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 in 1871, the Confederation evolved into a German nation-state and the office became known as the Chancellor of Germany. Bismarck, who was Chancellor until 1890, is the longest-serving Chancellor to this date.
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 to be appointed by the President, but were responsible to Parliament. The constitution was set aside during the 1933–1945 Nazi dictatorship. The 1949 German constitution made the Chancellor the most important office in the country, while diminishing the role of the President.
In German, the title was Bundeskanzler (literally, "Chancellor of the (Con)federation") in the North German Confederation and Reichskanzler (literally, "Chancellor of the Realm") from the Unification of Germany until the title Bundeskanzler was adopted again in 1949. The female form is Bundeskanzlerin. The title is often shortened to Kanzler ("Chancellor") or its female form, Kanzlerin.
Since 22 November 2005, the office has been held by Angela Merkel, the current Leader of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany.
Contents |
| Picture | Name | Born-Died | Took Office | Left Office | Political Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Count Otto von Bismarck | 1815-1898 | 1 July 1867 | 16 April 1871 | (considered a conservative) |
| Picture | Name | Born-Died | Took Office | Left Office | Political Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Prince Otto von Bismarck | 1815-1898 | 21 March 1871 | 20 March 1890 | (considered a conservative) |
 |
Count Leo von Caprivi | 1831-1899 | 20 March 1890 | 26 October 1894 | (considered a liberal) |
 |
Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst | 1819-1901 | 29 October 1894 | 17 October 1900 | (considered a liberal conservative) |
 |
Prince Bernhard von Bülow | 1849-1929 | 17 October 1900 | 14 July 1909 | (considered a conservative) |
 |
Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg | 1856-1921 | 14 July 1909 | 13 July 1917 | (considered a liberal) |
 |
Georg Michaelis | 1857-1936 | 14 July 1917 | 1 November 1917 | |
 |
Count Georg von Hertling | 1843-1919 | 1 November 1917 | 30 September 1918 | Centre |
 |
Prince Maximilian of Baden | 1867-1929 | 3 October 1918 | 9 November 1918 | (considered a liberal) |
 |
Friedrich Ebert | 1871-1925 | 9 November 1918 | 11 February 1919 | Social Democrats |
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, but did not use the title of Chancellor.
During that time, Ebert also served as Chairman of the Council of the People's Delegates, until 29 December 1918 together with the Independent Social Democrat Hugo Haase.
| Picture | Name | Born-Died | Took Office | Left Office | Days in office | Political Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Philipp Scheidemann (Prime Minister (Reichsministerpräsident)) | 1865-1939 | 13 February 1919 | 20 June 1919 | 127 | Social Democrats |
 |
Gustav Bauer (Chancellor since 14 August) | 1870-1944 | 21 June 1919 | 26 March 1920 | 279 | Social Democrats |
 |
Hermann Müller (1st term) | 1876-1931 | 27 March 1920 | 8 June 1920 | 73 | Social Democrats |
 |
Konstantin Fehrenbach | 1852-1926 | 25 June 1920 | 4 May 1921 | 313 | Centre |
 |
Joseph Wirth | 1879-1956 | 10 May 1921 | 14 November 1922 | 553 | Centre |
 |
Wilhelm Cuno | 1876-1933 | 22 November 1922 | 12 August 1923 | 263 | |
 |
Gustav Stresemann | 1878-1929 | 13 August 1923 | 30 November 1923 | 109 | German People's Party |
 |
Wilhelm Marx (1st term) | 1863-1946 | 30 November 1923 | 15 January 1925 | 412 | Centre |
 |
Hans Luther | 1879-1962 | 15 January 1925 | 12 May 1926 | 482 | |
|
