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List of German presidents since 1919

 

 
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List of German presidents since 1919
 
 
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A number of presidential offices have existed in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 since the abolition of the imperial monarchy
Kaiser

Kaiser is the German language title meaning "Emperor", with Kaiserin being the female equivalent, "Empress". It is directly derived from the Latin Emperors' Caesar , which in turn is derived from the name of Julius Caesar....
 in 1918. During the 1919-1933 Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic was the democracy and republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933. Following World War I, the republic emerged from the German Revolution in November 1918....
 the head of state
Head of State

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state....
 was the Reichspräsident
Reichspräsident

The Reichspr?sident was the Germany head of state during the period of the 1919-1934 Weimar Republic and the title was later briefly revived in 1945....
 (Reich President). Upon the death of Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a German Generalfeldmarschall and statesman....
 in August 1934 the office was abolished until 1945, when Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz

Karl D?nitz was a Germany naval Commander who served in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I and commanded the German Navy during the second half of World War II....
 briefly became Reich President according to the last will of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born Germany politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party....
.

The West German constitution (Grundgesetz or Basic Law) of May 1949 created the office of Bundespräsident ("Federal President").






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A number of presidential offices have existed in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 since the abolition of the imperial monarchy
Kaiser

Kaiser is the German language title meaning "Emperor", with Kaiserin being the female equivalent, "Empress". It is directly derived from the Latin Emperors' Caesar , which in turn is derived from the name of Julius Caesar....
 in 1918. During the 1919-1933 Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic was the democracy and republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933. Following World War I, the republic emerged from the German Revolution in November 1918....
 the head of state
Head of State

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state....
 was the Reichspräsident
Reichspräsident

The Reichspr?sident was the Germany head of state during the period of the 1919-1934 Weimar Republic and the title was later briefly revived in 1945....
 (Reich President). Upon the death of Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a German Generalfeldmarschall and statesman....
 in August 1934 the office was abolished until 1945, when Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz

Karl D?nitz was a Germany naval Commander who served in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I and commanded the German Navy during the second half of World War II....
 briefly became Reich President according to the last will of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born Germany politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party....
.

The West German constitution (Grundgesetz or Basic Law) of May 1949 created the office of Bundespräsident ("Federal President"). The East German constitution of October 1949 created the office of Präsident der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (DDR) [President of the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic

The German Democratic Republic was a self-declared socialist state created in the Soviet Zone of occupied Germany and the East Berlin of Allied Occupation Zones in Germany....
 (GDR)]. Upon the death of Wilhelm Pieck
Wilhelm Pieck

Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck was a Germany communism and the first and only president of the East Germany....
 in 1960, the office of Präsident der DDR was abolished and replaced by a collective head of state, the Staatsrat
Staatsrat

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-Z0624-038, Berlin, DDR-Staatsratsitzung.jpgThe State Council of the German Democratic Republic was in the German Democratic Republic the formally highest collective body, which was created with law over the formation of the Council of State from 12 September 1960 as follow-up organ of the abolished office of the...
 der DDR (State Council of the GDR). The Vorsitzender (Chairman) of the Staatsrat was considered to be the head of state of the GDR. The Staatsrat was abolished by a constitutional amendment of the only freely elected Volkskammer
Volkskammer

file:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1990-0419-418, Berlin, Volkskammer w?hrend Regierungserkl?rung von Lothar de Maiziere.jpgThe People's Chamber was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic ....
 ("People's Chamber" or parliament) on 5 April 1990. From then until the GDR joined with the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990, the president of the Volkskammer also served as the GDR head of state.

Reich Presidents (Reichspräsidenten) (1919-1945)






No.
 Name
 Took office
 Left office
 Party

1.Friedrich Ebert
Friedrich Ebert

Friedrich Ebert was a German politician , who served as Chancellor of Germany of Germany and its first President of Germany during the Weimar Republic period....
11 February 191928 February 1925 (death) SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany is Germany's oldest political party. After World War II, under the leadership of Kurt Schumacher, the SPD reestablished itself as an ideological party, representing the interests of the working class and the trade unions....


2.Field Marshal
Field Marshal

Field marshal is a military officer rank. Today it is the highest rank in the armies in which it is used, one step above a general or colonel-general....
 Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a German Generalfeldmarschall and statesman....
12 May 19252 August 1934 (death) (None)

3.Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born Germany politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party....
 - was head of state but used the titles Leader and Chancellor of the Reich Führer und Reichskanzler		2 August 193430 April 1945 (committed suicide) National Socialist German Workers Party
National Socialist German Workers Party

The 'National Socialist German Workers' Party', , commonly known in English as the , was a racialist, totalitarian political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945....
 (NSDAP)

4.Grand Admiral
Grand Admiral

Grand Admiral is an historic navy rank, generally being the highest such rank present in any particular country. Its most notable use is in Germany — the German language word is Gro?admiral....
 Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz

Karl D?nitz was a Germany naval Commander who served in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I and commanded the German Navy during the second half of World War II....
30 April 194523 May 1945 (arrested) National Socialist German Workers Party
National Socialist German Workers Party

The 'National Socialist German Workers' Party', , commonly known in English as the , was a racialist, totalitarian political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945....
 (NSDAP)



Federal Presidents (Bundespräsidenten) since 1949






No.
 Name
 Took office
 Left office
 Party

1.Theodor Heuss
Theodor Heuss

Theodor Heuss was a Germany politician. He was the first person elected to a regular term as President of the West Germany.Heuss was born in Brackenheim, near Heilbronn....
13 September194912 September1959FDP
Free Democratic Party

Free Democratic Party may be:*Free Democratic Party , Freie Demokratische Partei*Free Democratic Party *Free Democratic Party of Switzerland, Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei...


