1949: Konrad Adenauer (CDU)
1953: Erich Ollenhauer (SDP)
1957: Konrad Adenauer (CDU)
1961: Konrad Adenauer (CDU)
1965: Gustav Heinemann (SDP)
1970: Günter Guillaume (SDP) [1]
1974: Helmut Schmidt (SDP)
1978: Helmut Schmidt (SDP)
1981: Helmut Kohl (CDU) [2]
1983: Dietrich Stobbe (SDP) [3]
1987: Dietrich Stobbe (SDP)
1989: Herbert Mies (DKP) (4)
1997: Frank Tommler (German Revolutionaries)[5]
2000: Joschka Fischer (Democratic Centrist Alliance) [6]
2003: Gerhard Schroeder (Social Union) [7]
2007: Karl-Theodor von und zu Guttenberg (Party of National Recovery) [8]
2011: Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Social Union)
[1] Heinemann resigns as leader of the SDP in 1969 after an assassination attempt, but he continues serving his remaining term as Chancellor. His deputy, Vice Chancellor Günter Guillaume wins the 1970 election and becomes Chancellor.
[2] The Schimidt government loses a no-confidence motion after the Free Democratic Party withdraws from the coaltion.
[3] After Kohl and his allies shot down Franz Josef Strauss' bid for the Chancellory as joint CDU/CSU candidate in 1981, the CSU withdraws its support from Kohl's government. In 1983, the CDU fields candidates in Bavaria. In retaliation, the CSU joins the nascent Greens in providing confidence-and-supply for the former Mayor of West Berlin.
(4) 1989 Warsaw Pact troops occupy West Germany. After leaving NATO in 1984 and a defense-politic of "strukturelle Nichtangriffsfähigkeit", the west-german Goverment sees resistance as futile. Under pressure of the occupation forces DKP-chairman Herbert Mies is appointet chancellor.
[5] The USSR and most Warsaw Pact nations fell in 1992, with only Germany and Yugoslavia remaining Communist. Yugoslavia fell apart to Civil War in 1995 with Italy, Austria, Hungary, Romania. Bulgaria, and Greece all annexing large parts of the war torn region. In 1997 Germany, the last bastion of Communism in Europe, fell to revolutionaries.
[6] First free election held since the communist regime fell.
[7] Social Alliance: A left of center party in contrast to the Alliance. Primary focus is on economic growth and unity with Western Europe, rather than green politics and personal liberties.
[8] The ongoing economic crisis leads to a landslide victory of the right-wing, anti-communist "Partei der nationalen Erneuerung". The Party promise a return to a "true free market economy" and a radical purge of "communist collaborators" from the civil service.
[9] Due to the PNR's complete failure in revitalizing the German economy, or promote any significant job growth, they are ousted in what is a landslide election for the Social Union.