World leaders in 1948

Everyone who held a state’s top posts at some point in 1948, in the order they held them. Names are from Wikipedia’s list of state leaders and appear only where the person’s Wikidata record agrees on the post and the years. What happened in 1948 →

Major powers in 1948

United StatesUnited States history

President: Harry S. Truman

United KingdomUnited Kingdom history

King: George VI
Prime minister: Clement Attlee

Soviet UnionRussia history

General Secretary: Joseph Stalin
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet: Nikolay Shvernik
Chairman of the Council of Ministers: Joseph Stalin

Allied-occupied GermanyGermany history

Military governor: Lucius D. Clay

State of JapanJapan history

Emperor: Hirohito
Prime minister: Tetsu Katayama, then Hitoshi Ashida, then Shigeru Yoshida

Africa

Beylik of TunisTunisia history

Bey: Muhammad VIII al-Amin

Ethiopian Empire

Emperor: Haile Selassie I

Kingdom of EgyptEgypt history

King: Farouk I
Prime minister: Mahmoud El Nokrashy Pasha, then Ibrahim Abdel Hady Pasha

Kingdom of Rwanda

King: Mutara III Rudahigwa

LiberiaLiberia history

President: William Tubman

Sultanate of Morocco: Alaouite dynasty

Sultan: Mohammed V

Sultanate of Zanzibar

Sultan: Khalifa II

Union of South AfricaSouth Africa history

King: George VI
Prime minister: Jan Smuts, then Daniel François Malan

Americas

Argentine RepublicArgentina history

President: Juan Perón

BoliviaBolivia history

President: Enrique Hertzog

CanadaCanada history

King: George VI
Prime minister: William Lyon Mackenzie King, then Louis St. Laurent

EcuadorEcuador history

President: Galo Plaza

First Costa Rican RepublicCosta Rica history

President: Teodoro Picado Michalski

Fourth Brazilian RepublicBrazil history

President: Eurico Gaspar Dutra

GuatemalaGuatemala history

President: Juan José Arévalo

HondurasHonduras history

President: Tiburcio Carías Andino

MexicoMexico history

President: Miguel Alemán Valdés

NicaraguaNicaragua history

President: Víctor Manuel Román y Reyes

PanamaPanama history

Provisional President: Enrique Adolfo Jiménez
President: Domingo Díaz Arosemena

Presidential Republic (1925–1973) of ChileChile history

President: Gabriel González Videla

Republic of ColombiaColombia history

President: Mariano Ospina Pérez

Republic of Costa RicaCosta Rica history

President: José Figueres Ferrer

Republic of CubaCuba history

President: Carlos Prío Socarrás
Prime minister: Raúl López del Castillo, then Manuel Antonio de Varona

Republic of Haiti (1859–1957)Haiti history

President: Dumarsais Estimé

Republic of ParaguayParaguay history

President: Higinio Moríñigo, then Juan Manuel Frutos, then Juan González

Republic of PeruPeru history

Constitutional President: José Bustamante y Rivero
President: Manuel A. Odría

Third Dominican RepublicDominican Republic history

President: Rafael Trujillo

United StatesUnited States history

President: Harry S. Truman

United States of VenezuelaVenezuela history

President: Rómulo Betancourt, then Rómulo Gallegos, then Carlos Delgado Chalbaud

UruguayUruguay history

President: Luis Batlle Berres

Asia

Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam, 1945–1976)Vietnam history

President: Ho Chi Minh
Prime minister: Ho Chi Minh

Emirate of Abu DhabiTurkey history

ruler: Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Emirate of AjmanTurkey history

ruler: Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi III

Emirate of DubaiTurkey history

ruler: Saeed bin Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum

Emirate of FujairahTurkey history

ruler: Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi

Emirate of Nejd and HasaSaudi Arabia history

King: Ibn Saud

Emirate of Ras Al KhaimahTurkey history

ruler: Sultan bin Salim Al Qasimi, then Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi

Emirate of SharjahTurkey history

ruler: Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi II

First Syrian RepublicSyria history

President: Shukri al-Quwatli

French Protectorate of CambodiaCambodia history

King: Norodom Sihanouk
Prime minister: Sisowath Watchayavong, then Chhean Vam, then Penn Nouth

Hakims of BahrainBahrain history

Hakim: Salman ibn Hamad Al Khalifa

Imperial State of Iran: Pahlavi dynastyIran history

Shah: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

IsraelIsrael history

Chairman: David Ben-Gurion, then Chaim Weizmann
Prime minister: David Ben-Gurion

Kedah SultanateMalaysia history

Sultan: Badlishah Shah

Kelantan Sultanate: Patani dynastyMalaysia history

Sultan: Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Muhammad IV

Kingdom of AfghanistanAfghanistan history

King: Mohammed Zahir Shah
Prime minister: Shah Mahmud Khan

Kingdom of IraqIraq history

Regent: 'Abd al-Ilah
King: Faisal II
Prime minister: Salih Jabr, then Mohammad Al-Sadr, then Muzahim al-Pachachi

Kingdom of JordanJordan history

King: Abdullah I
Prime minister: Tawfik Abu al-Huda

LebanonLebanon history

President: Bechara El Khoury
Prime minister: Riad Al Solh

Mongolian People's RepublicMongolia history

Prime minister: Khorloogiin Choibalsan

Negeri SembilanMalaysia history

Yamtuan: Abdul Rahman

North Yemen: Mutawakkilite Kingdom of YemenYemen history

King: Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din, then Ahmad bin Yahya

