Who was the first Chancellor of Germany?

• A. Konrad Adenauer
• B. Otto von Bismarck
• C. Willy Brandt
• D. Helmut Kohl

Answer: (B)

Identifying who first held the Chancellor role in a unified Germany helps distinguish the early imperial government from later postwar governments. Otto von Bismarck led the newly unified Germany as Chancellor starting in 1871 under Emperor Wilhelm I, and he served in that role until 1890. This established the pattern of the chancellor as the head of government within the German Empire. In contrast, Konrad Adenauer became the first chancellor of West Germany after World War II, Willy Brandt led Germany in the 1960s and 1970s, and Helmut Kohl in the 1980s through reunification; none of them preceded Bismarck. So the first Chancellor of Germany in the sense of the unified empire is Otto von Bismarck.