![Angela Merkel Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/angela-merkel-political-life-8.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
By TIME Staff
![Politik Merkel as a child with a toy stroller.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/time-person-of-the-year-angela-merkel-young.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![00898397 Angela Kasner prepares a meal on a campfire while camping with friends in Himmelpfort, German Democratic Republic on July 1973.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/time-person-of-the-year-angela-merkel-life-photos-05.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![00898395 Angela Kasner, 18, with friends at a New Year's Eve party in Berlin in 1972.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/time-person-of-the-year-angela-merkel-life-photos-06.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![00898401 Angela Kasner dances with a young man at a New Year's Eve party in Berlin in 1972.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/time-person-of-the-year-angela-merkel-life-photos-04.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![GERMANY-POLITICS-ELECTIONS-CDU-MERKEL-MATHEMATICS Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gettyimages-481654910.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Merkel, Angela - Politician, CDU, Germany - election campaign, visiting a fisherman's hut in Lobbe on the island of Ruegen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Angela Merkel visits a fisherman's hut in Lobbe on the island of Ruegen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany during her campaign on Nov. 2, 1990.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/time-person-of-the-year-angela-merkel-life-photos-07.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Angela MERKEL ( CDU ), Federal Minister for Women and Youth. Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gettyimages-150768584_master.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Angela Merkel Politician Angela Merkel in her office in Bonn, Germany on Feb. 15, 1991.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/time-person-of-the-year-angela-merkel-life-photos-09.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Merkel, Angela - Politician, CDU, Germany, Federal Minister for Women and Youth - at an airplane Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gettyimages-544592365.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Environmental Minister Angela Merkel (C) serves some coffee as German Chancellor and CDU leader Helm.. Environmental Minister Angela Merkel (C) serves some coffee as German Chancellor and CDU leader Helmut Kohl (R) and party secretary Peter Hintze (L) look on at the annual CDU (Christian Democratic Union) party congress, October 21.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/rtxggkm.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Merkel, Angela / CDU Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gettyimages-540687909_master.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Angela Merkel Driving A Porsche 911 Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gettyimages-454527390_master.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Angela Merkel (R), leader of the Christi Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gettyimages-51216079_master.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Berlin - Bus von Angela Merkel vor dem Reichstagsgebaeude Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gettyimages-544633459_master.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Angela Merkel und Maria Eichhorn U.A. Montag Abend Beim Cdu Wahl Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gettyimages-171902178_master.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Politik Angela Merkel on the eve of her election in 2005 with parents Herlind Kasner, Angela Merkel’s mother, from Hamburg. She was a Latin and English teacher. And her father, Horst Kasner, was originally from Berlin. He was a pastor in the Protestant Church in Germany.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/angela-merkel-parents.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![George W. Bush, Angela Merkel Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/angela-merkel-political-life-13.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The 47th Munich Security Conference Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gettyimages-108839741_master.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Pope Francis Meets With Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gettyimages-168983714_master.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![World Leaders Meet For G8 Summit AT Lough Erne Angela Merkel](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gettyimages-170791673_master.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![German Chancellor Merkel and leader of the CDU party stands in front of her election campaign tour bus at the CDU's headquarters in Berlin Chancellor Angela Merkel stands in front of her election campaign tour bus before a CDU board meeting in Berlin on Sept. 16, 2013.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/time-person-of-the-year-angela-merkel-life-photos-01.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Germany v Argentina: 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final Chancellor Angela Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck celebrate with the players in the Germany dressing room after the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final match between Germany and Argentina at Maracana on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/time-person-of-the-year-angela-merkel-life-photos-03.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Queen Elizabeth II Visits Berlin Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes Queen Elizabeth II upon her arrival at the Federal Chancellery during the royal couple's four-day visit to Germany on June 24, 2015 in Berlin. The Queen and Prince Philip visited Berlin, Frankfurt and the concentration camp memorial at Bergen-Belsen during their first to Germany since 2004.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/angela-merkel-queen-elizabeth.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![David Cameron Meets With Angela Merkel Chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband Joachim Sauer arrive at the Schloss Bellevue Palace on June 24, 2015 in Berlin.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/angela-merkel-husband-sauer.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Marche republicaine contre le terrorisme et en hommage aux victimes des attentats contre Charlie Hebdo et le supermarche cacher Marche republicaine contre le terrorisme et en hommage aux victimes des attentats contre Charlie Hebdo et le supermarche cacher](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/angela-merkel-francois-hollande-charlie-hebdo.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![After a break during the peace talks for the conflict in Ukraine in Minsk (Belarus), Chancellor Merkel and President Putin of Russia, return to the negotiation table. Feb. 11, 2015.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/time-person-of-the-year-angela-merkel-025.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/time-person-of-the-year-angela-merkel-037.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
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