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The head of government of Germany has been known as the Chancellor (German: Kanzler) ever since the creation of the post. The current Chancellor is Angela Merkel, who was elected in 2005.
Due to his administrative tasks the head of the chapel of the imperial palace was called Chancellor. The Archbishop of Mainz was German Chancellor until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 while the Archbishop of Cologne was Chancellor of Italy and the Archbishop of Trier of Burgundy. These three Archbishops were also Prince-Electors of the empire. Already in medieval times the Chancellor had political power like Willigis of Mainz (Archchancellor 975-1011, regent for Otto III 991-994) or Rainald von Dassel (Chancellor 1156-1162 and 1166-1167) under Frederick I.
From 1867 to 1871 the title Bundeskanzler (federal chancellor) was used in the German language, during the time of the North German Confederation. From 1871 to 1945, the office was named Reichskanzler (imperial chancellor). Since 1949 the formal title of the office in the German language has been Bundeskanzler again.
The correct style of address in German is Herr Bundeskanzler for men and Frau Bundeskanzlerin for women. When the office was called Reichskanzler, the official incumbent of the office was to be addressed as "Herr Reichskanzler". This also applied to former chancellors. When addressing former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, the current Chancellor Angela Merkel used the style "Werter Herr Bundeskanzler".
- See the article Chancellor for the etymology of the word.
Bundeskanzler (North German Confederation 1867-1871)
The head of the federal government of the North German Confederation, which was created in 1867, had the title Bundeskanzler. The position was held by the Prussian Minister-President Otto von Bismarck, until German unification under the German Empire in 1871.
Reichskanzler (1871-1945)
Before World War II, the title in Germany was Reichskanzler . In the 1871 German Empire, the Chancellor served both as the Emperor's first minister, and as presiding officer of the Bundesrat, the upper chamber of the German parliament. He was neither elected by nor responsible to Parliament (the Reichstag). Instead, the Chancellor was appointed by the Emperor.
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 said that the Chancellor was appointed by the German President, but that the parliament had the right to dismiss a chancellor or any of the ministers. In fact many of the Weimar governments depended highly on the cooperation of the President, due to uncertain circumstances in the parliament.
Chancellors of the German Empire (1871-1919)
| Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prince Otto von Bismarck | March 21, 1871 | March 20, 1890 | |
| 2 | Count Leo von Caprivi | March 20, 1890 | October 26, 1894 | |
| 3 | Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst | October 29, 1894 | October 17, 1900 | |
| 4 | Prince Bernhard von Bülow | October 17, 1900 | July 14, 1909 | |
| 5 | Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg | July 14, 1909 | July 13, 1917 | |
| 6 | Georg Michaelis | July 14, 1917 | November 1, 1917 | |
| 7 | Count Georg von Hertling | November 1, 1917 | September 30, 1918 | |
| 8 | Prince Maximilian of Baden | October 3, 1918 | November 9, 1918 | |
| 9 | Friedrich Ebert | November 9, 1918 | November 10, 1918 | Social Democrats |
- On November 9, 1918, Chancellor Max von Baden handed over his office to Friedrich Ebert. Ebert continued to serve as Head of Government during the three months between the end of the German Empire in November 1918 and the first gathering of the National Assembly in February 1919, but did not use the title of Chancellor.
Chancellors of the Weimar Republic (1919-1933)
Chancellors of the Third Reich (1933-1945)
| Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adolf Hitler ("Führer and Chancellor" from 1934) | January 30, 1933 | April 30, 1945 | National Socialists |
| 2 | Joseph Goebbels | April 30, 1945 | May 1, 1945 | National Socialists |
| 3 | Count Lutz Schwerin von Krosigk (acting Chancellor) | May 2, 1945 | May 8, or May 23, or July 5 1945 | None |
Bundeskanzler (since 1949)
West Germany's 1949 constitution, the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), invests the Chancellor (Bundeskanzler) with central executive authority. For that reason, some observers refer to the German political system as a "chancellor democracy". The major party (CDU/CSU or SPD) who does not hold chancellorship, usually calls their leading candidate for the federal election "chancellor-candidate" (Kanzlerkandidat). The Federal Government (Bundesregierung) consists of the chancellor and his or her cabinet ministers.
The chancellor's authority emanates from the provisions of the Basic Law and from his or her status as leader of the party (or coalition of parties) holding a majority of seats in the Bundestag (federal parliament). With the exception of Helmut Schmidt, the chancellor has usually also been chairman of his own party. This was the case with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder from 1999 until he resigned the chairmanship of the SPD in 2004.
The German post-war chancellors were officially addressed as "Herr Bundeskanzler", however Angela Merkel is officially addressed as "Frau Bundeskanzlerin", the female form of the title. Also the mixed form "Frau Bundeskanzler" is used often; this is allowed by German grammar, as it regards "Bundeskanzler" as a generic masculine, referring to a grammatical use of the male form when describing a group containing both sexes.
Appointment mechanism
Every four years, after national elections and the convocation of the newly elected members of the Bundestag, the chancellor is elected by a majority of the members of the Bundestag upon the proposal of the Federal President (Bundespräsident). This vote is one of the few cases where a majority of all elected members of the Bundestag must be achieved, as opposed to a mere majority of those that are currently assembled. This is referred to as the Kanzlermehrheit (chancellor's majority), and is designed to ensure the establishment of a stable government. It has in the past occasionally forced ill or pregnant members to have to attend parliament when a party's majority was only slim.
