Category: 01. February 11

This past week Professor Yoder gave a fascinating speech on the politics and ideology behind Angela Merkel, the German chancellor’s, leadership strategy. When Merkel assumed the German Chancellorship in 2005, many were curious about how she would fulfill the position and differ from previous chancellors.

When she took office in 2005 many saw her as young, in comparison with previous leadership, and she was also from East Germany, unlike recent leadership. Due to her upbringing and recent mentors many assumed that she would continue with a more normal approach to leadership and fail to address issues of the past. However, she quickly established her stance on German politics to be one of open conversation by continuously bringing the past into the present. Although shocking at first, Merkel has led her center-right leaning party much more towards the center through her use of memory politics.

Professor Yoder spent a great deal of her presentation discussing some of Merkel’s most influential speeches. Although, not all of her public addresses have been transcribed and made available to the public, of the 58 that are, 67% of those ranging from 2005 to 2016 contained messages aimed at invoking German past. It is important to note that Germany’s past is one that is painful for not only Germans but also for the world. The easy route would be to make no mention of the World Wars (one and two), the holocaust and Germany’s communist past, but Merkel is determined to keep these memories alive, despite the pain that they induced.

Although it may not be popular amongst all German parties, Merkel has continuously harped on the country’s difficult past. It seems strange that she should continue to do this when so much of politics world-wide is based upon the popularity of a candidate amongst the people, but Merkel is unwavering in her moral obligation to create a culture of remembrance that will endure when survivors and people who experienced the tragedies of the World Wars and the Holocaust are no longer around. Her reasons for invoking the past are clear. Merkel sets out to remind not only Germany, but the world on a larger scale that we have to take responsibility for the past to ensure nothing of that nature will happen again. She aims to focus on humanitarianism as a response to the past, through her policies on refugees, and believes solidarity in historic responsibility to strengthen European democracy should take precedence over nationalism.

One of the questions that was discussed at the end of the presentation addressed how Germany’s difficult history is taught in early education in the country. I thought this was particularly interesting as the United States has failed to properly educate elementary school children on the history of North American civilization and how the country was founded. This issue is just now being rectified in the United States and proper education in school could be equally as important as politics for Germany moving forward, in order to preserve memories of the past.

I truly enjoyed Professor Yoder’s lecture on Chancellor Angela Merkel and her political style in comparison to her predecessors. It was fascinating to note all of the significant differences between Germany’s political discourse and ours here in the United States. For starters, I loved that Germany refers to their political leader as ‘Chancellor’; it immediately jogged my memory and made me think of Star Wars and a main character, Chancellor Palpatine. Most countries defer to the usual ‘President’ or ‘Prime Minister’ title, yet Germany maintains a unique identity by sticking to ‘Chancellor’. Another difference is that the Chancellor can serve for an unlimited terms. I did not realize that Merkel has been serving in office since early 2005; she recently announced that this could be her last term in office, yet many believe, and hope, that she will run for reelection at least one more time. It is interesting to note this method of federal politics in relation to our own; in our most recent election, millions of Americans would have prefered that President Obama run for a third term. However, given our limitations on executive power, no man or woman can run more than twice. Consequently, we were left with two less than optimal choices, and Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States. I now know that this would never happen in Germany. Professor Yoder expressed during the question and answer session how Chancellor Merkel thought that she would only serve three terms; however, she re-entered herself because of the threat of right wing populism, as well as the rise of Donald Trump in the East. And so, the Chancellor ensured that the political future of Germany did not rest in the hands of anyone but her own. She has the freedom and ability to do so, which is a glorious example of Germany’s political discourse.

