German Women Leaders

Friedrich Engels was a German philosopher, political scientist, and revolutionary socialist. Along with Karl Marx, Engels helped develop Marxism, which has had a profound impact on fields like philosophy and anthropology. Engels is credited with helping Marx publish Das Kapital, a foundational theoretical work in politics, economics, and materialist philosophy. He also co-authored influential political documents like The Communist Manifesto.

The current chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel is widely described as the world's most powerful woman. Also considered the de facto leader of the European Union (EU), Angela Merkel has played an important role in strengthening international trade agreements. In 2020, she was named in Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People.

Apart from being an economist and a politician, Sahra Wagenknecht has also proved herself as a fine journalist and author, with books such as Capitalism in a Coma. She has previously represented, Die Linke, or the Left Party, as its leader in the German Bundestag, and has been the leader of the opposition.

German feminist, Marxist theorist, and Communist activist Clara Zetkin had a prominent role in the Communist Party of Germany and Comintern following World War I. Initially trained to be a teacher, she gradually gravitated towards women’s and labor movements. She later became closely associated with Lenin.

Ursula Kuczynski was a German Communist activist. She is best remembered for her work as a spy for the Soviet Union. She coordinated with Klaus Fuchs, a German atomic spy, who started passing information on the British atomic bomb project through Ursula Kuczynski to the Soviet Union.

A qualified doctor and a lung diseases specialist, Sabine Bergmann-Pohl had been the head of state of East Germany before the German reunification. She has also led the Volkskammer as its president and was the Federal Minister for Special Affairs under Helmut Kohl. The mother of two is a Protestant.

Tamara Bunke was an Argentine-born East German spy and revolutionary. She played an important role in the Cuban government and in various revolutionary movements across Latin America. She also fought during the Bolivian insurgency and was killed in an ambush by Bolivian Army Rangers while fighting alongside communist guerrillas led by Che Guevara.

Nina Menegatto is a businesswoman who currently serves as the Princess of Seborga. Since 2019, she has been reigning over a micronation known as the Principality of Seborga. The former wife of the previous head of state Marcello Menegatto, Nina is the first woman to serve in this position.

Libertas Schulze-Boysen was a German aristocrat who fought against the Nazi regime. Libertas, who had contact with important people in different strata of society, started documenting the atrocities carried out by the Nazis during the early 1940s. She also played an important role in the formation of the Red Orchestra. Libertas Schulze-Boysen was executed by the Nazis, at the age of 29.

The German-Swedish lawyer and politician Walburga Habsburg Douglas serves as the vice-president of the Paneuropean Union and is also a board member of the Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism. The former parliament member was born in Germany and is the daughter of last crown prince of Austria-Hungary and the granddaughter of the last Austrian emperor, Charles I.

Elise Hampel was a German domestic servant best remembered for creating postcards against Hitler's government and leaving them in public places during World War II. Elise and her husband, Otto Hampel, were caught and beheaded in Plötzensee Prison in 1943. Their bravery inspired Hans Fallada to write a novel, which was later adapted into a film named Alone in Berlin.