POWER STRUGGLE – An Inside Look at the Union

  • The new German Chancellor: The story of an initially unexpected candidate.
  • A gripping insight into the power dynamics of the CDU/CSU after Angela Merkel's chancellorship.

The 2025 German federal election will be pivotal for the country's future, with a particular focus on one faction: what will become of the Christian Union, comprised of the CDU and CSU? After their heavy defeat in 2021 and the loss of the chancellorship, the party has been struggling to revive itself with a figure who seemed long gone: Friedrich Merz. The decision on the chancellor candidate and the 2025 election campaign are key moments in the CDU's dramatic transformation.

Berlin-based journalist Sara Sievert chronicles how the party evolved after Angela Merkel’s era, the ongoing power struggles behind the scenes, and what a government under Merz would mean for the country. This sharp analysis provides an up-to-date look behind the scenes of the Union.

"Sara Sievert takes us right into the power mechanisms of the CDU. A political book with previously unknown insights that should be read." Der Spiegel

"It is THE comeback in German top politics: Friedrich Merz has fought his way from the sidelines to the very top in just a few years, despite all the resistance. Those who want to know how he managed to do so should read this exciting and densely written book." Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

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  • Publisher: Rowohlt Hardcover
  • Release: 13.01.2025
  • ISBN: 978-3-498-00721-8
  • 256 Pages
  • Author: Sara Sievert

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Buchcover von POWER STRUGGLE – An Inside Look at the Union: Ein Blick hinter die Kulissen der Union
Sara Sievert POWER STRUGGLE – An Inside Look at the Union
Portrait von Sara Sievert
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Sara Sievert

Sara Sievert , born in 1994, has closely followed the key figures of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) parties for years, offering an insider’s view of the party thriller. She reports as a correspondent on political affairs in Berlin. After studying in Würzburg, she completed her traineeship with a focus on politics and economics at Focus Magazin . She then worked as a political editor and eventually as chief political reporter for Focus and Focus Online . During that time, she covered the Federal Chancellery, the Foreign Ministry, and the CDU/CSU. In 2022, she joined  Der Spiegel 's capital office as a CDU/CSU correspondent. Since September 2023, she has been reporting as chief reporter for t-online, focusing primarily on the Federal Chancellery and the CDU/CSU.