Global political history

Global political history from 3000 BC to the 21st century – political leaders, elections, and more.

Political Parties of Germany

Current Political Parties

Alliance 90/The Greens

Leader of Alliance 90/The Greens
Renate Elly Künast

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 15 1955.

2000 – 2001

Annalena Charlotte Alma Baerbock

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 15 1980.

2018 – 2022

Robert Habeck

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 2 1969.

2018 – 2022


Leader of Alliance 90/The Greens in the Bundestag
Renate Elly Künast

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 15 1955.

2005 – 2013


German Centre Party

Leader of the German Centre Party
Heinrich Aloysius Maria Elisabeth Brüning

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 26 1885; d. March 30 1970.

1933


Christian Democratic Union

Leader of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 5 1876; d. April 19 1967.

1946 – 1966

Ludwig Wilhelm Erhard

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 4 1897; d. May 5 1977.

1966 – 1967

Kurt Georg Kiesinger

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 6 1904; d. March 9 1988.

1967 – 1971

Rainer Candidus Barzel

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 20 1924; d. August 26 2006.

1971 – 1973

Helmut Josef Michael Kohl

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 3 1930; d. June 16 2017.

1973 – 1998

Wolfgang Schäuble

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 18 1942; d. December 26 2023.

1998 – 2000

Angela Dorothea Merkel

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 17 1954.

2000 – 2018

Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 11 1955.

2022 – present


Deputy Leader of the Christian Democratic Union
Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 19 1959.

1998 – 2010

Volker Bouffier

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 18 1951.

2010 – 2022

Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 8 1958.

2010 – 2019

Norbert Alois Röttgen

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 2 1965.

2010 – 2012


General Secretary of the Christian Democratic Union
Angela Dorothea Merkel

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 17 1954.

1998 – 2000


Leader of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union Group in the Bundestag
Heinrich von Brentano

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 20 1924; d. August 26 2006.

1949 – 1955

Heinrich von Brentano

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 20 1924; d. August 26 2006.

1961 – 1964

Rainer Candidus Barzel

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 20 1924; d. August 26 2006.

1964 – 1973

Kurt Georg Kiesinger (*acting)

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 6 1904; d. March 9 1988.

1973

Karl Carstens

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 14 1914; d. May 30 1992.

1973 – 1976

Helmut Josef Michael Kohl

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 3 1930; d. June 16 2017.

1976 – 1982

Wolfgang Schäuble

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 18 1942; d. December 26 2023.

1991 – 2000

Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 11 1955.

2000 – 2002

Angela Dorothea Merkel

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 17 1954.

2002 – 2005

Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 11 1955.

2022 – present


Chief Whip of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union Group in the Bundestag
Wolfgang Schäuble

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 18 1942; d. December 26 2023.

1982 – 1984

Rudolf Seiters

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 13 1937.

1984 – 1989

Norbert Alois Röttgen

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 2 1965.

2005 – 2009


Christian Social Union

Leader of the Christian Social Union
Franz Josef Strauss

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 6 1915; d. October 3 1988.

1961 – 1988

Theodor “Theo” Waigel

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 22 1939.

1988 – 1999

Edmund Rüdiger Stoiber

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 28 1941.

1999 – 2007

Erwin Huber

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 26 1946.

2007 – 2008

Horst Lorenz Seehofer

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 4 1949.

2008 – 2019

Markus Thomas Theodor Söder

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 5 1967.

2019 – present


General Secretary of the Christian Social Union
Erwin Huber

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 26 1946.

1988 – 1994

Markus Thomas Theodor Söder

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 5 1967.

2003 – 2007

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 5 1971.

2008 – 2009

Alexander Dobrindt

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 7 1970.

2009 – 2013

Andreas Franz Scheuer

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 26 1974.

2013 – 2018

Markus Blume

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 14 1975.

2018 – 2022


Free Democratic Party

Leader of the Free Democratic Party
Theodor Heuss

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 31 1884; d. December 12 1963.

1948 – 1949

Franz Blücher

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 24 1896; d. March 26 1959.

1949 – 1954

Thomas Dehler

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 14 1897; d. July 21 1967.

1954 – 1957

Erich Mende

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 28 1916; d. May 6 1998.

1960 – 1968

Hans-Dietrich Genscher

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 21 1927; d. March 31 2016.

1974 – 1985

Otto Graf Lambsdorff

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 20 1926; d. December 5 2009.

1988 – 1993

Guido Westerwelle

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 27 1961; d. March 18 2016.

2001 – 2011

Philipp Rösler

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 24 1973.

2011 – 2013

Christian Wolfgang Lindner

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 7 1979.

2013 – present


General Secretary of the Free Democratic Party
Christian Wolfgang Lindner

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 7 1979.

