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| 1347 | Charles IV |  |
| Bohemia Founds a hereditary monarchy |
| 1723 | Frederick William I | |
| Berlin Centralizes the administration |
| 1818 | Louis I | |
| Bavaria A liberal, supports the Bavarian constitution against Metternich |
| 1818 | Maximilian I Joseph | |
| Bavaria Grants Bavaria a Liberal Constitution |
| 1820 | Frederick William III | |
| Berlin Promises to give Prussia a Constitution |
| Berlin The government cannot raise a loan without an elected representative Assembly |
| 1847 | Frederick William IV | |
| Berlin Allows freedom of the press |
| Berlin Refuses to allow a fully representative Assembly |
| Berlin Refuses to allow a written Constitution |
| Berlin The Diet is united against Frederick William's idea of a representative Assembly |
| 1848 | Gagern, Heinrich Wilhelm August Freiherr von | |
| Dec Berlin The Declaration of the Basic Rights , a model for all German democratic institutions |
| 1849 | Frederick William IV | |
| 4th April Frankfurt Rejects the Imperial Crown offered by the Parliament of Frankfurt |
| 1849 | Radowitz, Joseph von | |
| Erfurt Develops a union under Prussia & forces the constitution through the Union Parliament |
| 1850 | Frederick William IV | |
| Berlin Refuses to abandon the constitution after Schwarzenburg's offer to divide Germany |
| 1851 | Manteuffel, Otto von | |
| Jan Prussia will defend Austria if it accepts Prussia within the German Confederation |
| 1863 | Bismarck-Schonhausen, Otto Furst von | |
| 28th Nov Schleswig Holst Allies with Austria after the Danish King declares unification with Schleswig-Holst |
| 28th Nov The House of Deputies passes a resolution declaring that it could no longer come to terms with Bismarck, the King dissolves the Diet, accusing it of trying to obtain unconstitutional control over the ministry |
| 1866 | Bismarck-Schonhausen, Otto Furst von | |
| Prussia quickly defeated Austria and its allies, in a crushing victory at the Battle of K”niggr„tz followed by the Peace of Prague the German Confederation is dissolved |
| 1867 | Bucher, Adolf Lothar | |
| Berlin Draws up the Constitution of the North German Confederation |
| 1867 | Wilhelm I | |
| Berlin Appointed Head of the North German Confederation |
| Berlin The Prussian landtag and the Nth German Governments accept a new Constitution |
| Feb Berlin Elections take place for the new Reichstag |
| 1868 | Bismarck-Schonhausen, Otto Furst von | |
| Berlin Creates a Customs Parliament including the sth German States |
| 1869 | Bismarck-Schonhausen, Otto Furst von | |
| Berlin The Customs Union fails, "no man is humiliated who does not feel himself humiliated" |
| 1870 | Wilhelm I | |
| 19th Dec Berlin Refuses the crown offered to him by the new Confeferation of a united Germany |
| 1871 | Bismarck-Schonhausen, Otto Furst von | |
| A Federal Government, Bundesrat, elected by regional Governments |
| A National Government, Reichstag, elected by all males over 25 by secret ballot |
| Bismarck's intention is to create a constitutional fa‡ade which would mask the continuation of authoritarian policies |
| Legislation requires the consent of the Bundesrat, the federal council of deputies from the states, executive power is vested in the emperor, or Kaiser, who is assisted by a chancellor responsible only to him |
| Officially, the chancellor is a one-man cabinet and is responsible for the conduct of all state affairs; in practice, the State Secretaries (officials in charge of fields as finance, war, foreign affairs, etc.) act as unofficial portfolio ministers |
| Prussia uses a highly restrictive three-class voting system in which the richest third of the population could choose 85 percent of the legislature, all but assuring a conservative majority |
| The Reichstag has the power to pass, amend or reject bills, it could not initiate legislation, the power of initiating legislation rests with the Chancellor |
| The unified Germany under Chancellor Otto von Bismarck is called in German Deutsches Reich, remains the official name of Germany until 1945 |
| With the exception of the years 1872-1873 and 1892-1894, the Chancellor is always simultaneously the prime minister of Prussia, with 17 out of 58 votes in the Bundesrat, Berlin needed only a few votes from the small states to exercise control |
| 1871 | Wilhelm I | |
| 18th Jan Declared Emperor of a united German Reich in the Galerie des Glaces in Versailles |
| 1882 | Bismarck-Schonhausen, Otto Furst von | |
| Jan Berlin Says the Emperor is the real Minister President of Prussia |
| 4th Jan Berlin Passes a Royal Edict proclaiming the Emperor's responsibility for government policy |
| 24th Jan Berlin Informs the Landtag that the First Minister will be the servant of the King-Emperor |
| 1915 | Beseler, Hans von | |
| Creates a semi-independent "Congress Poland" ruled by an aristocratic Assembly |
