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List of chancellors of Germany facts for kids

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Portrait of Otto von Bismarck, sitting at desk
Portrait of Konrad Adenauer by Katherine Young
Portrait of Helmut Kohl on a CDU election poster
Angela Merkel 2019 (cropped)

The chancellor of Germany 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.

The office was created in the North German Confederation in 1867, 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. 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. 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.

North German Confederation (1867–1871)

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.

Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political Party
Took office Left office Time in office
Portrait Count
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)

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.

Political parties:       None       Zentrum

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

Weimar Republic (1918–1933)

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.

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

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 Portrait Friedrich Ebert
(1871–1925)
9 November
1918
13 February
1919
96 days Social Democratic Party
(SPD)
Council of the People's Deputies
SPD–USPD
(as of 29 December 1918 SPD alone)
10 Portrait Philipp Scheidemann
(1865–1939)
as Reich Minister President
13 February
1919
20 June
1919
127 days Social Democratic Party
(SPD)
Scheidemann
SPD–DDP–Z
(Weimar Coalition)
Nat.Ass.
(1919)
11 Portrait Gustav Bauer
(1870–1944)
21 June
1919
26 March
1920
279 days Social Democratic Party
(SPD)
Bauer
SPD–DDP–Z
(Weimar Coalition)
12 Portrait Hermann Müller
(1876–1931)
First term
27 March
1920
21 June
1920
86 days Social Democratic Party
(SPD)
Müller I
SPD–DDP–Z
(Weimar Coalition)
13 Portrait Constantin Fehrenbach
(1852–1926)
25 June
1920
4 May
1921
313 days Centre Party Fehrenbach
Z–DDP–DVP
1
(1920)
14 Portrait Joseph Wirth
(1879–1956)
10 May
1921
14 November
1922
1 year, 188 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)
First term
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
(17)
Portrait Wilhelm Marx
(1863–1946)
Second term
17 May
1926
12 June
1928
2 years, 26 days Centre Party Marx III
Z–DVP–DDP–BVP
Marx IV
Z–DNVP–DVP–BVP
20
(12)
Portrait Hermann Müller
(1876–1931)
Second term
28 June
1928
27 March
1930
1 year, 272 days Social Democratic Party
(SPD)
Müller II
SPD–DVP–DDP–Z–BVP
4
(1928)
21 Portrait Heinrich Brüning
(1885–1970)
30 March
1930
30 May
1932
2 years, 61 days Centre Party Brüning I
Z–DDP–DVP–WF–BVP–KVP
5
(1930)
Brüning II
Z–DSP–BVP–KVP–CLV
22 Portrait Franz von Papen
(1879–1969)
1 June
1932
17 November
1932
169 days Non-partisan Papen
Ind.DNVP
6
(Jul.1932)
23 Portrait Kurt von Schleicher
(1882–1934)
3 December
1932
28 January
1933
56 days Non-partisan Schleicher
Ind.DNVP
7
(Nov.1932)

Nazi Germany (1933–1945)

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
Took office Left office Time in office
24 Adolf Hitler cropped restored.jpg Führer
Adolf Hitler
(1889–1945)
30 January
1933
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 Portrait Joseph Goebbels
(1897–1945)
30 April
1945
(de jure)
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 Portrait Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
(1887–1977)
as Leading Minister
2 May
1945
23 May
1945
(arrested)
21 days National Socialist
German Workers' Party
Schwerin von Krosigk
NSDAP

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. 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.

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 Portrait 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
15 October
1963
Adenauer IV
CDU/CSU–FDP
4 (1961)
2 Portrait Ludwig Erhard
(1897–1977)
16 October
1963
26 October
1965
3 years, 45 days Independent
(No party membership;
but affiliated with the CDU)
Erhard I
CDU/CSU–FDP
26 October
1965
30 November
1966
Erhard II
CDU/CSU–FDP
5 (1965)
3 Portrait Kurt Georg Kiesinger
(1904–1988)
1 December
1966
21 October
1969
2 years, 324 days Christian Democratic Union
(CDU)
Kiesinger
CDU/CSU–SPD
4 Portrait 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)
Portrait Walter Scheel
(1919–2016)
Acting
7 May
1974
16 May
1974
9 days Free Democratic Party
(FDP)
Brandt II
(acting)
5 Portrait 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 Portrait 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)
7 Portrait Gerhard Schröder
(born 1944)
27 October
1998
22 October
2002
7 years, 26 days Social Democratic Party
(SPD)
Schröder I
SPD–Green
14 (1998)
22 October
2002
22 November
2005
Schröder II
SPD–Green
15 (2002)
8 Portrait Angela Merkel
(born 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)
9 Portrait Olaf Scholz
(born 1958)
8 December
2021
Incumbent 2 years, 112 days Social Democratic Party
(SPD)
Scholz
SPD–Green–FDP
20 (2021)
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