Another portion of the lecture that captured my mind was Professor Yoder’s analysis of Chancellor Merkel’s public speeches. Professor Yoder began by highlighting the fact that since 2005, 67% of Chancellor Merkel’s public speeches contained/referenced moments from Germany’s past. Thirty-nine out of fifty-eight speeches invoked memories of the German past with 22 mentions of World War II and the Holocaust, and 21 references to the Berlin Wall and its’ unification. When it comes to Germany’s controversial past, Professor Yoder emphasized that Chancellor Merkel addresses it with a “never forget” mentality. Many of her speeches invoke emotion and prioritized moving on to a bigger and brighter future. That said, she constantly reminded the public of Germany’s past, and reiterated how important it is to always remember. Initially, I found this very bizarre and somewhat irresponsible. This was something that I would not expect; it was my inclination that leaders of Germany would want this history to disappear and never be heard of again. World War II brings about memories of destruction and levels of oppression that have yet to be surpassed. Logically, I felt that Germans would be embarrassed by their ancestors and their choices; I felt like Germans would stop at nothing to dispel this stain from its’ cherished history. Yet, because of Chancellor Merkel’s governance, Germany has been able to make tremendous strides. She has invoked a ‘welcoming culture’ and ensures that Germany maintains its’ responsibility as a powerful nation in Europe’s community. Overall, I was fascinated with Professor Yoder’s talk on Chancellor Merkel. I truly knew close to nothing in terms of Germany’s political discourse, let alone Chancellor Merkel’s. I was able to take away a great deal and am looking forward to all of the lectures to come.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has been in power in Germany since 2005. She has been the leader of the biggest European economy for a significant time, which is very unusual. Merkel’s use of the presence of the past is very prevalent within her speeches and the way she addresses the public. There was little indication that she would become a leader within memory politics. One of the most interesting factors about her coming to power is that she is the first East German to be chancellor. This is definitely one of the reasons her version of memory politics is most likely very different than her predecessors. Her knowledge of the significant events in Germany such as the Nazi period, the holocaust, and the Berlin Wall would be shaped by very different factors compared to past governing figures and a significant amount of people within Germany itself. Memory politics is the organization of collective memory by political figures. In general, it is the way events are remembered, recorded, or simply discarded. Looking forward, memory politics may determine the way history is written and passed on.

Continue reading “The Presence of the Past: Angela Merkel and a Unified Germany”

Jennifer Yoder’s lecture on ‘The Presence of the Past in Angela Merkel’s Political Discourse’ showed the ways in which Merkel has evolved as a politician since 2005.

Angela Merkel has served as Chancellor of Germany since 2005. Merkel was recently reelected for her fourth term on March 14^th, 2018. Merkel was the first female German chancellor, the first to have grown up in the former East Germany, and the youngest German chancellor since the World War II. Merkel is also the first chancellor to be born after World War II. This becomes particularly important in looking at her use of past events in her political speeches.

Merkel was not alive for much of the German history referred to in her speeches. Her identity as a young, female, quantum chemist makes us question her consistent references to the past in her political speeches. 67% of Merkel’s speeches between 2006 and 2015 invoke the German past. Merkel’s most referenced topics during this time were World Wars and Holocaust, the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germany’s GDR and communist past, and expulsions. Continue reading “Merkel’s Tactic”

Jennifer Yoder’s lecture about Angela Merkel’s use of memory politics gave a good example of how big of a role collective memory plays in our society and every day lives. Collective memory is defined in the New Oxford American Dictionary as “the memory of a group of people, passed from one generation to the next.” In the world, so many different nations have this notion. Rarely is collective memory used as a tool for politicians to further their agenda, and that is exactly what Merkel has done during her fourteen year chancellorship. As Yoder discussed, Merkel has used memory politics to propel Germany and much of Europe into a new age of humanitarianism.  In her speeches, Merkel invokes themes of making amends, and ensuring that a tragedy like the Holocaust and World War II doesn’t happen again. Yoder mentioned that Merkel involved history and the past in two thirds of her speeches. Such heavy use of memory and history is rarely used in political addresses. Merkel uses active remembrance as a call to action for germans. She uses the past to influence the present and future.

Merkel’s philosophy is to confront past wrongdoings and work to make it right. In this case, she uses memory politics to convey the importance of humanitarianism. She consistently promotes tolerance, and led the charge for opening doors to refugees, acting without the support of the rest of the European Union.

