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Leaders of Germany

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Also known as: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Deutschland, Federal Republic of Germany
Written by
Karl A. Schleunes
Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Author of The Twisted Road to Auschwitz.
Karl A. Schleunes,
William H. Berentsen
Professor of Geography, University of Connecticut, Storrs. Editor of Contemporary Europe: A Geographical Analysis.
William H. Berentsen•All
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News •

German auto supplier Bosch to cut 5,500 jobs in further sign of carmakers' woes • Nov. 22, 2024, 11:18 AM ET (AP)
German ex-leader Merkel says she felt sorrow at Trump's comeback and recalls awkward non-handshake • Nov. 22, 2024, 7:09 AM ET (AP)
US intelligence warns defense companies of Russian sabotage threat • Nov. 21, 2024, 4:12 PM ET (AP)
Ursula Haverbeck, German far-right activist repeatedly convicted for Holocaust denial, dies at 96 • Nov. 21, 2024, 7:01 AM ET (AP)
Ford, facing economic headwinds and weak EV sales, to cut 4,000 jobs in Europe • Nov. 20, 2024, 8:18 PM ET (AP)

The table provides a chronological list of the leaders of Germany from 1871.

Leaders of Germany
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 Führer ("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) 1871–88
Frederick III 1888
William II 1888–1918
Presidents of the Weimar Republic
Friedrich Ebert 1919–25
Paul von Hindenburg 1925–33
Leaders of the Third Reich (National Socialist regime)
Paul von Hindenburg* 1934
Adolf Hitler** 1933–45
Chancellors of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
Konrad Adenauer 1949–63
Ludwig Erhard 1963–66
Kurt Georg Kiesinger 1966–69
Willy Brandt 1969–74
Helmut Schmidt 1974–82
Helmut Kohl 1982–90
First (or General) Secretaries of the Socialist Unity Party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
Walter Ulbricht 1950–71
Erich Honecker 1971–89
Egon Krenz*** 1989
Chancellors of the Federal Republic of Germany (reunited Germany)
Helmut Kohl 1990–98
Gerhard Schröder 1998–2005
Angela Merkel 2005–21
Olaf Scholz 2021–