Chancellor of Germany (1949–present)
The head of government in Germany has traditionally been called Kanzler (Chancellor). The name of the office today is Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor); from 1871 to 1945, it was Reichskanzler.
See "Chancellor" for etymological notes.
Reichskanzler
Before World War II, the title in Germany was Reichskanzler, meaning Imperial Chancellor. In the 1871 German Empire, the Reichskanzler was neither elected by nor responsible to Parliament (the Reichstag). Instead, he was appointed by the Emperor, which is the prime reason that the 1871 Reich cannot be called a democracy even though the Reichstag was an elected Parliament.
This was only changed on October 29, 1918 with an amendment to the 1871 constitution. However, the change could not prevent the outbreak of the revolution a few days later. The new constitution of the 1919 Weimar Republic confirmed that the Reichskanzler was elected by and responsible to Parliament only; but the system did not work well (see below), eventually leading to the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Reichskanzler on January 30, 1933.
Reichskanzler of the 1871 German Empire:
- 1871-1890 Prince Otto von Bismarck
- 1890-1894 Count Leo von Caprivi
- 1894-1900 Prince Chlodwig of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
- 1900-1909 Prince Bernhard von Bülow
- 1909-1917 Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg
- 1917 Georg Michaelis
- 1917-1918 Count Georg von Hertling
- 1918 Prince Maximililan of Baden
- 1918-1919 Friedrich Ebert
Reichskanzler of the 1919 Weimar Republic:
- 1919 Philipp Scheidemann
- 1919-1920 Gustav Bauer
- 1920 Hermann Müller
- 1920-1921 Konstantin Fehrenbach
- 1921-1922 Karl Joseph Wirth
- 1922-1923 Wilhelm Cuno
- 1923 Gustav Stresemann
- 1923-1925 Wilhelm Marx
- 1925-1926 Hans Luther
- 1926-1928 Wilhelm Marx
- 1928-1930 Hermann Müller
- 1930-1932 Heinrich Brüning
- 1932 Franz von Papen
- 1932-1933 Kurt von Schleicher
Reichskanzler of the Nazi Era:
- 1933-1945 Adolf Hitler (Office was combined with President in 1934)
Bundeskanzler
Since the 1949 constitution (Grundgesetz) has been in effect, the Chancellor is elected by a majority of the members of the Bundestag upon the proposal of the President of Germany. If the nominee of the President is not elected, the Bundestag may elect its own nominee within fourteen days. If no one is elected within this period, the Bundestag will attempt an election. If the person with the highest number of votes has a majority, the President must appoint him. If the person with the highest number of votes does not have a majority, the President may appoint him or call new elections.
The early removal of the Chancellor from office has intentionally been made difficult and is only possible by means of a a constructive vote of no confidence.
Bundeskanzler since WW II:
- 1949-1963 Konrad Adenauer (CDU)
- 1963-1966 Ludwig Erhard (CDU)
- 1966-1969 Kurt Georg Kiesinger (CDU)
- 1969-1974 Willy Brandt (SPD)
- 1974-1982 Helmut Schmidt (SPD)
- 1982-1998 Helmut Kohl (CDU)
- 1998- Gerhard Schröder (SPD)
See also: Politics of Germany