List of heads of government of Germany

The list of heads of government of Germany includes the heads of government of the German nation-state since the establishment of the German Empire in 1871.

In the German Empire from 1871 to 1918 as well as in the Weimar Republic from 1918 to 1933 and in the Third Reich from 1933 to 1945, the official title of the head of government was Chancellor .

During the time of the division of Germany from 1949 to 1990, two German states existed: the Federal Republic of Germany in the west and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the east. The title of Chancellor was retained in the Federal Republic .

As a result of German reunification , the GDR states joined the Federal Republic on October 3, 1990 .

Parties color legend

colour	Political party
	Non-party
	German Center Party
	Social Democratic Party of Germany
	German People's Party
	National-socialist German Workers' Party
	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
	Christian Democratic Union of Germany (GDR) Christian Democratic Union (FRG)
	Free Democratic Party

list

German Empire to this day

German Empire (1871-1918)
No.	Reich Chancellor (life data)		Political party	Duration of the chancellorship		cabinet	Vice Chancellor
1		Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898)	independent	March 22, 1871 March  20, 1890 (18 years, 364 days)		Bismarck's cabinet	vacant (until June 1, 1878)
							Otto zu Stolberg-Wernigerode (June 1, 1878 to June 20, 1881)
							Karl Heinrich von Boetticher (from June 20, 1881)
2		Leo von Caprivi (1831–1899)	independent	March 20, 1890  October 26, 1894 (4 years, 220 days)		Caprivi's cabinet	Karl Heinrich von Boetticher
3		Clovis of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1819–1901)	independent	October 29, 1894 October  17, 1900 (5 years, 353 days)		Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst cabinet	Karl Heinrich von Boetticher (until July 1, 1897)
							Arthur Graf von Posadowsky-Wehner (from July 1, 1897)
4th		Bernhard von Bülow (1849–1929)	independent	October 17, 1900  July 14, 1909 (8 years, 270 days)		Cabinet Bülow	Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner (until June 24, 1907)
							Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg (from June 24, 1907)
5		Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg (1856–1921)	independent	July 14, 1909 July  13, 1917 (7 years, 364 days)		Cabinet Bethmann Hollweg	Clemens von Delbrück (until May 22, 1916)
							Karl Helfferich (from May 22, 1916)
6th		Georg Michaelis (1857-1936)	independent	July 14, 1917  November 1, 1917 (110 days)		Michaeli's cabinet	Karl Helfferich
7th		Georg von Hertling (1843-1919)	center	November 1, 1917  September 30, 1918 (333 days)		Hertling cabinet	Karl Helfferich (until November 9, 1917)
							Friedrich von Payer ( FVP ) (from November 9, 1917)
8th		Prince Max of Baden (1867–1929)	independent	October 3, 1918  November 9, 1918 (37 days)		Baden cabinet	Friedrich von Payer ( FVP )
Weimar Republic (1919-1933)
1		Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925)	SPD	November 9, 1918  February 13, 1919 (96 days)		Council of People's Representatives	vacant
2		Philipp Scheidemann (1865–1939)	SPD	February 13, 1919  June 20, 1919 (127 days)		Scheidemann cabinet	Eugen Schiffer ( DDP ) (until April 19, 1919)
							Bernhard Dernburg ( DDP ) (from April 30, 1919)
3		Gustav Bauer (1870–1944)	SPD	June 21, 1919  March 26, 1920 (279 days)		Cabinet peasant	Matthias Erzberger ( center ) (until October 3, 1919)
							Eugen Schiffer ( DDP ) (from October 3, 1919)
4th		Hermann Müller (1876–1931)	SPD	March 27, 1920  June 21, 1920 (86 days)		Cabinet Müller I	Erich Koch-Weser ( DDP )
5		Constantin Fehrenbach (1852-1926)	center	June 25, 1920  May 4, 1921 (313 days)		Fehrenbach cabinet	Rudolf Heinze ( DVP )
6th		Joseph Wirth (1879–1956)	center	May 10, 1921  November 14, 1922 (1 year, 188 days)		Cabinet Wirth I.	Gustav Bauer ( SPD )
						Cabinet Wirth II
7th		Wilhelm Cuno (1876–1933)	independent	November 22, 1922  August 12, 1923 (1 year, 202 days)		Cuno's cabinet	vacant
8th		Gustav Stresemann (1878–1929)	DVP	August 13, 1923  November 30, 1923 (109 days)		Cabinet Stresemann I	Robert Schmidt ( SPD ) (until November 3, 1923)
						Cabinet Stresemann II
							Karl Jarres ( DVP ) (from November 11, 1923)
9		Wilhelm Marx (1878-1929)	center	November 30, 1923  January 15, 1925 (1 year, 46 days)		Marx I cabinet	Karl Jarres ( DVP )
						Marx II cabinet
10		Hans Luther (1879–1962)	independent	January 15, 1925  May 12, 1926 (1 year, 117 days)		Luther I cabinet	vacant
