List of the heads of state of the German Reich

From 1871 to 1918 the German Empire was a federal state under one monarch : the kings of Prussia were also German emperors in personal union . That was the title for the “ Federal Presidium ”.

From 1918 to 1945 the German Reich was a republic with an initially mixed presidential-parliamentary system of government and the Reich President as head of state. From 1933 the democratic Weimar constitution was eroded, beginning with the Enabling Act, and the federal form also gave way to increasing centralism. After the death of Reich President Hindenburg, the Reich Law of August 1, 1934, combined the powers of the Reich Chancellor with those of the Reich President and replaced his title with " Führer " until Adolf Hitler's death .

North German Confederation

King of Prussia and thus holder of the Federal Presidium

image	Surname	Taking office	Term expires
	Wilhelm I.	July 1, 1867	January 18, 1871

The German Imperium

German Emperor and King of Prussia

Surname	Taking office	Term expires
Wilhelm I.	January 18, 1871	March 9, 1888
Friedrich III.	March 9, 1888	June 15, 1888
Wilhelm II.	June 15, 1888	November 9, 1918

Head of State vacant from November 9, 1918 to February 11, 1919

Weimar Republic

President of the empire

image	Surname	Taking office	Term expires	Political party
	Friedrich Ebert	February 11, 1919	February 28, 1925	SPD
	Paul von Hindenburg	May 12, 1925	August 2, 1934	independent

German Empire 1933 to 1945

Surname	Taking office	Term expires	Political party
Paul von Hindenburg		August 2, 1934	independent
Adolf Hitler	August 2, 1934	April 30, 1945	NSDAP
Karl Doenitz	April 30, 1945	May 23, 1945 ( arrest of the Dönitz government ) or June 5, 1945 (assumption of government by the Allied Control Council )	NSDAP

With the surrender of the Wehrmacht on May 8, 1945, the office of head of state lost command of the armed forces. Since May 23, when the Dönitz government was arrested , the office has in fact no longer been exercised. On June 5, in the Berlin Declaration, the four occupying powers established the Allied Control Council as the supreme government authority for the occupied territory of Germany . It was only on this date that the office of head of state was legally canceled by virtue of the Allied occupation law. The constitutional continuity and international legal identity of the German Reich was taken over by the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 (BVerfG 1972), see article Legal position of Germany after 1945 .

If, however, the legal position should apply that Adolf Hitler could not transfer the office of head of state to Karl Dönitz in his will because of the still valid constitution , the office of head of state became vacant on April 30, 1945 with the suicide of the last constitutional incumbent.