Unlike regular voting by the Bundestag, the vote to elect the chancellor is by secret ballot. This is intended to ensure that the chancellor's majority does not depend on members of his party only outwardly showing support.
If the nominee of the Federal 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 or her . If the person with the highest number of votes does not have a majority, the president may either appoint them or call new elections for the Bundestag.
The chancellor is the only member of the federal government elected by the Bundestag. The other cabinet ministers are chosen by the chancellor himself or herself, although they are formally nominated by the Federal President.
Votes of no-confidence
- For more details, see Constructive Vote of No Confidence.
This procedure exists to avoid the situation that existed in the Weimar Republic, when votes of no-confidence were over-used or abused by parties.
The chancellor's role
The chancellor determines the composition of the Federal Cabinet. The Federal President formally appoints and dismisses cabinet ministers, at the recommendation of the chancellor; no parliamentary approval is needed. According to the Basic Law, the chancellor may set the number of cabinet ministers and dictate their specific duties. Chancellor Ludwig Erhard had the largest cabinet, with twenty-two ministers in the mid-1960s. Helmut Kohl presided over 17 ministers at the start of his fourth term in 1994; the 2002 cabinet, the second of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, had 13 ministers and the Angela Merkel cabinet as of November 22 2005 has 15.Article 65 of the Basic Law sets forth three principles that define how the executive branch functions:
- The "chancellor principle" makes the chancellor responsible for all government policies. Any formal policy guidelines issued by the chancellor are legally binding directives that cabinet ministers must implement. Cabinet ministers are expected to introduce specific policies at the ministerial level that reflect the chancellor's broader guidelines.
- The "principle of ministerial autonomy" entrusts each minister with the freedom to supervise departmental operations and prepare legislative proposals without cabinet interference so long as the minister's policies are consistent with the chancellor's broader guidelines.
- The "cabinet principle" calls for disagreements between federal ministers over jurisdictional or budgetary matters to be settled by the cabinet.
Living ex-chancellors
List of Chancellors since 1949
| Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Konrad Adenauer | September 15, 1949 | October 16, 1963 | Christian Democrats |
| 2 | Dr. Ludwig Erhard | October 16, 1963 | December 1, 1966 | Christian Democrats |
| 3 | Dr. Kurt Georg Kiesinger | December 1, 1966 | October 21, 1969 | Christian Democrats |
| 4 | Willy Brandt | October 21, 1969 | May 7, 1974 | Social Democrats |
| Vice Chancellor Walter Scheel (acting) | May 7, 1974 | May 16, 1974 | Free Democrats | |
| 5 | Helmut Schmidt | May 16, 1974 | October 1, 1982 | Social Democrats |
| 6 | Dr. Helmut Kohl | October 1, 1982 | October 27, 1998 | Christian Democrats |
| 7 | Gerhard Schröder | October 27, 1998 | November 22, 2005 | Social Democrats |
| 8 | Dr. Angela Merkel | November 22, 2005 | Christian Democrats |
1: Term of Office includes times where the chancellors were only acting chancellors after a new election or for the time after they resigned and no new chancellor had been elected yet.
2: Willy Brandt asked the federal president not to be acting chancellor after his resignation so the vice chancellor Walter Scheel was acting chancellor for the time until Helmut Schmidt's election.
See also
- Politics of Germany
- History of Germany
- President of Germany
- Leaders of East Germany
- List of German Chancellors by longevity
Further reading
Books
- Klein, Herbert, ed. 1993. The German Chancellors. Berlin: Edition.
- Padgett, Stephen, ed. 1994. The Development of the German Chancellorship: Adenauer to Kohl. London: Hurst.
Articles
- Harlen, Christine M. 2002. "The Leadership Styles of the German Chancellors: From Schmidt to Schröder." Politics and Policy 30 (2 (June)): 347-371.
- Helms, Ludger. 2001. "The Changing Chancellorship: Resources and Constraints Revisited." German Politics 10 (2): 155-168.
- Mayntz, Renate. 1980. "Executive Leadership in Germany: Dispersion of Power or 'Kanzler Demokratie'?" In Presidents and Prime Ministers, ed. R. Rose and E. N. Suleiman. Washington, D.C: American Enterprise Institute. Pp. 139-71.
- Smith, Gordon. 1991. "The Resources of a German Chancellor." West European Politics 14 (2): 48-61.
External links
- Official site of German Chancellor
- Germany: Heads of Government: 1871-1945
- Germany: Heads of Government: 1949-2005
Chancellors of Germany | Executive branch of the German Government | Government of Germany | Lists of office-holders
Německý kancléř | Tyske kanslere | Bundeskanzler (Deutschland) | Κατάλογος Καγκελαρίων της Γερμανίας (Ομοσπονδιακή Δημοκρατία) | Canciller de Alemania | Kanceliero (Germanio) | Chancelier fédéral (Allemagne) | Chanceler de Alemaña | Njemački kancelar | Kanselir Jerman | Kanslari Þýskalands | Elenco dei Cancellieri tedeschi | קאנצלר גרמניה | გერმანიის კანცლერები | Cancellarius foederalis | Canselor Jerman | Bondskanselier (Duitsland) | ドイツの首相 | Bunnskanzler (Düütschland) | Kanclerze Niemiec | Chanceler da Alemanha | Федеральный канцлер Германии | Lista över Tysklands regeringschefer | 德国总理
"Chancellor of Germany"