A Brief History of Women in Power

Angela Merkel, Germany
Angela Merkel is a rarity in German politics: she's the first Chancellor to have grown up in communist East Germany, the first female to lead and the youngest-ever incumbent. She spent decades being underrated but never took it to heart. "You could say I've never underestimated myself," Merkel told TIME in January 2010. "There's nothing wrong with being ambitious." One hundred days after taking office in late 2005, a poll named her the most popular Chancellor in German history.

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