List of Chancellors of Germany: Since 1815, Germany’s chancellors have shaped history. In 1871, Otto von Bismarck unified Germany and became its first chancellor. After WWII, Konrad Adenauer was West Germany’s first chancellor from 1949 to 1963. He rebuilt the country and strengthened Western ties.
Willy Brandt, chancellor from 1969 to 1974, promoted Ostpolitik to improve relations with East Germany and Eastern Europe. He won the 1971 Nobel Peace Prize for these efforts. Helmut Kohl, working from 1982 to 1998, reunified East and West Germany in 1990 and helped form the EU.
Angela Merkel, Germany’s first female chancellor from 2005 to 2021, led the country through various worldwide crises. These chancellors and others have shaped Germany during the past two centuries.
List of Chancellors of Germany
Here is the complete list of Chancellors of Germany, starting from the establishment of the modern German state in 1867 under the North German Confederation, followed by the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany and reunified Germany):
North German Confederation (1867–1871)
- Otto von Bismarck (1867–1871) – Conservative
Bismarck became the first Chancellor of the German Empire after unification in 1871.
German Empire (1871–1918)
- Otto von Bismarck (1871–1890) – Conservative
- Leo von Caprivi (1890–1894) – Independent
- Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1894–1900) – Independent
- Bernhard von Bülow (1900–1909) – Independent
- Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg (1909–1917) – Independent
- Georg Michaelis (1917) – Independent
- Georg von Hertling (1917–1918) – Centre Party
- Max von Baden (1918) – Independent
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No.
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Name
|
Birth–Death
|
Term of Office
|
|
1
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Otto von Bismarck
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(1815–1898)
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21 Mar 1871 – 20 Mar 1890
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|
2
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Leo von Caprivi
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(1831–1899)
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20 Mar 1890 – 26 Oct 1894
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3
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Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
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(1819–1901)
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29 Oct 1894 – 17 Oct 1900
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4
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Bernhard von Bülow
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(1849–1929)
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17 Oct 1900 – 14 Jul 1909
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5
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Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg
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(1856–1921)
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14 Jul 1909 – 13 Jul 1917
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6
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Georg Michaelis
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(1857–1936)
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14 Jul 1917 – 1 Nov 1917
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7
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Georg von Hertling
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(1843–1919)
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1 Nov 1917 – 30 Sep 1918
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8
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Max von Baden
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(1867–1929)
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3 Oct 1918 – 9 Nov 1918
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Weimar Republic (1919–1933)
- Philipp Scheidemann (1919) – SPD
Scheidemann was Minister President, not Chancellor, but he is often included in lists of German leaders. - Gustav Bauer (1919–1920) – SPD
- Hermann Müller (1920) – SPD
- Constantin Fehrenbach (1920–1921) – Centre Party
- Joseph Wirth (1921–1922) – Centre Party
- Wilhelm Cuno (1922–1923) – Independent
- Gustav Stresemann (1923) – DVP
- Wilhelm Marx (1923–1925) – Centre Party
- Hans Luther (1925–1926) – Independent
- Wilhelm Marx (1926–1928) – Centre Party
- Hermann Müller (1928–1930) – SPD
- Heinrich Brüning (1930–1932) – Centre Party
- Franz von Papen (1932) – Independent
- Kurt von Schleicher (1932–1933) – Independent
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No.
