Merkel is not the first German politician to adopt a hardline stance on monetary policy and debt – nor is she the first to face a torrent of international criticism. In the late 1970’s, when the world was facing a mixture of stagnant growth and inflation, Chancellor Helmut Schmidt insistently told British, French, and American leaders that their deficits were wrong and dangerous.
默克尔并非第一位对货币政策和政府债务持强硬立场的德国政治家，她也不是招惹国际舆论批评的第一人。早在20世纪70年代后期，全世界都面临滞涨风险的时候，德国总理施密特（Helmut Schmidt）固执地跟英、法、美国的领导人说，他们搞赤字财政是错误而危险的。他坚信滞涨的解药是“赤字国家摆脱赤字”。但他之后几任德国领导人觉得施密特当初有点自以为是。