Photo Gallery Provocation in Athens

Greek election victor Alexis Tsipras wants an entirely different Europe from the one envisioned by Angela Merkel. His success is likely to stoke anger over Germany's EU dominance. Leaders in France and Italy are also hoping for an end to austerity.
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Greek voters elected Alexis Tsipras, leader of the radical left opposition party Syriza, as their new prime minister on Sunday. Greeks view him as a rebel seeking to free his country from German-imposed austerity, whereas the Germans view him as the anti-Merkel and Europe's nightmare. Tsipras and Merkel now constitute the two antipodes in a Europe in which there is a growing lack of mutual understanding.

Foto: Michael Kappeler/ dpa
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A protester holds up a sign after Tsipras' election on Sunday reading in German, "This is a truely good night, Mrs. Merkel." The German chancellor's austerity policies and the conditions imposed by the troika as part of Greece's bailout programs have been extremely unpopular in the country.

Foto: Orestis Panagioutou/ dpa
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As Tsipras' first act as president, he had himself driven to the Kessariani shooting range site. He couldn't have picked a more symbolic place to show he is truly serious about standing up to the Germans. It was here, on the outskirts of Athens, that German Nazi occupying troops shot a total of some 600 resistance fighters, along with 200 communists from the Haidari concentration camp during World War II. His fans shouted, "Resistance is the path that the nations must take! The German occupation is finally over."

Foto: © Alkis Konstantinidis / Reuter/ REUTERS
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Syriza supporters celebrate on Sunday. Tsipras says that the movement against Merkel's austerity policies, "will spread across the entire Continent."

Foto: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/ AFP
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Secretly, many politicians in Europe hope that the shock of the elections in Greece will upset the balance of power. French President François Hollande (right) has been pushing for a more relaxed approach to the debt limit since he took office. He is backed not only by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (left), but also by EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker.

Foto: DOMINIQUE FAGET/ AFP
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Among the paradoxes of the euro crisis is the fact that German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who triggers such passionate emotion in Greece, employs a governing style that is largely free of emotion.

Foto: David Ramos/ Getty Images
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Despite their worries about Tsipras' election, German government sources told SPIEGEL that Berlin is considering the possibility of a new bailout package with a value of over 20 billion euros if Athens fulfills certain conditions.

Foto: Petros Giannakouris/ AP/dpa