|
Name
|
Birth–Death
|
Term of Office
|
|
9
|
Friedrich Ebert
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(1871–1925)
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9 Nov 1918 – 13 Feb 1919
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|
10
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Philipp Scheidemann
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(1865–1939)
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13 Feb 1919 – 20 Jun 1919
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11
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Gustav Bauer
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(1870–1944)
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21 Jun 1919 – 14 Aug 1919
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12
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Hermann Müller
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(1876–1931)
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27 Mar 1920 – 21 Jun 1920
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13
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Constantin Fehrenbach
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(1852–1926)
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25 Jun 1920 – 10 May 1921
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14
|
Joseph Wirth
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(1879–1956)
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10 May 1921 – 22 Nov 1922
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15
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Wilhelm Cuno
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(1876–1933)
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22 Nov 1922 – 12 Aug 1923
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16
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Gustav Stresemann
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(1878–1929)
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13 Aug 1923 – 30 Nov 1923
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17
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Wilhelm Marx
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(1863–1946)
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30 Nov 1923 – 15 Jan 1925
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18
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Hans Luther
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(1879–1962)
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15 Jan 1925 – 12 May 1926
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19
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Wilhelm Marx
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(1863–1946)
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17 May 1926 – 28 Jun 1928
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20
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Hermann Müller
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(1876–1931)
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28 Jun 1928 – 27 Mar 1930
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|
21
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Heinrich Brüning
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(1885–1970)
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30 Mar 1930 – 30 May 1932
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|
22
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Franz von Papen
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(1879–1969)
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1 Jun 1932 – 3 Dec 1932
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23
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Kurt von Schleicher
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(1882–1934)
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3 Dec 1932 – 30 Jan 1933
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Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
- Adolf Hitler (1933–1945) – NSDAP
Hitler abolished the office of Chancellor after merging it with the presidency in 1934, becoming Führer und Reichskanzler. - Joseph Goebbels (1945) – NSDAP
Goebbels served as Chancellor for one day after Hitler’s suicide. - Lutz Schwerin von Krosigk (1945) – Independent
Appointed by Karl Dönitz, he was leading minister but not officially Chancellor.
Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany, 1949–1990; reunified Germany, 1990–present)
- Konrad Adenauer (1949–1963) – CDU
- Ludwig Erhard (1963–1966) – CDU
- Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1966–1969) – CDU
- Willy Brandt (1969–1974) – SPD
- Helmut Schmidt (1974–1982) – SPD
- Helmut Kohl (1982–1998) – CDU
- Gerhard Schröder (1998–2005) – SPD
- Angela Merkel (2005–2021) – CDU
- Olaf Scholz (2021–present) – SPD
Read Also:Â List of Presidents of Germany From 1919 to 2025 (Latest Updated)
Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
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No.
|
Name
|
Birth–Death
|
Term of Office
|
|
24
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Adolf Hitler
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(1889–1945)
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30 Jan 1933 – 30 Apr 1945
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25
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Joseph Goebbels
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(1897–1945)
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30 Apr 1945 – 1 May 1945
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26
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Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
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(1887–1977)
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2 May 1945 – 23 May 1945
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West Germany (1949–1990)
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No.
|
Name
|
Birth–Death
|
Term of Office
|
Vice Chancellor(s)
|
|
1
|
Konrad Adenauer
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(1876–1967)
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15 Sep 1949 – 16 Oct 1963
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Franz Blücher, Ludwig Erhard
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2
|
Ludwig Erhard
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(1897–1977)
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16 Oct 1963 – 1 Dec 1966
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Erich Mende, Hans-Christoph Seebohm
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3
|
Kurt Georg Kiesinger
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(1904–1988)
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1 Dec 1966 – 22 Oct 1969
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Willy Brandt
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4
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Willy Brandt
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(1913–1992)
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22 Oct 1969 – 7 May 1974
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Walter Scheel
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5
|
Helmut Schmidt
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(1918–2015)
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16 May 1974 – 1 Oct 1982
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Hans-Dietrich Genscher
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6
|
Helmut Kohl
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(1930–2017)
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1 Oct 1982 – 3 Oct 1990
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Hans-Dietrich Genscher
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Germany (1990–Present)
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No.
|
Name
|
Birth–Death
|
Term of Office
|
Vice Chancellor(s)
|
|
1
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Helmut Kohl
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(1930–2017)
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3 Oct 1990 – 27 Oct 1998
|
Klaus Kinkel
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2
|
Gerhard Schröder
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(b. 1944)
|
27 Oct 1998 – 22 Nov 2005
|
Joschka Fischer
|
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3
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Angela Merkel
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(b. 1954)
|
22 Nov 2005 – 8 Dec 2021
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Franz Müntefering, Sigmar Gabriel, Olaf Scholz
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4
|
Olaf Scholz
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(b. 1958)
|
8 Dec 2021 – Present
|
Robert Habeck
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|
5
|
2025
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