List of chancellors of Germany

The chancellor of Germany[1] is the political leader of Germany and the head of the federal government. The office holder is responsible for selecting all other members of the government and chairing cabinet meetings.[2]

The office was created in the North German Confederation in 1867,[3] when Otto von Bismarck became the first chancellor. With the unification of Germany and establishment of the German Empire in 1871, the Confederation evolved into a German nation-state and its leader became known as the chancellor of Germany.[4] Originally, the chancellor was only responsible to the emperor. This changed with the constitutional reform in 1918, when the Parliament was given the right to dismiss the chancellor. Under the 1919 Weimar Constitution the chancellors were appointed by the directly elected president, but were responsible to Parliament.[5] The constitution was set aside during the 1933–1945 Nazi dictatorship. During Allied occupation, no independent German government and no chancellor existed; and the office was not reconstituted in East Germany, thus the head of government of East Germany was chairman of the Council of Ministers. The 1949 Basic Law made the chancellor the most important office in West Germany, while diminishing the role of the president.[1]

North German Confederation (1867–1871)

Federal Chancellor of the North German Confederation

The North German Confederation came into existence after the falling apart of the German Confederation, itself caused by Prussian victory in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. The chancellor was appointed by the Prussian king.[3]

Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political Party
Took office Left office Time in office
Count
Otto von Bismarck
(1815–1898)
1 July
1867
21 March
1871
3 years, 263 days Non-partisan

German Reich (1871–1945)

Imperial Chancellor of the German Empire

The German Empire was born out of the North German Confederation as result of the Franco-Prussian War (1870). The newly created emperor named the chancellor to serve at his pleasure.[4]

Political parties:   None   Zentrum

No. Portrait Name
(birth–death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Fürst
Otto von Bismarck
(1815–1898)
21 March
1871
20 March
1890
18 years, 364 days Non-partisan Bismarck
2 Count
Leo von Caprivi
(1831–1899)
20 March
1890
26 October
1894
4 years, 220 days Non-partisan Caprivi
3 Fürst
Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
(1819–1901)
29 October
1894
17 October
1900
5 years, 353 days Non-partisan Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
4 Fürst
Bernhard von Bülow
(1849–1929)
17 October
1900
14 July
1909
8 years, 270 days Non-partisan Bülow
5 Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg
(1856–1921)
14 July
1909
13 July
1917
7 years, 364 days Non-partisan Bethmann-Hollweg
6 Georg Michaelis
(1857–1936)
14 July
1917
1 November
1917
110 days Non-partisan Michaelis
7 Count
Georg von Hertling
(1843–1919)
1 November
1917
30 September
1918
333 days Centre Party Hertling
8 Prince
Max von Baden
(1867–1929)
3 October
1918
9 November
1918
37 days Non-partisan Baden

    Chancellor of the German Reich

    On 9 November 1918, Chancellor Max von Baden handed over his office to Friedrich Ebert. Ebert continued to serve as head of government during the three months between the end of the German Empire in November 1918 and the first gathering of the National Assembly in February 1919 as Chairman of the Council of the People's Deputies, until 29 December 1918 together with USPD Leader Hugo Haase.[6]

    The Weimar Constitution of 1919 set the framework for the Weimar Republic. The chancellors were often dependent on support from the president.[1][5]