Wilhelm Marx (2nd term) | 1863-1946 | 17 May 1926 | 12 June 1928 | 757 | Centre |
|
Hermann Müller (2nd term) | 1876-1931 | 28 June 1928 | 27 March 1930 | 637 | Social Democrats |
 |
Heinrich Brüning | 1885-1970 | 30 March 1930 | 30 May 1932 | 792 | Centre |
 |
Franz von Papen | 1879-1969 | 1 June 1932 | 17 November 1932 | 169 | Centre until 3 June 1932 |
 |
Kurt von Schleicher | 1882-1934 | 2 December 1932 | 28 January 1933 | 57 |
| Picture | Name | Born-Died | Took Office | Left Office | Days in office | Political Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Adolf Hitler | 1889-1945 | 30 January 1933 | 30 April 1945 | 4473 | National
Socialist German Workers' Party |
 |
Joseph Goebbels | 1897-1945 | 30 April 1945 | 1 May 1945 | 1 | National
Socialist German Workers' Party |
 |
Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk (leading minister) | 1887-1977 | 2 May 1945 | 23 May 1945 | 21 | None (non-partisan conservative) |
| # | Picture | Name (Born-Died) |
Term of office (Days in office) |
Political Party | Cabinet | Diet | ||
| # | Term | Ruling coalition | ||||||
| 1 |  |
Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967) |
15 September 1949 - 16 October 1963 (5144 days) |
Christian
Democrats (CDU) |
1st | 20 September 1949 - 20 October 1953 |
Christian
Social Free Democrats German |
1 |
| 2nd | 20 October 1953 - 29 October 1957 |
2 | ||||||
| 3rd | 29 October 1957 - 14 November 1961 |
Christian
Social German |
3 | |||||
| 4th | 14 November 1961 - 13 December 1962 |
Christian
Social Free Democrats |
4 | |||||
| 5th | 14 December 1962 - 11 October 1963 |
|||||||
| 2 |  |
Ludwig Erhard (1897-1977) |
16 October 1963 - 1 December 1966 (1142 days) |
Christian
Democrats (CDU) |
1st | 17 October 1963 - 26 December 1965 |
Christian
Social Free Democrats |
|
| 2nd | 26 October 1965 - 30 November 1966 |
5 | ||||||
| 3 |  |
Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1904-1988) |
1 December 1966 - 21 October 1969 (1055 days) |
Christian
Democrats (CDU) |
1st | 1 December 1966 - 21 October 1969 |
Social
Democrats Christian Social (Grand coalition) |
|
| 4 |  |
Willy
Brandt (1913-1992) |
21 October 1969 - 7 May 1974 (1659 days) |
Social
Democrats (SPD) |
1st | 22 October 1969 - 15 December 1972 |
Free Democrats | 6 |
| 2nd | 15 December 1972 - 7 May 1974 |
7 | ||||||
| ‐ |  |
Walter
Scheel (1919-) (Acting Chancellor) |
7 May 1974 – 16 May 1974 (9 days) |
Free Democrats (FDP) |
7 May 1974 – 16 May 1974 |
Social Democrats | ||
| 5 |  |
Helmut Schmidt (1918-) |
16 May 1974 – 1 October 1982 (3060 days) |
Social
Democrats (SPD) |
1st | 16 May 1974 - 14 December 1976 |
Free Democrats | |
| 2nd | 16 December 1976 - 4 November 1980 |
8 | ||||||
| 3rd | 6 November 1980 - 1 October 1982 |
9 | ||||||
| 6 |  |
Helmut
Kohl (1930-) |
1 October 1982 - 27 October 1998 (5870 days) |
Christian
Democrats (CDU) |
1st | 4 October 1982 - 29 March 1983 |
Christian
Social Free Democrats |
|
| 2nd | 30 March 1983 - 11 March 1987 |
10 | ||||||
| 3rd | 12 March 1987 - 18 January 1991 |
11 | ||||||
| 4th | 18 January 1991 - 17 November 1994 |
12 | ||||||
| 5th | 17 November 1994 - 26 October 1998 |
13 | ||||||
| 7 |  |
Gerhard Schröder (1944-) |
27 October 1998 - 22 November 2005 (2583 days) |
Social
Democrats (SPD) |
1st | 27 October 1998 - 22 October 2002 |
Green | 14 |
| 2nd | 22 October 2002 - 18 October 2005 |
15 | ||||||
| 8 |  |
Angela Merkel (1954-) |
22 November 2005 - Incumbent (1514 days) |
Christian
Democrats (CDU) |
1st | 22 November 2005 - 28 October 2009 |
Social
Democrats Christian Social (Grand coalition) |
16 |
| 2nd | 28 October 2009 - Present |
Christian
Social Free Democrats |
17 | |||||
|
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