2009 – 2011


Leader of the Free Democratic Party in the Bundestag
Theodor Heuss

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 31 1884; d. December 12 1963.

1949

Guido Westerwelle

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 27 1961; d. March 18 2016.

2006 – 2009

Christian Wolfgang Lindner

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 7 1979.

2017 – 2021


The Left (Die Linke)

Leader of The Left
Oskar Lafontaine

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 16 1943.

2007 – 2010


Leader of The Left in the Bundestag
Gregor Florian Gysi

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 16 1948.

2005 – 2015


Social Democratic Party of Germany

Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Friedrich Ebert

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 4 1871; d. February 28 1925.

1913 – 1919

Curt Ernst Carl “Kurt” Schumacher

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 13 1895; d. August 20 1952.

1946 – 1952

Willy Brandt

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 18 1913; d. October 8 1992.

1964 – 1987

Hans-Jochen Vogel

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 3 1926; d. July 26 2020.

1987 – 1991

Björn Engholm

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 9 1939.

1991 – 1993

Rudolf Albert Scharping

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 2 1947.

1993 – 1995

Oskar Lafontaine

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 16 1943.

1995 – 1999

Gerhard Fritz Kurt “Gerd” Schröder

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 7 1944.

1999 – 2004

Franz Müntefering

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 16 1940.

2004 – 2005

Kurt Beck

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 5 1949.

2006 – 2008

Frank-Walter Steinmeier (*acting)

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 5 1956.

2008

Franz Müntefering

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 16 1940.

2008 – 2009

Sigmar Hartmut Gabriel

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 12 1959.

2009 – 2017

Martin Schulz

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 20 1955.

2017 – 2018

Andrea Maria Nahles

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 20 1970.

2018 – 2019

Saskia Christina Esken

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 20 1970.

2019 – present

Norbert Walter-Borjans

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 17 1952.

2019 – 2021

Lars Klingbeil

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 23 1978.

2021 – present


Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Peer Steinbrück

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 10 1947.

2005 – 2009

Andrea Maria Nahles

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 20 1970.

2007 – 2009

Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 5 1956.

2007 – 2009

Olaf Scholz

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 14 1958.

2009 – 2019

Klara Geywitz

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 18 1976.

2019 – present


General Secretary of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Franz Müntefering

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 16 1940.

1999 – 2002

Olaf Scholz

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 14 1958.

2002 – 2004

Hannelore Kraft

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 12 1961.

2009 – 2017

Andrea Maria Nahles

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 20 1970.

2009 – 2014

Lars Klingbeil

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 23 1978.

2017 – 2021


Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany in the Bundestag
Curt Ernst Carl “Kurt” Schumacher

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 13 1895; d. August 20 1952.

1949 – 1952

Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 23 1918; d. November 10 2015.

1967 – 1969

Richard Herbert Wehner

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 11 1906; d. January 19 1990.

1969 – 1983

Hans-Jochen Vogel

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 3 1926; d. July 26 2020.

1983 – 1991

Rudolf Albert Scharping

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 2 1947.

1994 – 1998

Peter Struck

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 24 1943; d. December 19 2012.

1998 – 2002

Peter Struck

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 24 1943; d. December 19 2012.

2005 – 2009

Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 5 1956.

2009 – 2013

Thomas Ludwig Albert Oppermann

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 27 1954; d. October 25 2020.

2013 – 2017

Andrea Maria Nahles

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 20 1970.

2017 – 2019

Lars Klingbeil

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 23 1978.

2025 – present


Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany in the Bundestag
Olaf Scholz

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 14 1958.

2009 – 2011


Chief Whip of the Social Democratic Party of Germany in the Bundestag
Olaf Scholz

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 14 1958.

2005 – 2007

Thomas Ludwig Albert Oppermann

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 27 1954; d. October 25 2020.

2007 – 2013


German Social Union

Leader of the German Social Union
Hansjoachim Walter

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 16 1939; d. January 17 2005.

1990




Defunct Political Parties

Communist Party of Germany

Chair of the Communist Party of Germany
Ruth Fischer

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 11 1895; d. March 13 1961.

1924 – 1925


Party of Democratic Socialism

Leader of the Party of Democratic Socialism
Gregor Florian Gysi

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 16 1948.

1989 – 1993


Leader of the Party of Democratic Socialism in the Bundestag
Gregor Florian Gysi

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 16 1948.

1990 – 2000


German People’s Party

Chair of the German People’s Party
Gustav Ernst Stresemann

Date of birth/date of death: b. May 10 1878; d. October 3 1929.

1918 – 1929


German State Party

Chairman of the German State Party
Hermann Robert Dietrich

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 14 1879; d. March 6 1954.

1930 – 1933


National Socialist German Workers’ Party

Führer of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party
Adolf Hitler

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 20 1889; d. April 30 1945

1921 – 1945