    Political parties:   SPD   Zentrum   DVP   None

    No. Portrait Name
    (birth–death)
    Term of office Political party Cabinet Reichstag
    Took office Left office Time in office
    9 Friedrich Ebert
    (1871–1925)
    9 November
    1918
    13 February
    1919
    96 days Social Democratic Party
    (SPD)
    Council of the People's Deputies
    SPDUSPD
    (as of 29 December 1918 SPD alone)
    10 Philipp Scheidemann
    (1865–1939)
    as Reich Minister President[lower-alpha 1]
    13 February
    1919
    20 June
    1919
    127 days Social Democratic Party
    (SPD)
    Scheidemann
    SPDDDPZ
    (Weimar Coalition)
    Nat.Ass.
    (1919)
    11 Gustav Bauer
    (1870–1944)
    [lower-alpha 2]
    21 June
    1919
    26 March
    1920
    279 days Social Democratic Party
    (SPD)
    Bauer
    SPDDDPZ
    (Weimar Coalition)
    12 Hermann Müller
    (1876–1931)
    First term
    27 March
    1920
    21 June
    1920
    86 days Social Democratic Party
    (SPD)
    Müller I
    SPDDDPZ
    (Weimar Coalition)
    13 Constantin Fehrenbach
    (1852–1926)
    25 June
    1920
    4 May
    1921
    313 days Centre Party Fehrenbach
    ZDDPDVP
    1
    (1920)
    14 Joseph Wirth
    (1879–1956)
    10 May
    1921
    14 November
    1922
    1 year, 188 days Centre Party Wirth I
    ZSPDDDP
    (Weimar Coalition)
    Wirth II
    ZSPDDDP
    (Weimar Coalition)
    15 Wilhelm Cuno
    (1876–1933)
    22 November
    1922
    12 August
    1923
    263 days Non-partisan Cuno
    Ind.DVPDDPZBVP
    16 Gustav Stresemann
    (1878–1929)
    13 August
    1923
    30 November
    1923
    109 days German People's Party Stresemann I
    DVPSPDZDDP
    Stresemann II
    DVPSPDZDDP
    17 Wilhelm Marx
    (1863–1946)
    First term
    30 November
    1923
    15 January
    1925
    1 year, 46 days Centre Party Marx I
    ZDVPBVPDDP
    Marx II
    ZDVPDDP
    2
    (May.1924)
    18 Hans Luther
    (1879–1962)
    15 January
    1925
    12 May
    1926
    1 year, 117 days Non-partisan Luther I
    DVPDNVPZDDPBVP
    3
    (Dec.1924)
    Luther II
    DVPZDDPBVP
    19
    (17)
    Wilhelm Marx
    (1863–1946)
    Second term
    17 May
    1926
    12 June
    1928
    2 years, 26 days Centre Party Marx III
    ZDVPDDPBVP
    Marx IV
    ZDNVPDVPBVP
    20
    (12)
    Hermann Müller
    (1876–1931)[lower-alpha 3]
    Second term
    28 June
    1928
    27 March
    1930
    1 year, 272 days Social Democratic Party
    (SPD)
    Müller II
    SPDDVPDDPZBVP
    4
    (1928)
    21 Heinrich Brüning
    (1885–1970)[lower-alpha 4]
    30 March
    1930
    30 May
    1932
    2 years, 61 days Centre Party Brüning I
    ZDDPDVPWFBVPKVP
    5
    (1930)
    Brüning II
    ZDSPBVPKVP–CLV
    22 Franz von Papen
    (1879–1969)[lower-alpha 4]
    1 June
    1932
    17 November
    1932
    169 days Non-partisan Papen
    Ind.DNVP
    6
    (Jul.1932)
    23 Kurt von Schleicher
    (1882–1934)[lower-alpha 4]
    3 December
    1932
    28 January
    1933
    56 days Non-partisan Schleicher
    Ind.DNVP
    7
    (Nov.1932)
    1. The title of Chancellor was not formally used until the Weimar Constitution took effect. Instead Scheidemann was appointed as Reichsministerpräsident (Reich Minister President).
    2. The title of Chancellor was not formally used until the Weimar Constitution took effect. Instead, like Scheidemann, Bauer was appointed as Reichsministerpräsident (Reich Minister President). After the Weimar Constitution took place on 14 August 1919, Bauer's official title was Chancellor.
    3. Müller was the last parliamentary chancellor until Konrad Adenauer in 1949
    4. Non-parliamentary chancellor, appointed by Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg after no majority parliamentary coalition could be formed

    Chancellor of the German Reich

    Adolf Hitler's Machtergreifung (seizure of power) marked the end of the Weimar Republic and the beginning of Nazi Germany. Hitler reigned as dictator and consolidated all power to himself.

