German elections: How Angela Merkel changed her country

As one of the world's most influential leaders, Angela Merkel has helped to determine the course of European and global politics. But during her 16 years as German chancellor, she's also had a considerable impact on her own country, shaping the lives of millions of citizens for better or worse.

Among them, the students who celebrated the end of their school days this summer.

At one prom in Berlin, excited teenagers in smart jackets and formal dresses danced to a thudding bass in a marquee. The class of 2021 has come of age in Mrs Merkel's Germany; they have never known another German leader.

"We don't have a perfect democracy," says Ole Schroeder, "but I think we have a good democracy."