						Luther II cabinet	Otto Gessler ( DDP )
(9)		Wilhelm Marx (1878-1929)	center	May 17, 1926  June 12, 1928 (2 years, 26 days)		Marx III cabinet	Oskar Hergt ( DNVP )
						Marx IV cabinet
(4)		Hermann Müller (1876–1931)	SPD	June 28, 1928  March 27, 1930 (1 year, 272 days)		Cabinet Müller II	vacant
11		Heinrich Brüning (1885–1970)	center	March 30, 1930  May 30, 1932 (2 years, 61 days)		Cabinet Brüning I	Hermann Dietrich ( DDP )
						Cabinet Brüning II
12		Franz von Papen (1879–1969)	independent	June 1, 1932  November 17, 1932 (169 days)		Papen's cabinet	vacant
13		Kurt von Schleicher (1882–1934)	independent	December 3, 1932  January 28, 1933 (56 days)		Schleicher's cabinet	vacant
German Reich / Greater German Reich (1933-1945)
14th		Adolf Hitler (1889–1945)	NSDAP	January 30, 1933  April 30, 1945 (12 years, 90 days)		Cabinet Hitler	Franz von Papen (until August 7, 1934)
							vacant
15th		Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945)	NSDAP	April 30, 1945  May 1, 1945 (1 day)		Cabinet based on Hitler's will	vacant
No.	Senior Minister (life data)		Political party	Term of office		cabinet	Deputy
16		Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk (1887–1977)	NSDAP	May 1, 1945 May  23, 1945 (22 days)		Cabinet Schwerin von Krosigk	vacant
Occupation (1945 - 1949)
No.	Senior Director (life data)		Political party	Term of office		cabinet	Deputy
-	none		(Board of Directors: CSU + CDU )	July 22, 1947  March 10, 1948 (233 days)		Board of Directors of the First Economic Council	none
-		Hermann Pünder (1888–1976)	CDU	March 10, 1948  September 20, 1949 (1 year, 194 days)		Board member of the Second Economic Council
Federal Republic of Germany (since 1949)
No.	Federal Chancellor (life data)		Political party	Duration of Chancellorship (Date)	Duration of Chancellorship (years)	cabinet	Vice Chancellor
1		Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967)	CDU	September 15, 1949  October 20, 1953	14 years, 31 days	Cabinet Adenauer I	Franz Blücher ( FDP )
				October 20, 1953  October 29, 1957		Cabinet Adenauer II
				October 29, 1957  November 14, 1961		Cabinet Adenauer III	Ludwig Erhard ( CDU )
				November 14, 1961  November 13, 1962		Cabinet Adenauer IV
				November 13, 1962  October 11, 1963		Cabinet Adenauer V
2		Ludwig Erhard (1897–1977)	CDU	October 17, 1963  October 26, 1965	3 years, 46 days	Cabinet Erhard I	Erich Mende ( FDP ) (until October 27, 1966)
				October 26, 1965  November 30, 1966		Cabinet Erhard II
							Hans-Christoph Seebohm ( CDU ) (from October 27, 1966)
3		Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1904–1988)	CDU	December 1st, 1966  October 21st, 1969	2 years, 324 days	Kiesinger cabinet	Willy Brandt ( SPD )
4th		Willy Brandt (1913–1992)	SPD	October 22, 1969  December 15, 1972	4 years, 198 days	Brandt I cabinet	Walter Scheel ( FDP )
				December 15, 1972  May 7, 1974		Cabinet Brandt II
-		Walter Scheel (1919–2016) (acting)	FDP	May 7, 1974  May 16, 1974	9 days	Cabinet Brandt II	vacant
5		Helmut Schmidt (1918–2015)	SPD	May 16, 1974  December 14, 1976	8 years, 138 days	Cabinet Schmidt I	Hans-Dietrich Genscher ( FDP ) (until September 17, 1982)
				December 16, 1976  November 4, 1980		Schmidt II cabinet
				November 6, 1980  October 1, 1982		Schmidt III cabinet
							Egon Franke ( SPD )
6th		Helmut Kohl (1930-2017)	CDU	October 1, 1982  March 29, 1983	16 years, 26 days	Cabinet Kohl I.	Hans-Dietrich Genscher ( FDP ) (until May 18, 1992)
				March 30, 1983  March 11, 1987		Cabinet Kohl II
				March 12, 1987  January 18, 1991		Cabinet Kohl III
				January 18, 1991  November 17, 1994		Cabinet Kohl IV
							Jürgen Möllemann ( FDP ) (May 18, 1992 to January 21, 1993)
							Klaus Kinkel ( FDP ) (from January 21, 1993)
				November 17, 1994  October 27, 1998		Cabinet Kohl V
7th		Gerhard Schröder (1944-)	SPD	October 27, 1998  October 22, 2002	7 years, 26 days	Schröder I cabinet	Joschka Fischer ( The Greens )
				October 22, 2002  November 22, 2005		Schröder II cabinet
8th		Angela Merkel (1954-)	CDU	November 22, 2005  October 28, 2009	to date:  14 years and 283 days	Merkel I cabinet	Franz Müntefering ( SPD ) (until November 21, 2007)
							Frank-Walter Steinmeier ( SPD ) (from November 21, 2007)
				October 28, 2009  December 17, 2013		Merkel II cabinet	Guido Westerwelle ( FDP ) (until May 16, 2011)
							Philipp Rösler ( FDP ) (from May 16, 2011)
				December 17, 2013  March 14, 2018		Merkel III cabinet	Sigmar Gabriel ( SPD )
				Acting March 14, 2018		Merkel IV cabinet	Olaf Scholz ( SPD )

