Minister President of Prussia

The minister-president (German: Ministerpräsident), or prime minister, of Prussia was the head of government of the Prussian state. This important role began in 1848 when King Frederick William IV created it during the 1848–49 Revolution. The minister-president led the government and helped make big decisions for Prussia.

Prussia was a major part of what is now Germany. Over time, many people served as minister-president, each shaping the history of Prussia in different ways. The job ended in 1947 when the Allied Control Council abolished Prussia after World War II. This change marked the end of Prussia as a separate state and led to the creation of modern Germany.

History of the office

Under the Kingdom of Prussia, the minister-president was the main advisor to the king and led the Landtag, the Prussian legislature created in 1848. After Germany became unified in 1871, the person in this role was often also the chancellor of the German Empire, starting with Otto von Bismarck.

Later, during the Weimar Republic, the minister-president acted as the head of the government for the Free State of Prussia. The role lost its power after 1932 and was finally ended along with Prussia itself by the Allies after World War II.

Chief ministers of the Kingdom of Prussia (1702–1848)

Here is a list of the chief ministers who led the government of Prussia from 1702 until 1848:

• 1702–1711: Johann Kasimir Kolbe von Wartenberg
• 1711–1728: Heinrich Rüdiger von Ilgen
• 1728–1739: Friedrich Wilhelm von Grumbkow
• 1739–1749: Heinrich von Podewils
• 1749–1753: Georg Dietloff von Arnim-Boitzenburg
• 1749–1777: Count Karl-Wilhelm Finck von Finckenstein
• 1777–1802: Friedrich Anton von Heynitz
• 1786–1798: Friedrich Wilhelm von Arnim-Boitzenburg
• 1802–1804: Count Christian Heinrich Kurt von Haugwitz (1st term)
• 1804–1806: Count Karl August von Hardenberg (1st term)
• 1806–1804: Count Christian Heinrich Kurt von Haugwitz (2nd term)
• 1806–1807: Carl Friedrich von Beyme
• 1807–1807: Count Karl August von Hardenberg (2nd term)
• 1807–1808: Baron Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein
• 1808–1810: Count Karl Friedrich Ferdinand Alexander zu Dohna-Schlobitten
• 1810–1822: Prince Karl August von Hardenberg (3rd term)
• 1822–1823: Otto von Voß^{[clarification needed]}
• 1823–1841: Count Carl Friedrich Heinrich, Graf von Wylich und Lottum^{[clarification needed]}
• 1841–1848: Ludwig Gustav von Thile

List of minister-presidents of Prussia (1848–1945)

Minister-presidents of the Kingdom of Prussia (1848–1918)

The role of minister-president in Prussia began in 1848 during a time of big changes in Europe. Leaders from different political groups, such as the Zentrum and those with no party affiliation None, held this important job.

Minister-presidents of the Free State of Prussia (1918–1945)

After World War I, Prussia became a free state, and new leaders from parties like the SPD, USPD, Zentrum, NSDAP, and those with no party affiliation None took on the role. This continued until 1945, when big changes happened in Germany after World War II.

Timeline

The timeline shows the different people who were minister-presidents over the years, reflecting the changes in Prussia’s government through two major periods of history.

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party
			Took office	Left office	Days
		Count Adolf Heinrich von Arnim-Boitzenburg (1803–1868)	19 March 1848	29 March 1848	10	Non-partisan
		Gottfried Ludolf Camphausen (1803–1890)	29 March 1848	20 June 1848	83	Non-partisan
		Rudolf von Auerswald (1795–1866)	25 June 1848	8 September 1848	75	Non-partisan
		Ernst von Pfuel (1779–1866)	21 September 1848	1 November 1848	41	Non-partisan
		Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg (1792–1850)	2 November 1848	6 November 1850	734	Non-partisan
		Baron Otto Theodor von Manteuffel (1805–1882)	9 December 1850	6 November 1858	2889	Non-partisan
		Prince Karl Anton von Hohenzollern (1811–1885)	6 November 1858	12 March 1862	1222	Non-partisan
		Prince Adolf zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (1797–1873)	17 March 1862	23 September 1862	190	Non-partisan
		Prince Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898) First term	23 September 1862	1 January 1873	3753	Non-partisan
		Count Albrecht von Roon (1803–1879)	1 January 1873	9 November 1873	312	Non-partisan
		Prince Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898) Second term	9 November 1873	20 March 1890	5975	Non-partisan
		Count Leo von Caprivi (1831–1899)	20 March 1890	22 March 1892	733	Non-partisan
		Count Botho zu Eulenburg (1831–1912)	22 March 1892	26 October 1894	948	Non-partisan
		Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1819–1901)	29 October 1894	17 October 1900	2179	Non-partisan
		Prince Bernhard von Bülow (1849–1929)	17 October 1900	14 July 1909	3192	Non-partisan
		Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg (1856–1921)	14 July 1909	13 July 1917	2921	Non-partisan
		Georg Michaelis (1857–1936)	14 July 1917	1 November 1917	110	Non-partisan
		Count Georg von Hertling (1843–1919)	1 November 1917	30 September 1918	333	Centre
		Prince Maximilian von Baden (1867–1929)	3 October 1918	9 November 1918	37	Non-partisan

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party
			Took office	Left office	Days
Minister-presidents of the Free State of Prussia in the Weimar Republic
		Paul Hirsch (1868–1940)	12 November 1918	27 March 1920	501	Social Democratic Party of Germany
		Heinrich Ströbel (1869–1944) Co-prime minister	12 November 1918	9 January 1919	29	Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
		Otto Braun (1872–1955) First term	27 March 1920	21 April 1921	390	Social Democratic Party of Germany
		Adam Stegerwald (1874–1945)	21 April 1921	5 November 1921	198	Centre Party
		Otto Braun (1872–1955) Second term	5 November 1921	18 February 1925	1201	Social Democratic Party of Germany
		Wilhelm Marx (1863–1946)	18 February 1925	6 April 1925	47	Centre Party
		Otto Braun (1872–1955) Third term	6 April 1925	20 July 1932	2662	Social Democratic Party of Germany
		Franz von Papen (1879–1969)	Reichskommissar		136	Non-partisan
			20 July 1932	3 December 1932
		Kurt von Schleicher (1882–1934)	Reichskommissar		56	Non-partisan
			3 December 1932	28 January 1933
		Franz von Papen (1879–1969)	Reichskommissar		70	Non-partisan
			30 January 1933	10 April 1933
		Adolf Hitler (1889–1945)	Reichsstatthalter		730	Nazi Party
			30 January 1933	30 January 1935
Minister-president of the Free State of Prussia in Nazi Germany
		Hermann Göring (1893–1946)	Ministerpräsident		4396	Nazi Party
			10 April 1933	23 April 1945
			Reichsstatthalter		3736
			30 January 1935	23 April 1945