2.Heinrich Lübke
Heinrich Lübke

Heinrich L?bke was President of Germany from 1959 to 1969. L?bke had a very humble upbringing. He was the son of a shoemaker and farmer from the Sauerland and surveyor by training....
13 September 195930 June 1969CDU
Christian Democratic Union

Christian Democratic Union can refer to:* Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union ...


3.Gustav Heinemann
Gustav Heinemann

Gustav Walter Heinemann, Order of the Bath was a Germany politician. He was Minister of Interior Affairs from 1949 to 1950, Minister of Justice from 1966 to 1969 and President of Germany from 1969 to 1974....
1 July 196930 June 1974SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany is Germany's oldest political party. After World War II, under the leadership of Kurt Schumacher, the SPD reestablished itself as an ideological party, representing the interests of the working class and the trade unions....


4.Walter Scheel
Walter Scheel

Walter Scheel is a Germany politician . As of 2009, he is the oldest President of Germany alive and the second longest-lived German head of state after Emperor Wilhelm I, German Emperor....
1 July 197430 June 1979FDP
Free Democratic Party

Free Democratic Party may be:*Free Democratic Party , Freie Demokratische Partei*Free Democratic Party *Free Democratic Party of Switzerland, Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei...


5. Karl Carstens
Karl Carstens

Karl Carstens was a Germany politician. He served as the fifth President of Germany of Germany....
1 July 197930 June 1984CDU
Christian Democratic Union

Christian Democratic Union can refer to:* Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union ...


6.Richard von Weizsäcker
Richard von Weizsäcker

Richard Karl Freiherr von Weizs?cker is a Germany politician . He was President of Germany from 1984 to 1994.Weizs?cker was born in Stuttgart as the son of the diplomat Ernst von Weizs?cker and brother of physicist and philosopher Carl Friedrich von Weizs?cker....
1 July 198430 June 1994CDU
Christian Democratic Union

Christian Democratic Union can refer to:* Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union ...


7.Roman Herzog
Roman Herzog

Roman Herzog is a Germany politician and was the President of Germany from 1994 to 1999. He was the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany to be elected to office after the reunification of Germany that took place in 1990, and the second person to serve as all-German head of State since the end of WWII....
1 July 199430 June 1999CDU
Christian Democratic Union

Christian Democratic Union can refer to:* Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union ...


8.Johannes Rau
Johannes Rau

Johannes Rau was a Germany politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. He was the eighth President of Germany from July 1, 1999, until June 30, 2004, and minister-president of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 1998....
1 July 199930 June 2004SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany is Germany's oldest political party. After World War II, under the leadership of Kurt Schumacher, the SPD reestablished itself as an ideological party, representing the interests of the working class and the trade unions....


9.Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler

Horst K?hler is a Germany politician and economist who serves as the current President of Germany. K?hler was narrowly German presidential election, 2004 by the Bundesversammlung on May 23, 2004 and was subsequently inaugurated on July 1, 2004....
1 July 2004Incumbent
Incumbent

The incumbent, in politics, is the holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent....
CDU
Christian Democratic Union

Christian Democratic Union can refer to:* Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union ...




President of the GDR (Präsident der DDR) (1949-1960)

  • Wilhelm Pieck
    Wilhelm Pieck

    Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck was a Germany communism and the first and only president of the East Germany....
     (SED
    Socialist Unity Party of Germany

    The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990....
    ) 11 October 1949 to 7 September 1960 (death)


Chairmen of the Council of State of the GDR (Vorsitzende des Staatsrats der DDR) (1960-1990)





No.
 Name
 Took office
 Left office
 Party

1.Walter Ulbricht
Walter Ulbricht

Walter Ulbricht was a German communist politician. As General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany from 1950 to 1971, he played a leading role in the early development and establishment of the German Democratic Republic ....
12 September 19601 August 1973 (death) SED
Socialist Unity Party of Germany

The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990....


2.Willi Stoph
Willi Stoph

Willi Stoph was an German Democratic Republic politician. He served as Prime Minister of the German Democratic Republic from 1964 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1989....
3 October 197329 October 1976 (replaced) SED
Socialist Unity Party of Germany

The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990....