    Political parties

    No. Portrait Name
    (Birth–Death)
    Term of office Political Party Cabinet Reichstag[lower-alpha 1]
    Took office Left office Time in office
    24 Führer
    Adolf Hitler
    (1889–1945)
    30 January
    1933[lower-alpha 2]
    30 April
    1945
    (committed suicide in office)
    12 years, 90 days National Socialist
    German Workers' Party
    Hitler
    NSDAPDNVP (until 1933)
    8 (Mar. 1933)
    9 (Nov. 1933)
    10 (Mar. 1936)
    11 (Apr. 1938)
    25 Joseph Goebbels
    (1897–1945)
    30 April
    1945
    (de jure)[lower-alpha 3]
    1 May
    1945
    (committed suicide in office)
    1 day National Socialist
    German Workers' Party
    (Cabinet nominated in Hitler's testament but never convened)
    NSDAP
    26 Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
    (1887–1977)
    as Leading Minister[lower-alpha 4]
    2 May
    1945
    23 May
    1945
    (arrested)[lower-alpha 5]
    21 days National Socialist
    German Workers' Party
    Schwerin von Krosigk
    NSDAP
    1. No elections held during World War II. Last convened on 26 April 1942.
    2. Non-parliamentary chancellor, appointed by Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg after no majority parliamentary coalition could be formed
    3. Appointed by Adolf Hitler in his Political Testament
    4. The title of Chancellor was not used formally. On May 2, 1945, Reichspräsident Karl Dönitz appointed him as Leading Minister and Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs after the suicide of Goebbels. He was de facto the Chancellor of Germany.
    5. Arrested; government dissolved by the Allies.[7]

    Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present)

    Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Germany

    In 1949, two separate German states were established: the Federal Republic of Germany (known as West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (known as East Germany). The list below gives the chancellors of West Germany; the government of East Germany was headed by the chairman of the Council of Ministers.[8] In 1990, East Germany was dissolved as it merged with West Germany; Germany was reunified. It retained the name of the Federal Republic of Germany.[9]

    Political parties:   CDU (4)   SPD (4)   FDP (1)   Independent (1)

      Denotes acting
    No. Portrait Name
    (birth–death)
    Term of office Political party Cabinet Bundestag
    Took office Left office Time in office
    1 Konrad Adenauer
    (1876–1967)
    15 September
    1949
    20 October
    1953
    14 years, 30 days Christian Democratic Union
    (CDU)
    Adenauer I
    CDU/CSUFDPDP
    1 (1949)
    20 October
    1953
    29 October
    1957
    Adenauer II
    CDU/CSUFDP/FVPDPGB/BHE
    2 (1953)
    29 October
    1957
    14 November
    1961
    Adenauer III
    CDU/CSUDP
    3 (1957)
    14 November
    1961
    15 October
    1963
    Adenauer IV
    CDU/CSUFDP
    4 (1961)
    2 Ludwig Erhard
    (1897–1977)
    16 October
    1963
    26 October
    1965
    3 years, 45 days Independent
    (No party membership;
    but affiliated with the CDU)
    [10]
    Erhard I
    CDU/CSUFDP
    26 October
    1965
    30 November
    1966
    Erhard II
    CDU/CSUFDP
    5 (1965)
    3 Kurt Georg Kiesinger
    (1904–1988)
    1 December
    1966
    21 October
    1969
    2 years, 324 days Christian Democratic Union
    (CDU)
    Kiesinger
    CDU/CSUSPD
    4 Willy Brandt
    (1913–1992)
    22 October
    1969
    15 December
    1972
    4 years, 197 days Social Democratic Party
    (SPD)
    Brandt I
    SPDFDP
    6 (1969)
    15 December
    1972
    7 May
    1974
    Brandt II
    SPDFDP
    7 (1972)
    Walter Scheel
    (1919–2016)
    Acting[lower-alpha 1]
    7 May
    1974
    16 May
    1974
    9 days Free Democratic Party
    (FDP)
    Brandt II
    (acting)
    5 Helmut Schmidt
    (1918–2015)
    16 May
    1974
    14 December
    1976
    8 years, 138 days Social Democratic Party
    (SPD)
    Schmidt I
    SPDFDP
    16 December
    1976
    4 November
    1980
    Schmidt II
    SPDFDP
    8 (1976)
    6 November
    1980
    1 October
    1982
    Schmidt III
    SPDFDP
    9 (1980)
    6 Helmut Kohl
    (1930–2017)
    1 October
    1982
    29 March
    1983
    16 years, 26 days Christian Democratic Union
    (CDU)
    Kohl I
    CDU/CSUFDP
    30 March
    1983
    11 March
    1987
    Kohl II
    CDU/CSUFDP
    10 (1983)
    12 March
    1987
    18 January
    1991
    Kohl III
    CDU/CSUFDP
    11 (1987)
    18 January
    1991
    17 November
    1994
    Kohl IV
    CDU/CSUFDP
    12 (1990)
    17 November
    1994
    27 October
    1998
    Kohl V
    CDU/CSUFDP
    13 (1994)
    7 Gerhard Schröder
    (born 1944)
    27 October
    1998
    22 October
    2002
    7 years, 26 days Social Democratic Party
    (SPD)
    Schröder I
    SPDGreen
    14 (1998)
    22 October
    2002
    22 November
    2005
    Schröder II
    SPDGreen
    15 (2002)
    8 Angela Merkel
    (born 1954)
    22 November
    2005
    28 October
    2009
    16 years, 16 days Christian Democratic Union
    (CDU)
    Merkel I
    CDU/CSUSPD
    16 (2005)
    28 October
    2009
    17 December
    2013
    Merkel II
    CDU/CSUFDP
    17 (2009)
    17 December
    2013
    14 March
    2018
    Merkel III
    CDU/CSUSPD
    18 (2013)
    14 March
    2018
    8 December
    2021
    Merkel IV
    CDU/CSUSPD
    19 (2017)
    9 Olaf Scholz
    (born 1958)
    8 December
    2021
    Incumbent 148 days Social Democratic Party
    (SPD)
    Scholz
    SPDGreenFDP
    20 (2021)
    1. As Vice Chancellor under Brandt, Scheel served as acting Chancellor following Brandt's resignation.[11]

