F.-W. SteinmeierA Biographical Archive
Enquiry
The Life
Politics
The Presidency
The World
Archive
EnquiryContact

Chapter 18 — Timeline

1956 to the present

Offices held, drawn to scale across seven decades, followed by a full chronology.

Offices to scale · 1975–2027

19751980198519901995200020052010201520202027
EducationGiessen 1976–86Assistant
AdministrationLower Saxony 1991–98Federal Chancellery 1998–2005
Cabinet & BundestagFM IOppositionFM II
Head of stateVCFederal President 2017–2027

VC: Vice-Chancellor 2007–2009. Scale is linear from 1975 to 2027.

1950s–70s

  1. Born in Detmold; grows up in Brakelsiek, Lippe.
  2. Abitur in Blomberg; begins military service with the Air Force in Goslar.
  3. Joins the Social Democratic Party of Germany.
  4. Begins studying law at Justus Liebig University Giessen.

1980s

  1. Adds political science to his studies.
  2. First state examination in law.
  3. Second state examination; academic assistant in public law and political science at Giessen.

1990s

  1. Doctorate in law; joins the Lower Saxony State Chancellery as adviser on media law and policy.
  2. Head of the personal office of Minister-President Gerhard Schröder.
  3. Marries Elke Büdenbender.
  4. Head of the Lower Saxony State Chancellery.
  5. State Secretary in the Federal Chancellery; Commissioner for the Federal Intelligence Services.
  6. Head of the Federal Chancellery.

2000s

  1. Chancellor Schröder announces Agenda 2010.
  2. Federal Foreign Minister in Merkel's first cabinet.
  3. Vice-Chancellor.
  4. Acting SPD chairman until 18 October 2008; named candidate for chancellor.
  5. Federal election: SPD 23.0 %. Elected to the Bundestag; leads the SPD parliamentary group.

2010s

  1. Donates a kidney to his wife.
  2. Federal Foreign Minister again, in Merkel's third cabinet.
  3. Munich Security Conference speech on German responsibility.
  4. Kyiv agreement mediated with France and Poland.
  5. Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA) concluded in Vienna.
  6. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.
  7. Leaves the Foreign Office; succeeded by Sigmar Gabriel.
  8. Elected Federal President (931 of 1,239 valid votes).
  9. Takes office as twelfth Federal President; sworn in on 22 March.
  10. State visit to India (until 26 March).
  11. Commemorates the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Poland in Wieluń and Warsaw.

2020s

  1. Speech at the World Holocaust Forum, Yad Vashem.
  2. Speech on the 75th anniversary of the end of the war.
  3. National commemoration for the victims of the pandemic.
  4. Re-elected with 1,045 votes.
  5. Calls his adherence to Nord Stream 2 "clearly a mistake".
  6. Visits Kyiv and Koriukivka.
  7. Speaks at the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising commemoration.
  8. Asks forgiveness for colonial crimes in Songea, Tanzania.
  9. Dissolves the Bundestag.
  10. Appoints Friedrich Merz Chancellor.
  11. Visit to the Philippines, the first by a German head of state since 1963.
  12. Scheduled date of the Federal Convention to elect his successor.
Chapter 01BiographyThe life in eight chaptersChapter 06The PresidencySchloss Bellevue, 2017–2027Chapter 11Major Events & CrisesThe record, front page
Return to the front pageFull chronology