Umfortunately, what Merkel did was one of the worst things to happen in recent German history. She implemented austerity measures that cause the country to experience an economic crisis in the 2010s. Although the crisis was mild compared to what happened in Greece and Spain during that timeframe, it still resulted in an increase in poverty. The new government that is coming in will continue the austerity measures that had been imposed by Merkel, which will further increase poverty and cause additional fascist parties like the AfD to rise. The 2021 German election was a disaster for the Left Party, which was the only party that was not willing to support austerity.