    Timeline

    Olaf ScholzAngela MerkelGerhard SchröderHelmut KohlHelmut SchmidtWalter ScheelWilly BrandtKurt Georg KiesingerLudwig ErhardKonrad AdenauerLutz Graf Schwerin von KrosigkJoseph GoebbelsAdolf HitlerKurt von SchleicherFranz von PapenHeinrich BrüningHans LutherWilhelm MarxGustav StresemannWilhelm CunoJoseph WirthConstantin FehrenbachHermann Müller (politician)Gustav BauerPhilipp ScheidemannFriedrich EbertMaximilian of BadenGeorg von HertlingGeorg MichaelisTheobald von Bethmann-HollwegBernhard von BülowChlodwig zu Hohenlohe-SchillingsfürstLeo von CapriviOtto von Bismarck

    See also

    References

    1. "Neuland Grundgesetz | Abkehr von Weimarer Verfassung – Reaktion auf Nazi-Deutschland" [Virgin Soil "Basic Law" | Departure from Weimar Constitution - Reaction to Nazi Germany] (in German). Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. 1 September 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
    2. "Tasks of the Federal Chancellor". bundeskanzlerin.de. The Press and Information Office of the Federal Government. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
    3. Verfassung des Norddeutschen Bundes  [North German Constitution] (in German). 26 June 1867 via Wikisource.
    4. Constitution of the German Empire  [Verfassung des Deutschen Reichs]. 16 April 1871 via Wikisource.
    5. "The Seeds of Evil: The Rise of Hitler — The Constitution of the Weimar Republic". schoolshistory.org.uk. 2004. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
    6. "Biografie Friedrich Ebert 1871-1925" [Biography of Friedrich Ebert]. www.dhm.de/lemo (in German). LeMO/Deutsches Historisches Museum. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
    7. Hillmann, Jörg; Zimmermann, John (2014) [2002]. "Die »Reichsregierung« in Flensburg" [The "Government" in Flensburg]. Kriegsende 1945 in Deutschland (in German). Munich: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. pp. 35–65. ISBN 978-3-486-83332-4.
    8. "Entstehung der DDR: Verfassung und Führungsrolle der SED" [Formation of the GDR: Constitution and the SED's Leadership Role]. www.hdg.de/lemo (in German). LeMO/Haus der Geschichte. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
    9. "Vertrag zwischen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik über die Herstellung der Einheit Deutschlands (Einigungsvertrag)" [Unification Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic]. Treaty of 31 August 1990 (in German). Retrieved 13 March 2018.
    10. Jörges, Hans Ulrich; Wüllenweber, Walter (25 April 2007). "CDU-Altkanzler: Ludwig Erhard war nie CDU-Mitglied" (in German). Der Stern. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
    11. McFadden, Robert D. (24 August 2016). "Walter Scheel, Leading Figure in West German Thaw With the East, Dies at 97". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 March 2018.

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