World leaders in 1961
Everyone who held a state’s top posts at some point in 1961, 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 1961 →
Major powers in 1961
United StatesUnited States history
- President
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, then John F. Kennedy
United KingdomUnited Kingdom history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Harold Macmillan
Soviet UnionRussia history
- General Secretary
- Nikita Khrushchev
- Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
- Leonid Brezhnev
- Chairman of the Council of Ministers
- Nikita Khrushchev
People's Republic of ChinaChina history
- Chairman; Paramount Leader
- Mao Zedong
- President
- Liu Shaoqi
- Premier
- Zhou Enlai
FranceFrance history
- President
- Charles de Gaulle
- Prime minister
- Michel Debré
East GermanyGermany history
- Chairmen of the State Council
- Walter Ulbricht
- Chairman
- Otto Grotewohl
West GermanyGermany history
- President
- Heinrich Lübke
- Chancellor
- Konrad Adenauer
JapanJapan history
- Emperor
- Hirohito
Republic of IndiaIndia history
- President
- Rajendra Prasad
- Prime minister
- Jawaharlal Nehru
Africa
Central African Republic
- President
- David Dacko
Ethiopian EmpireEthiopia history
- I, Emperor
- Haile Selassie
French Upper Volta/ Republic of Upper VoltaBurkina Faso history
- President
- Maurice Yaméogo
GabonGabon history
Islamic Republic of MauritaniaMauritania history
- Acting Head of State; President
- Moktar Ould Daddah
- Prime minister
- Moktar Ould Daddah
Kingdom of BurundiBurundi history
- Prime minister
- André Muhirwa
Kingdom of LibyaLibya history
- King
- Idris
- Prime minister
- Muhammad Osman Said
Kingdom of RwandaRwanda history
LiberiaLiberia history
- President
- William Tubman
Malagasy RepublicMadagascar history
- President
- Philibert Tsiranana
Republic of CameroonCameroon history
- President
- Ahmadou Ahidjo
- Prime minister
- Charles Assalé, then John Ngu Foncha
Republic of ChadChad history
- President
- François Tombalbaye
Republic of DahomeyBenin history
- President
- Hubert Maga
Republic of GhanaGhana history
- President of the First Republic
- Kwame Nkrumah
Republic of GuineaGuinea history
- President
- Ahmed Sékou Touré
Republic of Ivory CoastIvory Coast history
- President
- Félix Houphouët-Boigny
Republic of MaliMali history
- Head of State
- Modibo Keïta
- Prime minister
- Modibo Keïta
Republic of RwandaRwanda history
- Interim President
- Dominique Mbonyumutwa
- President
- Grégoire Kayibanda
- Prime minister
- Grégoire Kayibanda
Republic of SenegalSenegal history
- President
- Léopold Sédar Senghor
- Prime minister
- Mamadou Dia
Republic of South AfricaSouth Africa history
- State President
- Charles Robberts Swart
- Prime minister
- Hendrik Verwoerd
Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville)
- President
- Fulbert Youlou
Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)
- President
- Joseph Kasa-Vubu
- Prime minister
- Justin Marie Bomboko, then Joseph Iléo, then Cyrille Adoula
Republic of the NigerNiger history
- President of the Republic
- Hamani Diori
Republic of the Sudan (1956–1969)Sudan history
- President
- Ibrahim Abboud
- Prime minister
- Ibrahim Abboud
Republic of TunisiaTunisia history
- President
- Habib Bourguiba
Sierra Leone (Commonwealth realm)Sierra Leone history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
Somali RepublicSomalia history
- President
- Aden Abdullah Osman Daar
- Prime minister
- Abdirashid Ali Shermarke
Sultanate of ZanzibarTanzania history
- Sultan
- Abdullah
Sultanate/ Kingdom of MoroccoMorocco history
- King
- Mohammed V, then Hassan II
Tanganyika (1961–1964)Tanzania history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Julius Nyerere
Togolese RepublicTogo history
- President
- Sylvanus Olympio
- Prime minister
- Sylvanus Olympio
Union of South AfricaSouth Africa history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Hendrik Verwoerd
United Arab RepublicEgypt history
- President and Prime minister
- Gamal Abdel Nasser
Americas
ArgentinaArgentina history
- President
- Arturo Frondizi
BoliviaBolivia history
- President
- Víctor Paz Estenssoro
CanadaCanada history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- John Diefenbaker
ColombiaColombia history
- President
- Alberto Lleras Camargo
Duvalier dynasty, HaitiHaiti history