| 24th Aug Creates a semi-independent "Congress Poland" ruled by an aristocratic Assembly |
| 1916 | Beseler, Hans von | |
| 5th Nov Proclaims the Polish Congress of State for military & economic resources for Germany |
| 1916 | Ludendorf, Erich von | |
| Ludendorff and Hindenburg become the leaders of the military-industrial dictatorship Third Supreme Command |
| 1917 | Ludendorf, Erich von | |
| July Ludendorff becomes the dominant figure in the Third Supreme Command and after the resignation of Theobald Bethmann Hollweg takes political, military and economic control of Germany |
| 1918 | Ebert, Friedrich | |
| 31st July Berlin the 1871 constitution is amended to make the Reich a parliamentary democracy, which the government had refused for half a century, the Chancellor is henceforth responsible to Parliament, the Reichstag, and no longer to the Kaiser |
| 31st July Berlin The plan to transform Germany into a constitutional monarchy similar to Britain quickly becomes obsolete as the country slid into a state of near-total chaos |
| 31st July Berlin The Weimar Republic is adopted |
| 29th Oct Berlin Rebellion breaks out when the military command, without consultation with the government, orders the German High Seas Fleet to sortie |
| 9th Nov Berlin Begins preparations for elections to the new National Constitutional Assembly |
| 9th Nov From November 1918 through January 1919, Germany is governed dictatorially by the Council of People's Commissioners |
| 9th Nov Berlin In a legally questionable act, Reichskanzler Prince Max of Baden transfers his powers to Friedrich Ebert, leader of the MSPD, who, shattered by the monarchy's fall, reluctantly accepts |
| 9th Nov Berlin Opposes Scheidemann's declaration of a republic, wants a constitutional monarchy |
| 9th Nov The Ebert-Groener pact stipulates that the government would not attempt to reform the Army so long as the army swore to protect the state |
| 9th Nov To ensure that his fledgling government is able to maintain control over the country, Ebert makes an uneasy pact with the OHL, now led by Ludendorff's successor General Wilhelm Groener |
| 10th Nov A coalition government called "Council of People's Commissioners" (Rat der Volksbeauftragten) was established, consisting of three MSPD and three USPD members, led by Ebert for the MSPD and Hugo Haase for the USPD |
| 10th Nov Berlin Calls for a National Constitutional Assembly |
| 12th Nov Berlin Proclaims the aims of the new German regime |
| 1918 | Eisner | |
| Bavaria A Socialist Republic under Kurt Eisner is established |
| 1918 | Eisner, Kurt | |
| Berlin Assassinated & a communist revolt suppressed, Bavaria joins the Weimar Republic |
| 1918 | Liebknecht, Karl | |
| 9th Nov Berlin A Soviet republic was proclaimed, at the Berliner Stadtschloss by a left-wing radical named Karl Liebknecht |
| 1918 | Maximilian of Baden | |
| 28th Oct Berlin The Kaiser signs amended constitution |
| 7th Nov Berlin Bavaria is declared a republic |
| 7th Nov Berlin In a legally questionable act, Reichskanzler Prince Max of Baden transfers his powers to Friedrich Ebert, leader of the MSPD, who, shattered by the monarchy's fall, reluctantly accepts |
| 1918 | Scheidemann, Phillip | |
| 9th Nov Berlin Proclaims the new "Free German Republic" without any Party or Government authorization |
| 9th Nov Berlin Scheidemann, concerned in the face of a possible workers' revolution in Berlin, proclaims the Republic from a balcony in the Reichstag building, without consulting any of his colleagues |
| 9th Nov Berlin The Weimar Republic is proclaimed by Philipp Scheidemann at the Reichstag building in Berlin, to the fury of the Reichskanzler, who still hoped to preserve the monarchy |
| 1919 | Ebert, Friedrich | |
| Jan Weimar The Weimar Constitution creates a republic under a semi-presidential system with the Reichstag elected by proportional representation |
| 19th Jan Weimar To avoid the ongoing fights in Berlin, the National Assembly convenes in the city of Weimar, giving the future Republic its unofficial name |
| 11th Aug Weimar The Republic's first Reichspr„sident ("Reich President"), Friedrich Ebert of the SPD, signs the new German constitution into law |
| 1919 | Preuss, Hugo | |
| Berlin A President can invoke article 48 to suspend civil rights & assume dictatorial power |
| Berlin Drafts the new German Constitution |
| Berlin Germany is to be headed by a popularly elected President |
| Berlin The state will consist of the Reichstag, elected Parliament & Reichsrat |
| 11th Aug Berlin The Republic's first Reichspr„sident ("Reich President"), Friedrich Ebert of the SPD, signs the new German constitution into law |
| 11th Aug Berlin The Weimar constitution is accepted by the National Assembly & signed by the President |
| 1919 | Scheidemann, Phillip | |
| Feb Berlin 1st Chancellor of the new Republic |
| 1919 | Stressman, Gustav | |
| Berlin Votes against the constitution of the Weimar Republic |
| 1921 | Hitler, Adolf | |