One student mentioned how her use of memory politics could be perceived as anti-German due to her condemning Germany’s previous actions during World War II. In my opinion, there is definitely a way to be have remorse and nationalism. Too much pride can cloud one’s perception of themselves. This hubris can prevent positive change. This is why I think it is beneficial that Merkel is so open and repentant of the Holocaust and the past mistakes Germany has made. Through this, she is also in some ways promoting nationalism. She is adamant that East and West Germany stay united. She is promoting solidarity, not nationalism.  According to Yoder, Merkel mentions the fall of the Berlin Wall in twenty one different speeches. Here, Merkel is using memory politics in a new way. She is using the memory of the Cold War and the Berlin Wall to create a singular nation.

In my opinion, memory politics is a powerful tool to further an idea. The United States has not addressed the wrongdoings during the time of slavery, and, as a result, confederate flags are still flying in many southern cities. By suppressing the era of slavery, we are creating a country which is not able to fully move forward from that period of time. This is a part of the reason why the remnants of Jim Crowe are still present in our country today.

Angela Merkel said “respect for our common humanity is rooted in our responsibility for the past.” This quote really sums up her use of memory politics. She consistently embraces the uncomfortable to propel her country into a new, and brighter era.

Jennifer Yoder explored Angela Merkel’s usage of memory politics as chancellor of Germany. She identified three overarching themes that Merkel uses in her speeches to address the past: responsibility for the past, humanitarianism as a response to the past, and solidarity over nationalism. For this response, I will focus on the theme of humanitarianism as a response to the past and the importance of Merkel’s background in her choice to shift the narrative of memory politics in Germany.

In contemporary politics, particularly with regards to the Syrian refugee crisis, Merkel has taken a strong, pointed response. Merkel argued that Germany, the EU, and the world at large ought to have more tolerance for people fleeing from tyranny. I think Merkel’s response is admirable and sets a world precedent. I was surprised by the world’s lukewarm and even negative response to her position.  Yoder identified and clarified the connection that Merkel makes between present-day politics with the Syrian refugee crisis and the Holocaust by explaining that Merkel’s explicit acknowledgment of the Holocaust forces Germany to remember and consider their history in the face of contemporary politics. She forces us to think, how can we (on an individual, community, country, and world level) learn from mistakes and take preventative action? I found this question extremely pertinent to U.S. politics. Why can’t the U.S. take more decisive action in the face of such profound human suffering? Does it take a mass genocide of your loved ones to make a nation care? Can Merkel’s approach to the invocation of memory politics in the past somehow be applied broadly in the United States? Merkel’s emphasis and willing to take such a strong stand, despite being a relatively conservative politician, speaks to the value she places on Germany’s history and the importance of kindness, understanding, and respect for others. I hope that U.S. leadership can take elements of Merkel’s into their own decision making whether that be with or without memory politics. By invoking the past in the present, Merkel bolsters her own response and connects present-day Germans/people to an event that some might prefer to forget and leave in the past.

Something that stood out to me was Yoder’s focus and emphasis on Merkel’s biography/personal history.  Yoder suggested that Merkel’s relatively young age, upbringing in the GDR behind the Iron Curtain, and academic background as a physicist set her apart from former German leaders. Yoder pointed out that Merkel is part of a generation of children/grandchildren of Holocaust survivors who want to preserve the history/memory of their aging relatives. This seemed like one of the most influential factors in Merkel’s attitude towards addressing the past. Merkel’s generation and those younger than her must work harder to learn about the past than those who experienced it. Merkel seems to have taken that generational attitude to mean that she should use her position of power to educate and remind all Germans of their past. 

In summary, Merkel connects Germany’s history with contemporary politics to implore Germany and the world at large to take a humanitarian approach to crisis situations. This forced me to consider whether the U.S. could take a similar approach and if it would have the same effect. Some of her belief and emphasis on the past stems from her relatively young age.