List of chancellors of Germany

Portrait of Otto Von Bismarck in 1890
Portrait of Konrad Adenauer in 1952
Portrait of Helmut Kohl in 1996
Portrait of Angela Merkel in 2019

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 regime. During the 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 German Confederation was dissolved following the Prussian victory in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. The chancellor was appointed by the Bundespräsidium, a position that was held constitutionally by the Prussian king.[3]

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

German Reich (1871–1945)

German Empire (1871–1918)

Reich Chancellor of the German Reich

The German Empire was born out of the North German Confederation as result of the Franco-Prussian War (1870/71). The Präsidium (the Prussian king), which now had also the title Emperor, named the chancellor.[4]

Political parties:   None   Centre

Portrait Name
(born–died) 		Term of office Political party Cabinet
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Portrait Otto von Bismarck
(1815–1898) 		21 March
1871 		20 March
1890 		18 years, 364 days Non-partisan Bismarck
2 Portrait Leo von Caprivi
(1831–1899) 		20 March
1890 		26 October
1894 		4 years, 220 days Non-partisan Caprivi
3 Portrait Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
(1819–1901) 		29 October
1894 		17 October
1900 		5 years, 353 days Non-partisan Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
4 Portrait Bernhard von Bülow
(1849–1929) 		17 October
1900 		14 July
1909 		8 years, 270 days Non-partisan Bülow
5 Portrait Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg
(1856–1921) 		14 July
1909 		13 July
1917 		7 years, 364 days Non-partisan Bethmann Hollweg
6 Portrait Georg Michaelis
(1857–1936) 		14 July
1917 		1 November
1917 		110 days Non-partisan Michaelis
7 Portrait Georg von Hertling
(1843–1919) 		1 November
1917 		30 September
1918 		333 days Centre Party Hertling
8 Portrait Max von Baden
(1867–1929) 		3 October
1918 		9 November
1918 		37 days Non-partisan Baden

Weimar Republic (1918–1933)

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 officially installed by the president; in some cases the chancellor did not have a majority in parliament.[1][5]

Political parties:   SPD   Centre   DVP   NSDAP   None

Portrait Name
(born–died) 		Term of office Political party Cabinet Reichstag
Took office Left office Time in office
9 Portrait Friedrich Ebert
(1871–1925) 		9 November
1918 		13 February
1919 		96 days Social Democratic Party Council of the People's Deputies
SPD–USPD
(as of 29 December 1918 SPD alone) 		–
10 Portrait Philipp Scheidemann
(1865–1939) 		13 February
1919 		20 June
1919 		127 days Social Democratic Party Scheidemann
SPD–DDP–Z
(Weimar Coalition) 		Nat.Ass.
(Jan.1919)
11 Portrait Gustav Bauer
(1870–1944) 		21 June
1919 		26 March
1920 		273 days Social Democratic Party Bauer
SPD–DDP–Z
(Weimar Coalition)
12 Portrait Hermann Müller
(1876–1931) 		27 March
1920 		21 June
1920 		86 days Social Democratic Party Müller I
SPD–DDP–Z
(Weimar Coalition) 		Nat.Ass.
(Jan.1919)
13 Portrait Constantin Fehrenbach
(1852–1926) 		25 June
1920 		10 May
1921 		319 days Centre Party Fehrenbach
Z–DDP–DVP 		1
(Jun.1920)
14 Portrait Joseph Wirth
(1879–1956) 		10 May
1921 		22 November
1922 		1 year, 196 days Centre Party Wirth I
Z–SPD–DDP
(Weimar Coalition)
Wirth II
Z–SPD–DDP
(Weimar Coalition)
15 Portrait Wilhelm Cuno
(1876–1933) 		22 November
1922 		12 August
1923 		263 days Non-partisan Cuno
Ind.–DVP–DDP–Z–BVP
16 Portrait Gustav Stresemann
(1878–1929) 		13 August
1923 		30 November
1923 		109 days German People's Party Stresemann I
DVP–SPD–Z–DDP
Stresemann II
DVP–SPD–Z–DDP
17 Portrait Wilhelm Marx
(1863–1946) 		30 November
1923 		15 January
1925 		1 year, 46 days Centre Party Marx I
Z–DVP–BVP–DDP
Marx II
Z–DVP–DDP 		2
(May 1924)
18 Portrait Hans Luther
(1879–1962) 		15 January
1925 		12 May
1926 		1 year, 117 days Non-partisan Luther I
DVP–DNVP–Z–DDP–BVP 		3
(Dec.1924)
Luther II
DVP–Z–DDP–BVP
19 Portrait Wilhelm Marx
(1863–1946) 		17 May
1926 		28 June
1928 		2 years, 42 days Centre Party Marx III
Z–DVP–DDP–BVP
Marx IV
Z–DNVP–DVP–BVP
20 Portrait Hermann Müller
(1876–1931) 		28 June
1928 		27 March
1930 		1 year, 272 days Social Democratic Party Müller II
SPD–DVP–DDP–Z–BVP 		4
(May 1928)
21 Portrait Heinrich Brüning
(1885–1970) 		30 March
1930 		30 May
1932 		2 years, 61 days Centre Party Brüning I
Z–DDP–DVP–WP–BVP–KVP 		5
(Sep.1930)
Brüning II
Z–DSP–BVP–KVP–CLV
22 Portrait Franz von Papen
(1879–1969) 		1 June
1932 		3 December
1932 		185 days Non-partisan Papen
Ind.–DNVP 		6
(Jul.1932)
23 Portrait Kurt von Schleicher
(1882–1934) 		3 December
1932 		30 January
1933 		58 days Non-partisan Schleicher
Ind.–DNVP 		7
(Nov.1932)
24 Adolf Hitler
(1889–1945) 		30 January
1933 		24 March
1933 		53 days National Socialist
German Workers' Party 		Hitler
NSDAP – DNVP 		8 (Mar. 1933)

Nazi Germany (1933–1945)

Soon after Adolf Hitler was appointed as chancellor in 1933, the German Reichstag (parliament) passed the so-called Enabling Act (German: Ermächtigungsgesetz), officially titled "Law for Removing the Distress of People and Reich" (German: Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich), which effectively gave the chancellor the power of a dictator. This event marked the end of the Weimar Republic and the beginning of Nazi Germany.[7] Hitler thereupon destroyed all democratic systems and consolidated all power to himself. After the death of president Paul von Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler merged the offices of chancellor and president in his own person and called himself Führer und Reichskanzler.