| 1st Aug Munich Sweeps away committees & establishes the "leadership principle" |
| 1923 | Stressman, Gustav | |
| 21st Oct Berlin A Rhineland Republic supported by Belgium & France is declared at Aachen |
| 1930 | Bruening, Heinrich | |
| After an unpopular bill to reform the Reich's finances is left unsupported by the Reichstag, Hindenburg establishes the bill as an emergency decree based on Article 48 of the constitution |
| 29th Mar Chancellors Br?ning, Papen, Schleicher and Hitler are all Presidentially appointed dictatorships |
| 29th Mar The new government is expected to lead a political shift towards conservatism, based on the emergency powers granted to the Reichspr„sident by the constitution, since it had no majority support in the Reichstag |
| 1933 | Best, Werner | |
| "as long as the police carries out the will of the leadership it is acting legally" |
| 1933 | Hindenburg, Paul Ludwig Hans von | |
| 28th Feb Berlin Allows Hitler to use emergency powers under Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution |
| 1933 | Hitler, Adolf | |
| 30th Jan Berlin The Government rules by Presidential decree as a coalition of "National accord" |
| 30th Jan Berlin The "National Revolution" is followed by a "Lawful Revolution" |
| 28th Feb Berlin After the Reichstag fire constitutional rights are suspended by Presidential decree |
| 28th Feb Individual liberty under the Weimer constitution is suspended |
| 21st Mar Berlin "The day of Potsdam", Parliament is deprived of its powers |
| 23rd Mar Berlin 441 in the Reichstag vote for the Enabling Bill, only 94 against |
| 23rd Mar Berlin A dictatorship in all but name is established |
| 23rd Mar Berlin All political parties other than the NSDAP are banned |
| 23rd Mar Berlin Legislative power is transferred to the executive |
| 23rd Mar Berlin The Centre Party votes for the Enabling Law, the "legal" basis of dictatorship |
| 23rd Mar Berlin The Enabling Act secures Hitler's independence from the Reichstag & President |
| 23rd Mar Berlin The Enabling Bill is put before the Reichstag |
| 24th Mar Berlin After the passage of the Enabling Act Hitler becomes dictator of Germany |
| 24th Mar Berlin Germany becomes a dictatorship |
| 24th Mar Berlin The Reichstag votes for the Enabling Act handing over legislative control to the Nazis |
| 7th April Appoints Nazi Reich Governors to run all German states subjecting them to the Reich |
| 14th July Berlin The National Socialist German Worker's Party becomes the only political party |
| 1st Dec Berlin The NSDAP becomes the party of the state |
| 1933 | Wells, Otto | |
| 23rd Mar Berlin Speaks against the Enabling Act in the Reichstag |
| 1934 | Blomberg, Werner von | |
| 2nd Aug Berlin After Reichspr„sident Paul von Hindenburg dies, personally orders all soldiers in the army to pledge the Reichswehreid Oath of allegiance not to Volk and Fatherland, but to the new Reichspr„sident and F?hrer Adolf Hitler |
| 1934 | Goebbels, Paul Joseph | |
| 2nd Aug Berlin Broadcasts to the nation announcing the merger of the offices of Fuhrer & President |
| 1934 | Hitler, Adolf | |
| Berlin Abolishes the title & office of the President |
| 7th April Abolishes state assemblies & transfers all sovereign power to the Reich |
| 1st Aug A law is passed combining the offices of "Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor" with President |
| 2nd Aug Berlin Appoints himself as President of Germany after the death of President von Hindenburg |
| 2nd Aug Goebbels makes a broadcast announcing the merger of the offices of Fuhrer & President |
| 1935 | Hitler, Adolf | |
| 15th Sep Berlin Creates Reichsburger of "pure German blood" |
| 15th Sep Berlin Jews lose legal equality as Germany is divided into "subjects"& "citizens" |
| 1938 | Hitler, Adolf | |
| Feb Berlin The last Cabinet meeting of the Third Reich |
| Feb Berlin With Hitler's approval the CAbinet can promulgate decrees which have the status of law |
| 1948 | Adenauer, Konrad | |
| Bonn A Constitution is postponed until re-unification |
| Bonn A Federal Assembly, the Bundestag, is to be elected every 4 yrs by universal suffrage |
| Bonn The Basic Law rests on the will of the people of the western Lander |
| Bonn The Basic Laws are drawn up to provide West Germany with a working constitution |
| 1949 | Adenauer, Konrad | |
| 23rd May Bonn Establishes the Federal Republic's constitution |
| 1949 | Heuss, Theodore | |
| 1st Aug Bonn Becomes West Germany's 1st President |
| 1951 | Adenauer, Konrad | |
| 6th Dec Bonn Russia opposes free elections in Germany |
| 6th Dec Bonn The FDR & DDR agree to send reresentatives to the UN to discuss free elections |
| 1990 | Kohl, Helmut | |
| 2nd Oct Bonn The German Democratic Republic ceases to exist at midnight |
| 1990 | Modrow, Hans | |
| 18th Mar The 1st free elections are held in the DDR |
| 1994 | Kohl, Helmut | |
| Bonn The Constitutional Court allows Bundeswehr troops on NATO peace-keeping missions |