the Young Socialists (1978-1980) and ''Ministerpräsident'' of Lower Saxony (1990-1998). Governed in a coalition with the Green party which pushed through several environmental and societal reforms and the then-controversial nuclear phase-out. Early in his career, when head of his party's youth wing, the Young Socialists, he liked to play up the far left firebrand but by the time he held important office, he had moved decidedly towards the center politically. At the beginning of his chancellorship he was very pro-American (he supported the Afghanistan war[[note]]Declaring after Nine-Eleven "We are all Americans now"[[/note]]), he later actively opposed the Iraq war and improved Germany's relations with France and Russia instead (most notably the controversial Baltic pipeline). Schröder did several social reforms that alienated many social democrats--his vaguely neoliberal orientation combined with his cigar-chomping ways earned him the nickname "Genosse der Bosse" ("Comrade of the Bosses"), and these policies combined with his personal charisma have led many to call him the German UsefulNotes/TonyBlair. Was widely expected to lose the 2002 election before a flood in East Germany (with his crisis-management much lauded by the press) and the debate over the Iraq War catapulted the polling figures of his party back up and narrowly kept him in office. He proved to be quite the electoral [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] again in 2005: when he felt that he had lost his support in the Bundestag, he filed a motion of no confidence against himself to trigger re-elections. He then turned on the charm and campaigned like hell, managing to get the SPD's share of the vote much higher than expected and forcing a grand coalition in the next Bundestag. He could have even stayed on as Chancellor if he hadn't promised not to enter in an alliance with the Left Party. The Left party at the time was led by former social democrat Oskar Lafontaine who [[ItsPersonal bore a grudge against Schröder]] because he felt betrayed both personally and politically by him. Also quite notorious for his love life: He divorced his third wife Hiltrud just one year before becoming chancellor and married Doris Köpf, 19 years his junior. As of 2018, he is divorced from Doris and married to South-Korean Kim So-yeon, [[MayDecemberRomance 25 years his junior]]. There exists a vaguely James Bond-like [[https://mar.prod.image.rndtech.de/var/storage/images/rnd/nachrichten/politik/der-altkanzler-und-die-knarre-wenn-fotos-schlechten-eindruck-machen/723041327-4-ger-DE/Der-Altkanzler-und-die-Knarre-wenn-Fotos-einen-schlechten-Eindruck-machen_master_reference.jpg photo]] of them that has to seen to be believed. As a result, one of his nicknames was [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Lord of the Rings]]. However, he has never been accused publicly of cheating on any of his wives. For what it's worth, his former vice chancellor Fischer is also currently in his 5th marriage and his rival Lafontaine in his 4th.
* '''UsefulNotes/AngelaMerkel''' (2005-present) -- Christian Democrat. [[IronLady First woman]] and first person from the former UsefulNotes/EastGermany to have the job.[[note]]Though she was born in Hamburg and moved to the GDR aged only a few weeks when her father became a pastor in Quitzow in Brandenburg[[/note]] She is a Doctor of Physics (her Thesis was about ''quantum chemistry'') who moved into East German politics around the time of the [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp fall of the Berlin Wall]]; she was elected to the first, last, and only democratically-elected ''Volkskammer'' (parliament) of UsefulNotes/EastGermany before it dissolved. Forbes lists her among the most powerful women in the world since 2006. In 2009, the Christian Democrats' traditional allies, the Free Democrats (FDP; free-market liberals) picked up enough seats to allow Merkel to shed the SPD and govern with their preferred partner; however, the FDP were ''completely wiped out'' in the 2013 elections, leaving another grand coalition the only workable alternative. As Chancellor, she is known more for being (or at least trying to be) a [[BoringButPractical steady pair of hands]] at the helm (there are accusations that she's faltered, but some disagree), as opposed to the flashy media-genius of her predecessor. German Media tend to call her "Teflon-Merkel" (being a reactionist politician, accusations don't tend to stick, it's her ministers that fuck up usually), or "Mutti" (mommy, her party-intern nickname). Recently, Americans have been hearing her name in the news a lot, since it was revealed the American spy agencies were spying on her cell phone and her Internet searches, along with her heavy involvement in the Greek bailout negotiations. Despite an initially rough start, she managed to forge a very close working-relationship with Barack Obama, who - at the end of his presidency - called her "his closest partner". Merkel also became the West's chief negotiator with Putin over the Ukraine, together with French president Hollande she helped brokering the Minsk ceasefire agreement. In general, it has often been noted that Germany under Angela Merkel has become more proactive on the European stage, with her often been called the continents de facto leader with all its' implications. In 2015, she surprised watchers by stating that Germany would accept Syrian refugees who were stranded in Hungary, which was interpreted by many as an invitation for refugees who were not yet in Europe. As of June 2016, Germany has received 1,600,000 refugees; [[PetTheDog an action]] that won over many of her former critics, but also weakened her domestic support once it became clear how big of a task the integration of so many refugees would be. In the 2017 election both her own CDU and coalition partner SPD lost a lot of votes prompting the SPD to announce leaving the coalition (although it would still command a majority of seats in the Bundestag), leading to speculations about the first ever "Jamaica" coalition of FDP, [=CDU/CSU=] and Greens on the federal level. The negotiations quickly [[EpicFail fell apart]] leading to [[HereWeGoAgain another Grand Coalition]], the third under chancellor Merkel and the fourth on federal level. While Helmut Kohl is often credited with "discovering" her for the federal political scene and she was often [[NeverASelfMadeWoman dismissed as]] "Kohl's Mädchen" (Kohl's girl) during the time she was in office and Kohl was alive, Kohl would often comment negatively on her politics. She has announced her intention of not running again for the 2021 election (which would've allowed her to surpass Kohl's record tenure in office if she won) but the first attempt at replacing her with [[TheUnpronouncable Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer]] at the helm of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) failed spectacularly necessitating a second round of candidate-search which ultimately ended with the rather bland and uninspiring Armin Laschet being chosen as head of the CDU and candidate for chancellor heading into the 2021 federal elections.