23 figures mapped
Political Figures of Germany
Leaders, thinkers and campaigners from Germany, born between 1724 and 1954, each placed on the 12 axes of the 12 Axes Political Test from their own speeches, writings and record. Sources are on every profile.
Heads of state and government
In order of office
First Chancellor of the German Empire (1871-1890)Otto von BismarckPrussian statesman who unified Germany through three wars, served as the German Empire's first chancellor, and combined conservative monarchism with...
Chancellor of Germany (1918)Friedrich EbertSocial Democratic leader who headed the revolutionary government of 1918 and became the first President of the Weimar Republic, defending...
Chancellor of Germany (1923)Gustav StresemannNational liberal statesman of the Weimar Republic who ended the 1923 hyperinflation crisis as chancellor and, as foreign minister, negotiated the...
First Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949-1963)Konrad AdenauerChristian Democratic founder of the CDU and first West German chancellor, who anchored the Federal Republic in the West, in NATO and in early...
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1963-1966)Ludwig ErhardEconomist and CDU politician credited with the 1948 price liberalization and West Germany's social market economy, later chancellor from 1963 to 1966.
Chancellor of Germany (1966-1969)Kurt Georg KiesingerChristian Democratic chancellor who led West Germany's first Grand Coalition with the SPD from 1966 to 1969, and whose earlier Nazi party membership...
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1969-1974)Willy BrandtSocial Democratic chancellor of West Germany whose Ostpolitik sought reconciliation with Eastern Europe and earned him the 1971 Nobel Peace Prize.
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1974-1982)Helmut SchmidtPragmatic Social Democratic chancellor of West Germany who managed the 1970s oil shocks and terrorism and championed NATO's double-track decision and...
Chancellor of Germany (1982-1998)Helmut KohlChristian Democratic chancellor for 16 years who oversaw German reunification in 1990 and was a central architect of the Maastricht Treaty and the...
Chancellor of Germany (1998-2005)Gerhard SchröderSocial Democratic chancellor who led Germany's first SPD-Green government, introduced the Agenda 2010 welfare and labour reforms and refused to join...
Chancellor of Germany (2005-2021)Angela MerkelChristian Democratic chancellor for 16 years, the first woman and first East German to hold the office, who steered Germany through the euro crisis,...
Legislators and politicians
In order of birth
1850-1932Eduard BernsteinEduard Bernstein was a German social democrat who argued for revising Marxism toward gradual, democratic reform, and is often called the father of...
1895-1952Kurt SchumacherSocial Democratic leader and concentration camp survivor who rebuilt the SPD after 1945, kept it independent of the communists and led the opposition...
1915-1988Franz Josef StraussBavarian Christian Social leader who dominated the CSU for nearly three decades, built up the Bundeswehr as defence minister and was the right's most...
1942-2023Wolfgang SchäubleChristian Democratic veteran who negotiated the German Unification Treaty, served as interior and finance minister and became the face of fiscal...
1947-1992Petra KellyFounding figure of the German Greens and an international voice for nonviolence, disarmament, ecology, feminism and human rights.
Revolutionaries
In order of birth
Thinkers and philosophers
In order of birth
1724-1804Immanuel KantGerman Enlightenment philosopher who grounded politics in freedom under universal law, defended republican government and proposed a federation of...
1818-1883Karl MarxKarl Marx was a German philosopher and economist whose critique of capitalism and theory of class struggle became the foundation of Marxism and of...
1820-1895Friedrich EngelsFriedrich Engels was a German social theorist and businessman, Karl Marx's closest collaborator, and the main popularizer of Marxism after Marx's...
1864-1920Max WeberGerman sociologist and liberal nationalist who analyzed bureaucracy, legitimacy and the Protestant roots of capitalism, and argued for strong elected...
1888-1985Carl SchmittGerman jurist who argued that the sovereign is whoever decides on the exception and that politics rests on the friend and enemy distinction; he...
1906-1975Hannah ArendtHannah Arendt was a German-born American political theorist known for her studies of totalitarianism, political action and the 'banality of evil'.
Quick quiz
Which German Chancellor Are You?
Answer 12 statements and see whose recorded views sit closest to yours. Free, about two minutes.
FAQ
Germany: questions
Which political figures from Germany are on PoliticalTests?
23 figures from Germany, born between 1724 and 1954, including 11 heads of state or government. Each has a profile with sources. Leaders still active in politics are not included.
Where do figures from Germany sit on the political compass?
On the economic axis, 8 sit on the left, 8 near the centre and 7 on the right. Up and down the compass, 10 are on the authority side, 6 near the middle and 7 on the liberty side.
How are these positions worked out?
Each person is placed on the 12 axes of the 12 Axes Political Test from their own speeches, writings, votes and record in office, with sources on every profile page. The compass shows two of those measures: economic views across, and the mean of the civil and society axes up and down. The placements describe stated positions, not character or success in office.
Where can I compare all German chancellors?
The page Political Views of German Chancellors puts every one of them on one compass and lists them in order of office.
United States
United Kingdom
Brazil
France
Canada
Australia
India
Russia
Israel
Austria
Italy