Political parties:   NSDAP

No. Portrait Name
(born–died) 		Term of office Political party Cabinet Reichstag[a]
Took office Left office Time in office
25 Adolf Hitler
(1889–1945) 		24 March
1933 		30 April
1945 		12 years, 37 days National Socialist
German Workers' Party 		Hitler
NSDAP 		9 (Nov. 1933)
10 (Mar. 1936)
11 (Apr. 1938)
26 Portrait Joseph Goebbels
(1897–1945) 		30 April
1945 		1 May
1945 		1 day National Socialist
German Workers' Party 		Goebbels[b]
NSDAP 		—
27 Portrait Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
(1887–1977) 		2 May
1945 		23 May
1945 		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. ^ Cabinet nominated in Hitler's testament but never convened.

Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present)

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)   Independent (1)

  Denotes acting (i.e. ad interim)
Portrait Name
(born–died) 		Term of office Political party Cabinet Bundestag
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Portrait Konrad Adenauer
(1876–1967) 		15 September
1949 		15 October
1963 		14 years, 30 days Christian Democratic Union
(CDU) 		Adenauer I
CDU/CSU–FDP–DP 		1 (1949)
Adenauer II
CDU/CSU–FDP/FVP–DP–GB/BHE 		2 (1953)
Adenauer III
CDU/CSU–DP 		3 (1957)
Adenauer IV
CDU/CSU–FDP 		4 (1961)
2 Portrait Ludwig Erhard
(1897–1977) 		15 October
1963 		30 November
1966 		3 years, 45 days Independent[a] Erhard I
CDU/CSU–FDP
Erhard II
CDU/CSU–FDP 		5 (1965)
3 Portrait Kurt Georg Kiesinger
(1904–1988) 		30 November
1966 		21 October
1969 		2 years, 324 days Christian Democratic Union
(CDU) 		Kiesinger
CDU/CSU–SPD
4 Portrait Willy Brandt
(1913–1992) 		21 October
1969 		7 May
1974 		4 years, 197 days Social Democratic Party
(SPD) 		Brandt I
SPD–FDP 		6 (1969)
Brandt II
SPD–FDP 		7 (1972)
– Portrait Walter Scheel
(1919–2016)
Acting[b] 		7 May
1974 		16 May
1974 		9 days Free Democratic Party
(FDP) 		Brandt II
(acting)
5 Portrait Helmut Schmidt
(1918–2015) 		16 May
1974 		1 October
1982 		8 years, 138 days Social Democratic Party
(SPD) 		Schmidt I
SPD–FDP
Schmidt II
SPD–FDP 		8 (1976)
Schmidt III
SPD–FDP 		9 (1980)
6 Portrait Helmut Kohl
(1930–2017) 		1 October
1982 		27 October
1998 		16 years, 26 days Christian Democratic Union
(CDU) 		Kohl I
CDU/CSU–FDP
Kohl II
CDU/CSU–FDP 		10 (1983)
Kohl III
CDU/CSU–FDP 		11 (1987)
Kohl IV
CDU/CSU–FDP 		12 (1990)
Kohl V
CDU/CSU–FDP 		13 (1994)
7 Portrait Gerhard Schröder
(born 1944) 		27 October
1998 		22 November
2005 		7 years, 26 days Social Democratic Party
(SPD) 		Schröder I
SPD–Green 		14 (1998)
Schröder II
SPD–Green 		15 (2002)
8 Portrait Angela Merkel
(born 1954) 		22 November
2005 		8 December
2021 		16 years, 16 days Christian Democratic Union
(CDU) 		Merkel I
CDU/CSU–SPD 		16 (2005)
Merkel II
CDU/CSU–FDP 		17 (2009)
Merkel III
CDU/CSU–SPD 		18 (2013)
Merkel IV
CDU/CSU–SPD 		19 (2017)
9 Portrait Olaf Scholz
(born 1958) 		8 December
2021 		Incumbent 2 years, 360 days Social Democratic Party
(SPD) 		Scholz
SPD–Green–FDP 		20 (2021)
  1. ^ No party membership; but affiliated with the CDU.[10] Later on, Erhard briefly became the leader of the CDU from 1966 to 1967.
  2. ^ 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, born 1876)Gustav BauerPhilipp ScheidemannFriedrich EbertMaximilian of BadenGeorg von HertlingGeorg MichaelisTheobald von Bethmann HollwegBernhard von BülowChlodwig zu Hohenlohe-SchillingsfürstLeo von CapriviOtto von Bismarck

See also

This article is part of a series on the
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References

  1. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b Verfassung des Norddeutschen Bundes  [North German Constitution] (in German). 26 June 1867 – via Wikisource.
  4. ^ a b Constitution of the German Empire  [Verfassung des Deutschen Reichs]. 16 April 1871 – via Wikisource.
  5. ^ a b "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. ^ Hosch, William L. (23 March 2007). "The Reichstag Fire and the Enabling Act of March 23, 1933". Britannica Blog. Archived from the original on 11 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  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) (in German). 31 August 1990. 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.