List of chancellors of Germany

The chancellor of Germany is the political leader of Germany. They choose all other members of the government and lead cabinet meetings.^[1]

• Top left: Bismarck became the first chancellor with the creation of the North German Federation (1867) and later the German Empire (1871).
• Top right: Adolf Hitler was chancellor (from 1933) and later Führer (dictator) of Nazi Germany.
• Bottom left: In 1949, Konrad Adenauer became the first chancellor of West Germany after World War II.
• Bottom right: Helmut Kohl was chancellor during the period of German reunification.

The office first started in the North German Confederation in 1867.^[2] Otto von Bismarck became the first chancellor. The unification of Germany and start of the German Empire in 1871 meant that the Confederation changed into a German country. Its leader was called chancellor of Germany.^[3]

At first, the chancellor was only an advisor to the emperor. The emperor chose the chancellor. Later this changed. Under the 1919 Weimar Constitution, the elected President chose the chancellor.^[4] In Nazi Germany, politicians ignored the constitution. The chancellor became a dictator under Adolf Hitler. During Allied occupation, there was no chancellor in East or West Germany. This changed after the 1949 Basic Law. This made the chancellor the most important job in the government. The president became less important.^[5]

North German Confederation, Bundeskanzler (1867–1871)

The North German Confederation started after the German Confederation ended. This happened because Prussia won the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. The Prussian king chose the Chancellor.^[2]

Political party

  None

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

German Empire, Reichskanzler (1871–1918)

The German Empire started from the North German Federation because of the Franco-Prussian War. The new Emperor named the chancellor to advise him.^[3]

Political parties

  Zentrum   None

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

Revolutionary period, Reichskanzler (1918–1919)

On 9 November 1918, chancellor Max von Baden gave his office to Friedrich Ebert. Ebert continued to be the head of government during the three months between the end of the German Empire in November 1918 and the start of the National Assembly in February 1919. He was Chairman of the Council of the People's Deputies together with USPD Leader Hugo Haase.^[6]

Political party

  SPD

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party		Cabinet
		Took office	Left office	Duration
	Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925) (Reichskanzler and Vorsitz des Rates der Volksbeauftragten)	9 November 1918	13 February 1919	96 days		Social Democratic Party of Germany	Council of the People's Deputies

Weimar Republic, Reichskanzler (1919–1933)

The Weimar Constitution of 1919 started the Weimar Republic. The chancellors often needed support from the President.^[5][4]

Political parties

  SPD   Zentrum   DVP   DDP   DNVP   None

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party		Cabinet	Reichstag
		Took office	Left office	Duration
	Philipp Scheidemann (1865–1939) (Reichsministerpräsident)[a]	13 February 1919	20 June 1919	127 days		Social Democratic Party of Germany	Scheidemann	Nat.Ass. (1919)
	Gustav Bauer (1870–1944) (Reichsministerpräsident; from 14 August 1919 Reichskanzler)[a]	21 June 1919	26 March 1920	279 days		Social Democratic Party of Germany	Bauer
	Hermann Müller (1876–1931)	27 March 1920	21 June 1920	86 days		Social Democratic Party of Germany	Müller I
	Constantin Fehrenbach (1852–1926)	25 June 1920	4 May 1921	313 days		Centre Party	Fehrenbach	1 (1920)
	Joseph Wirth (1879–1956)	10 May 1921	14 November 1922	1 year, 188 days		Centre Party	Wirth I
							Wirth II
	Wilhelm Cuno (1876–1933)	22 November 1922	12 August 1923	263 days		Non-partisan	Cuno
	Gustav Stresemann (1878–1929)	13 August 1923	30 November 1923	109 days		German People's Party	Stresemann I
							Stresemann II
	Wilhelm Marx (1863–1946)	30 November 1923	15 January 1925	1 year, 46 days		Centre Party	Marx I
							Marx II	2 (May.1924)
	Hans Luther (1879–1962)	15 January 1925	12 May 1926	1 year, 117 days		Non-partisan	Luther I	3 (Dec.1924)
							Luther II
	Wilhelm Marx (1863–1946)	17 May 1926	12 June 1928	2 years, 26 days		Centre Party	Marx III
							Marx IV
	Hermann Müller (1876–1931)[b]	28 June 1928	27 March 1930	1 year, 272 days		Social Democratic Party of Germany	Müller II	4 (1928)
	Heinrich Brüning (1885–1970)[c]	30 March 1930	30 May 1932	2 years, 61 days		Centre Party	Brüning I	5 (1930)
							Brüning II
	Franz von Papen (1879–1969)[c]	1 June 1932	17 November 1932	169 days		Non-partisan	Papen	6 (Jul.1932)
	Kurt von Schleicher (1882–1934)[c]	3 December 1932	28 January 1933	56 days		Non-partisan	Schleicher	7 (Nov.1932)

1. The title of chancellor was not formally used until the Weimar Constitution took effect. Instead Scheidemann and Bauer were appointed as Reichsministerpräsident (Minister-President or Prime Minister).
2. Müller was the last parliamentary chancellor until Konrad Adenauer in 1949
3. Non-parliamentary chancellor, appointed by Reichpraesident Paul von Hindenburg after no majority parliamentary coalition could be formed

Nazi Germany, Reichskanzler (1933–1945)

Adolf Hitler's Machtergreifung (taking power) was the end of the Weimar Republic. It was the beginning of Nazi Germany. Hitler was dictator and had all the power.

