Leaders of Germany
Germany is a federal multiparty republic with two legislative houses. Its government is headed by the chancellor (prime minister), who is elected by a majority vote of the Bundestag (Federal Assembly) upon nomination by the president (head of state).
The table provides a chronological list of the leaders of Germany from 1871.
| Kaisers of the German Empire | |
|---|---|
| *Upon Hindenburg's death in 1934, the powers of the presidency were merged with those of the chancellor. | |
| **Chancellor from 1933 and FΓΌhrer ("Leader") from 1934. | |
| ***East Germany was governed by interim administrations from December 1989 until the two Germanys were reunited in October 1990. | |
| William I (of Prussia) | 1871β88 |
| Frederick III | 1888 |
| William II | 1888β1918 |
| Presidents of the Weimar Republic | |
| Friedrich Ebert | 1919β25 |
| Paul von Hindenburg | 1925β33 |
| Leaders of the Third Reich (National Socialist regime) | |
| Paul von Hindenburg* | 1934 |
| Adolf Hitler** | 1933β45 |
| Chancellors of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) | |
| Konrad Adenauer | 1949β63 |
| Ludwig Erhard | 1963β66 |
| Kurt Georg Kiesinger | 1966β69 |
| Willy Brandt | 1969β74 |
| Helmut Schmidt | 1974β82 |
| Helmut Kohl | 1982β90 |
| First (or General) Secretaries of the Socialist Unity Party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) | |
| Walter Ulbricht | 1950β71 |
| Erich Honecker | 1971β89 |
| Egon Krenz*** | 1989 |
| Chancellors of the Federal Republic of Germany (reunited Germany) | |
| Helmut Kohl | 1990β98 |
| Gerhard SchrΓΆder | 1998β2005 |
| Angela Merkel | 2005β21 |
| Olaf Scholz | 2021β25 |
| Friedrich Merz | 2025β |
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
Citation Information
Article Title:
Leaders of Germany
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
07 May 2025
Access Date:
November 15, 2026