No one has ever voluntarily left the highest post in German politics - except for Angela Merkel. At the same time, at the end of her last term of office, she once again managed to show herself to be an excellent crisis politician and get high marks according to public opinion polls. The Germans themselves believe that Angela Merkel is as pragmatic as Helmut Schmidt would like to be. She has little interest in ideologies, beliefs, principles. She cold-bloodedly put an end to several of the Christian Democrats' sanctities at once, such as conscription and atomic energy. Critics accused her that Merkel's only program was to remain Chancellor. And yet, without adhering to any clear ideology, without building illusions, she became the founder of an entire era in the history of German politics.The period from 2005 to 2021 is definitely worthy of being called the “Merkel era”. Now that this era is coming to an end, it's time to take a closer look at the chancellor: what does she leave behind? Was it “only” limited to indifferent management, or was it able to set trends that are expected to develop for many years to come? Yes, they are, says Ursula Weidenfeld, and in the coming years they will determine the life of the state. This book is not just a summary. It aims to give a fair assessment of the Merkel phenomenon and paint a portrait of the woman who changed Germany.Editorial design preserved in PDF A4.