3.Erich Honecker
Erich Honecker

Erich Honecker was a German communism politician who led the German Democratic Republic from 1971 until 1989.After German reunification, Honecker first fled to the Soviet Union but was extradited to Germany by the new Russian government....
29 October 197618 October 1989 (resigned)SED
Socialist Unity Party of Germany

The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990....


4.Egon Krenz
Egon Krenz

Egon Krenz is a German former Communism, who briefly served as leader of the German Democratic Republic in 1989 before the end of Communist rule....
18 October 19896 December 1989 (resigned)SED
Socialist Unity Party of Germany

The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990....


5.Manfred Gerlach
Manfred Gerlach

Manfred Gerlach is a former East German politician who acted as Chairman of the Council of State and thus head of state of East Germany from December 6, 1989 to April 5, 1990....
6 December 19895 April 1990 (office abolished)LDPD
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany

The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany was a political party in East Germany. Like the other allied parties of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany in the National Front it had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer....



President of the People's Chamber of the GDR (Präsident/-in der Volkskammer der DDR) (1990)

  • Sabine Bergmann-Pohl
    Sabine Bergmann-Pohl

    Sabine Bergmann-Pohl is a Germany conservatism politician who served as the last head of state of East Germany from April 5 to October 2, 1990....
     (CDU
    Christian Democratic Union

    Christian Democratic Union can refer to:* Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union ...
    ) 5 April to 2 October 1990 (office abolished)


NOTE: The office of Präsident der Volkskammer der DDR was created by the GDR constitution in October 1949 and remained throughout the existence of the GDR. With the abolition of the office of the Chairman of the Council of State of the GDR, the President of the People's Chamber became the GDR's head of state
Head of State

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state....
 for the remainder of the state's existence.

List of acting heads of state (Geschäftsführendes Staatsoberhaupt)

  • Hans Luther
    Hans Luther

    Hans Luther was a Germany politician and Chancellor of Germany .Born in Berlin, Luther started in politics in 1907 by becoming the town councillor in Magdeburg....
     (DVP
    German People's Party

    The German People's Party was a Liberalism-nationalist party in Germany.It was essentially the right wing of the old National Liberal Party , and was formed in the early days of the Weimar Republic, led by Gustav Stresemann....
    ) was acting Reich President from 28 February to 12 March 1925.
  • Walter Simons
    Walter Simons

    Walter Simons was a Germany political figure. He served as president of the German Supreme Court from 1922 - 1929. Following the death of Friedrich Ebert in February, 1925 he held the office of temporary Reichspr?sident of the Weimar Republic from 12 March, 1925 until 12 May, 1925 when the next president, Paul von Hindenburg, was elected an...
     was acting Reich President from 12 March to 12 May 1925.
  • Karl Arnold
    Karl Arnold

    Karl Arnold was a German politician. He was North Rhine-Westphalia#List of Prime Ministers of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1947 to 1956. He was President of the German Bundesrat and as such acting head of state of the West Germany in 1949, before the election of President Theodor Heuss....
     (CDU
    Christian Democratic Union

    Christian Democratic Union can refer to:* Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union ...
    ) was acting head of state of the Federal Republic from 7 September to 12 September 1949. He filled this role in his capacity as President of the Bundesrat.
  • Johannes Dieckmann
    Johannes Dieckmann

    Johannes Dieckmann held the office of Leaders of East Germany of East Germany on an acting basis in 1949 and again in 1960.File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-F0711-0037-001, Johannes Dieckmann.jpg...
     (SED
    Socialist Unity Party of Germany

    The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990....
    ) briefly filled the role of acting State President of East Germany on two occasions: from 7 October to 11 October 1949 (before Wilhelm Pieck took office) and again from 7 September to 12 September 1960 (after Pieck died).
  • Friedrich Ebert junior (SED
    Socialist Unity Party of Germany

    The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990....
    ) was Acting Chairman of the Council of State in East Germany from 1 August 1973 to 3 October 1973.
  • Manfred Gerlach
    Manfred Gerlach

    Manfred Gerlach is a former East German politician who acted as Chairman of the Council of State and thus head of state of East Germany from December 6, 1989 to April 5, 1990....
     (LDPD
    Liberal Democratic Party of Germany

    The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany was a political party in East Germany. Like the other allied parties of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany in the National Front it had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer....
    ) was Acting Chairman of the Council of State in East Germany from 6 December 1989 to 5 April 1990.


See also

  • History of Germany
    History of Germany

    Despite the lack of a German nation state before 1871, the countrydates back to the era of the Germanic tribes. Following the migration period, the Franks subsequently subdued the West Germanic tribes, who made up for most of East Francia after the Frankish Empire fell apart....
  • Politics of Germany
    Politics of Germany

    Politics of Germany takes place in a framework of a federation parliamentary democratic representative democracy republic, whereby the Chancellor of Germany is the head of government, and of a plurality multi-party system....
  • President of Germany
    President of Germany

    The President of Germany is Germany's head of state.After the abdication of Wilhelm II, German Emperor in 1918 and the promulgation of the Weimar Constitution, the President of Germany was Head of State in Germany....
  • President of Germany (Weimar Republic)