- President
- François Duvalier
EcuadorEcuador history
- President
- C.J. Arosemena Monroy
El Stronato: ParaguayParaguay history
- President
- Alfredo Stroessner
GuatemalaGuatemala history
- President
- Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes
HondurasHonduras history
- President
- Ramón Villeda Morales
MexicoMexico history
- President
- Adolfo López Mateos
NicaraguaNicaragua history
- President
- Luis Somoza Debayle
Presidential Republic (1925–1973) of ChileChile history
- President
- Jorge Alessandri
Republic of Costa RicaCosta Rica history
- President
- Mario Echandi Jiménez
Republic of CubaCuba history
- President
- Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado
- Prime minister
- Fidel Castro
Republic of PeruPeru history
- Constitutional President
- Manuel Prado y Ugarteche
- Prime Minister
- Pedro Beltrán Espantoso, then Carlos Moreyra y Paz Soldán
Republic of VenezuelaVenezuela history
- President
- Rómulo Betancourt
Second Brazilian RepublicBrazil history
- President
- Juscelino Kubitschek, then Jânio Quadros, then Ranieri Mazzilli, then João Goulart
Suriname (Kingdom of the Netherlands)Suriname history
- Prime minister
- Severinus Desiré Emanuels
Third Dominican RepublicDominican Republic history
- President
- Joaquín Balaguer
United StatesUnited States history
- President
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, then John F. Kennedy
UruguayUruguay history
- President (National Council of Government)
- Benito Nardone, then Eduardo Víctor Haedo
Asia
BhutanBhutan history
- Druk Gyalpo
- Jigme Dorji Wangchuck
- Prime minister
- Jigme Palden Dorji
Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) (1945–1976)Vietnam history
- President
- Ho Chi Minh
- Prime minister
- Phạm Văn Đồng
Dominion of CeylonSri Lanka history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Emirate of Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates history
Emirate of AjmanUnited Arab Emirates history
Emirate of DubaiUnited Arab Emirates history
Emirate of FujairahUnited Arab Emirates history
Emirate of Ras Al KhaimahUnited Arab Emirates history
Emirate of SharjahUnited Arab Emirates history
Hakims of Bahrain/ State of BahrainBahrain history
Imperial State of IranIran history
Iraqi Republic (1958–1968)Iraq history
- President
- Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i
- Prime minister
- Abd al-Karim Qasim
Islamic Republic of PakistanPakistan history
- President
- Ayub Khan
IsraelIsrael history
- President
- Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
- Prime minister
- David Ben-Gurion
JapanJapan history
- Emperor
- Hirohito
Kingdom of AfghanistanAfghanistan history
- Prime minister
- Mohammed Daoud Khan
Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970)Cambodia history
- Prince
- Norodom Sihanouk
- Prime minister
- Pho Proeung, then Penn Nouth
Kingdom of JordanJordan history
- King
- Hussein
Kingdom of LaosLaos history
- Prime minister
- Boun Oum
Kingdom of NepalNepal history
- King
- Mahendra
Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia history
- King
- Saud
Lao People's Democratic RepublicLaos history
- General Secretary
- Kaysone Phomvihane
LebanonLebanon history
- President
- Fuad Chehab
- Prime minister
- Rashid Karami
Liberal democracy period in IndonesiaIndonesia history
- President
- Sukarno
MalaysiaMalaysia history
- Yang di-Pertuan Agong
- Putra of Perlis
- Prime minister
- Tunku Abdul Rahman
Mongolian People's Republic
- Prime minister
- Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal
North KoreaNorth Korea history
- Chairman
- Kim Il Sung
- Premier
- Kim Il Sung
North Yemen: Mutawakkilite Kingdom of YemenYemen history
- King
- Ahmad bin Yahya
People's Republic of ChinaChina history
- Chairman; Paramount Leader
- Mao Zedong
- President
- Liu Shaoqi
- Premier
- Zhou Enlai
PhilippinesPhilippines history
- President
- Carlos P. Garcia, then Diosdado Macapagal
Protectorate of Brunei / Nation of BruneiBrunei history
- Sultan
- Omar Ali Saifuddien III
QatarQatar history
Republic of China: TaiwanTaiwan history
- President
- Chiang Kai-shek
- Premier
- Chen Cheng
Republic of CyprusCyprus history
- President
- Makarios III
Republic of IndiaIndia history
- President
- Rajendra Prasad
- Prime minister
- Jawaharlal Nehru
Republic of South MalukuIndonesia history
