Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who reunited nation after fall of Berlin Wall, dies at 87


Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl died Friday at the age of 87. Kohl, who led Germany for 16 years between 1982 and 1998, is credited with reuniting East and West Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and for helping introduce the euro currency to the European Union.
Kohl reportedly died at his home in Ludwigshafen, in western Germany. "We mourn," tweeted Kohl's party, the Christian Democratic Union, on Friday.
The CDU is now led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, a former mentee of Kohl's.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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