165. Who was the first Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany?

Answer options

1. Konrad Adenauer
2. Kurt Georg Kiesinger
3. Helmut Schmidt
4. Willy Brandt

Explanation

The first Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic was Konrad Adenauer (in office 1949–1963), elected by the Bundestag under Article 63 of the Basic Law upon nomination by the Federal President. Exercising the Chancellor’s authority to set policy guidelines (Article 65), he anchored Westbindung, advanced integration into the ECSC/EEC and NATO accession (1955), and consolidated the new system of parliamentary accountability. Constitutionally, his office marked a break with the Weimar Reich Chancellor; the model of chancellor democracy was further stabilized by the constructive vote of no confidence in Article 67. Historically, Adenauer laid key foundations for federalism and the social market economy within the framework of the Basic Law.