The Chancellor of the German Empire, in German Reichskanzler, meaning Imperial Chancellor was the title of the head of the German gouvernment from 1871 till 1934. In the German Empire, the Reichskanzler served both as the Kaiser's first minister, and as presiding officer of the Bundesrat, the upper chamber of the Imperial German parliament. He was neither elected by nor responsible to Parliament (the Reichstag). Instead, the Reichskanzler was appointed by the Emperor.
This was only changed on October 29, 1918 with an amendment to the 1871 constitution. However, the change could not prevent the outbreak of the revolution a few days later. The new constitution of the 1919 Weimar Republic said that the Reichskanzler was appointed by the Imperial President, but that the parliament had the right to dismiss a chancellor or any of the ministers. In fact many of the Weimar governments depended highly on the cooperation of the President, due to uncertain circumstances in the parliament. The last of 15 Weimar chancellors was Adolf Hitler, appointed on January 30, 1933.
Reichskanzler of the 1871 German Empire:
Ebert continued to serve as Head of Government during the two months between the end of the German Empire in November 1918 and the first gathering of the National Assembly in February 1919, but did not hold the title of Chancellor.
Reichskanzler of the 1919 Weimar Republic:
Reichskanzler of the Nazi Era
