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Grades 4-6

Germany Chooses Change

For 16 years, Chancellor Helmut Kohl (Coal) led Germany. His nation does not limit the number of years its leader can be in office, as the U.S. does. Kohl expected to win a fifth term.

But last week Germans decided they were ready for a change. They voted for Gerhard Schroder (Gare-hard Shro-der) as their new Chancellor.

"The Kohl era has come to an end," Schroder said after the historic vote on September 27. "Our task will be to thoroughly modernize our country." He promises to provide more jobs for Germans. The nation's capital will move from Bonn to Berlin to begin the new era.

Kohl helped turn the nation into a solid, democratic country. After World War II, Germany was divided into two separate countries by the Berlin Wall. West Germany was democratic and held open elections. East Germany had a system of government called communism. In 1989 the Berlin Wall was torn down, and the country was finally united.

But now Germans are ready to move forward. Said one voter: "We've been waiting for this for so long."

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