Political parties

  NSDAP

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party		Cabinet	Reichstag[a]
		Took office	Left office	Duration
	Adolf Hitler (1889–1945)[b][c] (Führer und Reichskanzler from 2 August 1934)	30 January 1933	30 April 1945	12 years, 90 days		National Socialist German Workers' Party	Hitler	8 (Mar. 1933)
								9 (Nov. 1933)
								10 (Mar. 1936)
								11 (Apr. 1938)
	Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945)[c][d]	30 April 1945	1 May 1945	1 day		National Socialist German Workers' Party	(Cabinet nominated in Hitler's testament but never convened)	—
	Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk (1887–1977) (Leading Minister at Flensburg)[e][f]	2 May 1945	23 May 1945	21 days		National Socialist German Workers' Party	Schwerin von Krosigk	—

1. No elections held during World War II. Last convened on 26 April 1942.
2. Non-parliamentary chancellor, appointed by Reichpraesident Paul von Hindenburg after no majority parliamentary coalition could be formed
3. Committed suicide in office.
4. Appointed by Adolf Hitler in his Political Testament
5. Appointed by Reichspräsident Karl Dönitz after the suicide of Goebbels
6. Arrested; government dissolved.^[7]

Federal Republic of Germany, Bundeskanzler (from 1949)

See also: Chancellor of Germany

In 1949, two separate German countries started: the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The list below gives the chancellors of West Germany. The Chairman of the Council of Ministers controlled the government of East Germany.^[8] In 1990, East Germany ended. It merged with West Germany. It kept the name "Federal Republic of Germany".^[9]

Political parties

  CDU   SPD   FDP

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party		Cabinet	Bundestag
		Took office	Left office	Duration
	Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967)	15 September 1949	20 October 1953	14 years, 30 days		Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	Adenauer I CDU/CSU–FDP–DP	1 (1949)
		20 October 1953	29 October 1957				Adenauer II CDU/CSU–FDP/FVP–DP–GB/BHE	2 (1953)
		29 October 1957	14 November 1961				Adenauer III CDU/CSU–DP	3 (1957)
		14 November 1961	13 December 1962				Adenauer IV CDU/CSU–FDP	4 (1961)
		14 December 1962	15 October 1963				Adenauer V CDU/CSU–FDP
	Ludwig Erhard (1897–1977)	16 October 1963	26 October 1965	3 years, 45 days		No party membership;[10] affiliated with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	Erhard I CDU/CSU–FDP
		26 October 1965	30 November 1966				Erhard II CDU/CSU–FDP	5 (1965)
	Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1904–1988)	1 December 1966	21 October 1969	2 years, 324 days		Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	Kiesinger CDU/CSU–SPD
	Willy Brandt (1913–1992)	22 October 1969	15 December 1972	4 years, 197 days		Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)	Brandt I SPD–FDP	6 (1969)
		15 December 1972	7 May 1974				Brandt II SPD–FDP	7 (1972)
	Walter Scheel (1919–2016) Acting Chancellor[a]	7 May 1974	16 May 1974	9 days		Free Democratic Party (FDP)	(acting)
	Helmut Schmidt (1918–2015)	16 May 1974	14 December 1976	8 years, 138 days		Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)	Schmidt I SPD–FDP
		16 December 1976	4 November 1980				Schmidt II SPD–FDP	8 (1976)
		6 November 1980	1 October 1982				Schmidt III SPD–FDP	9 (1980)
	Helmut Kohl (1930–2017)	1 October 1982	29 March 1983	16 years, 26 days		Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	Kohl I CDU/CSU–FDP
		30 March 1983	11 March 1987				Kohl II CDU/CSU–FDP	10 (1983)
		12 March 1987	18 January 1991				Kohl III CDU/CSU–FDP	11 (1987)
		18 January 1991	17 November 1994				Kohl IV CDU/CSU–FDP	12 (1990)
		17 November 1994	27 October 1998				Kohl V CDU/CSU–FDP	13 (1994)
	Gerhard Schröder (1944–)	27 October 1998	22 October 2002	7 years, 26 days		Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)	Schröder I SPD–Green	14 (1998)
		22 October 2002	22 November 2005				Schröder II SPD–Green	15 (2002)
	Angela Merkel (1954–)	22 November 2005	28 October 2009	16 years, 16 days		Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	Merkel I CDU/CSU–SPD	16 (2005)
		28 October 2009	17 December 2013				Merkel II CDU/CSU–FDP	17 (2009)
		17 December 2013	14 March 2018				Merkel III CDU/CSU–SPD	18 (2013)
		14 March 2018	8 December 2021				Merkel IV CDU/CSU–SPD	19 (2017)
	Olaf Scholz (1958–)	8 December 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 232 days		Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)	Scholz SPD–Green–FDP	20 (2021)

1. As Vice Chancellor under Brandt, Scheel served as acting Chancellor following Brandt's resignation.^[11]

Timeline

1867–1945

Since 1949