German Democratic Republic

German Democratic Republic (1949-1990)
No.	Prime Minister of the GDR (life data)		Political party	Term of office	cabinet	Deputy
1		Otto Grotewohl (1894–1964)	SED	October 7, 1949  † September 21, 1964 (14 years, 350 days) (deceased in office)	Provisional government of the GDR	Walter Ulbricht
						Hermann Kastner
						Otto Nuschke
					Council of Ministers of the GDR (1950–1954)	Walter Ulbricht
						Otto Nuschke
						Heinrich Rau
						Hans Loch
						Lothar Bolz
					Council of Ministers of the GDR (1954–1958)	Walter Ulbricht
					Council of Ministers of the GDR (1958–1963)
					Council of Ministers of the GDR (1963–1967)	Willi Stoph
No.	Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the GDR (life data)		Political party	Term of office	cabinet	Deputy
2		Willi Stoph (1914–1999)	SED	September 24, 1964  October 3, 1973 (9 years, 9 days)	Council of Ministers of the GDR (1963–1967)	Alexander Abusch
						Lothar Bolz
						Paul Scholz
						Max Sefrin
						Margarete Wittkowski
					Council of Ministers of the GDR (1967–1971)	Horst Sindermann
						Alfred Neumann
					Council of Ministers of the GDR (1971–1976)	Horst Sindermann
						Alfred Neumann
						Günter noon
3		Horst Sindermann (1915–1990)	SED	October 3, 1973  November 1, 1976 (3 years, 29 days)	Council of Ministers of the GDR (1971–1976)	Alfred Neumann
						Günter noon
(2)		Willi Stoph (1914–1999)	SED	November 1, 1976 November  7, 1989 (13 years, 6 days)	Council of Ministers of the GDR (1976–1981)	Werner Krolikowski
						Alfred Neumann
					Council of Ministers of the GDR (1981–1986)	Werner Krolikowski
						Alfred Neumann
					Council of Ministers of the GDR (1986–1989)	Werner Krolikowski
						Günther Kleiber
						Alfred Neumann
4th		Hans Modrow (* 1928)	SED PDS	November 13, 1989  April 11, 1990 (4 months, 29 days)	Modrow government	Christa Luft
						Peter Moreth
						Lothar de Maizière
No.	Prime Minister of the GDR (life data)		Political party	Term of office	cabinet	Deputy
5		Lothar de Maizière (* 1940)	CDU	April 12, 1990  October 2, 1990 (5 months, 20 days)	Government de Maizière	Peter-Michael Diestel