People's Republic of ChinaChina history

Chairman: Mao Zedong

Perak Sultanate: Siak dynastyMalaysia history

Sultan: Abdul Aziz al-Mu’tasim Billah Shah, then Yussuff Izzuddin Shah

PerlisMalaysia history

Raja: Syed Harun Putra Jamalullail

PhilippinesPhilippines history

President: Manuel Roxas, then Elpidio Quirino

Pontianak SultanateIndonesia history

Sultan: Syarif Hamid II

Protectorate of BruneiBrunei history

Sultan: Ahmad Tajuddin

QatarQatar history

Emir: Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani

Republic of China (1916–1949)China history

Chairmen; President: Chiang Kai-shek
Premier: Chang Ch'ün, then Weng Wenhao, then Sun Fo

Republic of Indonesia (1945–1949) / United States of IndonesiaIndonesia history

President: Sukarno
Prime minister: Amir Sjarifuddin, then Mohammad Hatta

Republic of TurkeyTurkey history

President: İsmet İnönü
Prime minister: Hasan Saka

Selangor SultanateMalaysia history

Sultan: Hisamuddin

Sheikhdom of KuwaitKuwait history

Sheikh: Ahmad I

Siam/Thailand: Rattanakosin KingdomThailand history

King: Bhumibol Adulyadej
Prime minister: Khuang Aphaiwong, then Plaek Phibunsongkhram

South Korea: Republic of Korea

President: Syngman Rhee
Prime minister: Lee Beom-seok

State of JapanJapan history

Emperor: Hirohito
Prime minister: Tetsu Katayama, then Hitoshi Ashida, then Shigeru Yoshida

State of Vietnam (South Vietnam, 1949–1955)Vietnam history

General Secretary: Trường Chinh

Sultanate/ State of Muscat and OmanOman history

Sultan: Said III

Terengganu SultanateMalaysia history

Sultan: Ismail Nasiruddin Shah

Umm Al QuwainTurkey history

ruler: Ahmad bin Rashid Al Mualla

Union of Burma

President: Sao Shwe Thaik
Prime minister: U Nu

Europe

Allied-occupied AustriaAustria history

High Commissioner: Antoine Béthouart

Allied-occupied GermanyGermany history

Military governor: Lucius D. Clay

Andorra

Episcopal Co-Prince: Ramon Iglesias i Navarri
French Co-Prince: Vincent Auriol

BelgiumBelgium history

King: Leopold III
Prime minister: Paul-Henri Spaak

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic

President: Klement Gottwald
Prime Minister: Antonín Zápotocký

Czechoslovakia: Third Republic

President: Edvard Beneš
Prime Minister: Klement Gottwald

French Fourth RepublicFrance history

President: Vincent Auriol
Prime minister: Robert Schuman, then André Marie, then Henri Queuille

Grand Duchy of LuxembourgLuxembourg history

Grand Duchess: Charlotte
Prime minister: Pierre Dupong

Kingdom of DenmarkDenmark history

King: Frederik IX
Prime minister: Hans Hedtoft

Kingdom of Greece: 4th of August RegimeGreece history

King: Paul
Prime minister: Themistoklis Sofoulis

Kingdom of NorwayNorway history

King: Haakon VII
Prime minister: Einar Gerhardsen

Kingdom of SwedenSweden history

King: Gustaf V
Prime minister: Tage Erlander

Liechtenstein

Prince: Franz Josef II
Prime Minister: Alexander Frick

Monaco

Prince: Louis II
Minister of state: Pierre de Witasse

NetherlandsNetherlands history

Queen: Wilhelmina, then Juliana
Prime minister: Louis Beel, then Willem Drees

People's Republic of BulgariaBulgaria history

General Secretary: Georgi Dimitrov
Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly: Mincho Neychev
Prime Minister: Georgi Dimitrov

People's Republic of PolandPoland history

General Secretary: Bolesław Bierut
President: Bolesław Bierut
Prime minister: Józef Cyrankiewicz

People's Socialist Republic of AlbaniaAlbania history

First Secretary: Enver Hoxha
Chairman: Omer Nishani
Prime minister: Enver Hoxha

Republic of AustriaAustria history

President: Karl Renner
Chancellor: Leopold Figl

Republic of EstoniaEstonia history

Prime minister: Otto Tief

Republic of FinlandFinland history

President: Juho Kusti Paasikivi
Prime minister: Mauno Pekkala, then Karl-August Fagerholm

Republic of IcelandIceland history

President: Sveinn Björnsson
Prime minister: Stefán Jóhann Stefánsson

Republic of IrelandIreland history

President: Seán T. O'Kelly
Taoiseach: Éamon de Valera, then John A. Costello

Republic of ItalyItaly history

Provisional Head of State; President: Enrico De Nicola
President: Luigi Einaudi
Prime minister: Alcide De Gasperi

Second Hungarian RepublicHungary history

President: Zoltán Tildy, then Árpád Szakasits
Prime minister: Lajos Dinnyés, then István Dobi

Second Portuguese RepublicPortugal history

President: Óscar Carmona
President of the Council of Minister: António de Oliveira Salazar

Socialist Republic of RomaniaRomania history

General Secretary: Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
President of the Provisional Presidium; President of the Presidium: Constantin Ion Parhon
Prime minister: Petru Groza