Author

Tutor

Course

Date

Famous German Women

Introduction

Fame may be regarded as one of the most attractive aspect for many people. It refers to the widespread reputation, especially pertaining to a favorable character. In most cases, fame is a common opinion or estimation that is held pertaining to an individual. Germany, like the rest of the world, has had a considerable or significant number of famous people. While most of the famous individuals or people in Germany are men, it has quite a number of famous women, as well. These are women who have left a mark in the world of politics, cinema, fashion, business, art, science and literature both in the present and the past.

One of the most famous women in Germany is Angela Dorothea Merkel. This is the current Chancellor of Germany, a post she has assumed since 2005 (Bolgherini and Grotz, 27). Chancellor Angela was a physical chemist by profession but entered the murky world of politics in 1989. She has served in varied political posts such as the representative for the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state and deputy spokesperson for Lothar de Maizière’s among others. Angela has marked her place as a crucial player in the management of the financial crisis facing the European Union and the world at large (Bolgherini and Grotz, 49). This has earned her the title as the “Decider”. In addition, her crucial role in the European Union has earned her the title as its de facto leader. Currently, Angela Merkel is ranked as the 4th most powerful individuals in the entire world. This is a feat that has only been achieved by Margret Thatcher and Condoleezza Rice (Bolgherini and Grotz, 89).

As stated, famous German women are not only in the world of politics but also other fields such as arts, music and even business. Another famous German woman was Hannah Arendt. Hannah is considered one of the most influential political thinkers of the 20th century, thanks to the originality and power that showed from her thoughts as evidenced by her numerous works (Whitfield, 45). Some of her most popular works included “The Life of the Mind”, “On Revolution”, “the Human Condition” and “The Origin of Totalitarianism”. Hannah used these to express her views on the most crucial events that were happening at the time (Whitfield, 49). She was trying to grasp or understand their historical import and meaning, as well as show they affected the people’s categories of political and moral judgment. In her opinion, it was necessary that the people acquire an entirely new framework that would allow them to absorb Stalinism and Nazism of the 20th century (Whitfield, 67). Her views put her at odds with the governments of the day, to such an extent that she had to free from Germany during the reign of Hitler.

However, it is evident that most of the popular German women are in the field of performing arts. These include Nadja Auermann (Fashion model), Marlene Dietrich (Film actress), Maya Ayim (writer), Hildegard Knef (singer and writer), Susanne Kerner/ Nena (German singer), Hannah Reitsch (test pilot), Leni Riefenstahl (film director), and currently or most recently Heidi Klum (fashion model and TV star). This triggers the question as to why women are relegated to these fields rather than other “serious” fields such as politics. Why is it that Angela Merkel is the first woman to achieve the status of Chancellor for Germany, irrespective of the fact that Germany is one of the world’s earliest civilizations? This may only be explained at an imbalance in the country, or rather insufficient support for women or low drive for women to pursue certain fields.

Works cited

Whitfield, Stephen. Into the Dark: Hannah Arendt and Totalitarianism. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1980. Print

Bolgherini, Silvia and Grotz, Florian. Germany after the Grand Coalition: Governance and Politics in a Turbulent Environment. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 2010. Print