- President
- Chris Soumokil
Republic of TurkeyTurkey history
- Chairman; President
- Cemal Gürsel
- Prime minister
- Cemal Gürsel, then İsmet İnönü
Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) (1955–1975)Vietnam history
- President
- Ngo Dinh Diem
Sheikhdom of KuwaitKuwait history
- Sheikh
- Abdullah III
SingaporeSingapore history
- Prime minister
- Lee Kuan Yew
Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1976–present)Vietnam history
- General Secretary
- Lê Duẩn
South KoreaSouth Korea history
- President
- Yun Po-sun
- Prime minister
- Song Yo-chan
Sultanate of Muscat and OmanOman history
- Sultan
- Said III
Sultanate of the Maldive Islands: Huraa Dynasty
- Sultan
- Muhammad Fareed Didi
Syrian Arab RepublicSyria history
- Acting President
- Maamun al-Kuzbari, then Izzat al-Nuss
- President
- Nazim al-Kudsi
- Prime minister
- Maamun al-Kuzbari, then Izzat al-Nuss
ThailandThailand history
- Prime minister
- Sarit Thanarat
Umm Al QuwainUnited Arab Emirates history
Union of Burma
- President
- Win Maung
United Arab Republic (1958–1961)Syria history
- Prime minister
- Abdel Hamid al-Sarraj
Europe
Andorra
- Episcopal Co-Prince
- Ramon Iglesias i Navarri
- French Co-Prince
- Charles de Gaulle
AustriaAustria history
- President
- Adolf Schärf
- Chancellor
- Julius Raab, then Alfons Gorbach
BelgiumBelgium history
- King
- Baudouin
- Prime minister
- Gaston Eyskens, then Théo Lefèvre
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
- General Secretary
- Antonín Novotný
- President
- Antonín Novotný
- Prime minister
- Viliam Široký
DenmarkDenmark history
- King
- Frederik IX
- Prime minister
- Viggo Kampmann
East GermanyGermany history
- Chairmen of the State Council
- Walter Ulbricht
- Chairman
- Otto Grotewohl
FinlandFinland history
- President
- Urho Kekkonen
- Prime minister
- V. J. Sukselainen, then Martti Miettunen
France: Fifth RepublicFrance history
- President
- Charles de Gaulle
- Prime minister
- Michel Debré
Francoist SpainSpain history
- Caudillo
- Francisco Franco
- Prime minister
- Francisco Franco
Hungarian People's RepublicHungary history
- Chairman
- István Dobi
- Prime minister
- Ferenc Münnich, then János Kádár
IcelandIceland history
- President
- Ásgeir Ásgeirsson
- Prime minister
- Ólafur Thors
ItalyItaly history
- President
- Giovanni Gronchi
- Prime minister
- Amintore Fanfani
Kingdom of Greece: 4th of August RegimeGreece history
- King
- Paul
- Prime minister
- Konstantinos Karamanlis, then Konstantinos Dovas
Kingdom of the NetherlandsNetherlands history
- Queen
- Juliana
- Prime minister
- Jan de Quay
Liechtenstein
- Prince
- Franz Josef II
- Prime minister
- Alexander Frick
LuxembourgLuxembourg history
- Grand Duchess
- Charlotte
- Prime minister
- Pierre Werner
Monaco
- Prince
- Rainier III
- Minister of state
- Émile Pelletier
NorwayNorway history
- King
- Olav V
- Prime minister
- Einar Gerhardsen
People's Republic of BulgariaBulgaria history
- Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly
- Dimitar Ganev
- Prime minister
- Anton Yugov
People's Socialist Republic of AlbaniaAlbania history
- First Secretary
- Enver Hoxha
- Chairman
- Haxhi Lleshi
- Prime minister
- Mehmet Shehu
Polish People's RepublicPoland history
- Chairman
- Aleksander Zawadzki
- Prime minister
- Józef Cyrankiewicz
Republic of IrelandIreland history
- President
- Éamon de Valera
- Taoiseach
- Seán Lemass
San Marino
- Captains Regent
- Giancarlo Ghironzi
Second Portuguese RepublicPortugal history
- President
- Américo Thomaz
Socialist Republic of RomaniaRomania history
- General Secretary
- Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
- Prime minister
- Chivu Stoica, then Ion Gheorghe Maurer
Soviet UnionRussia history
- General Secretary
- Nikita Khrushchev
- Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
- Leonid Brezhnev
- Chairman of the Council of Ministers
- Nikita Khrushchev
SwedenSweden history
- King
- Gustaf VI Adolf
- Prime minister
- Tage Erlander
SwitzerlandSwitzerland history
- President of the Confederation
- Friedrich Traugott Wahlen
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandUnited Kingdom history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Harold Macmillan
Vatican City
- Sovereign
- John XXIII
West GermanyGermany history
- President
- Heinrich Lübke
- Chancellor
- Konrad Adenauer
Yugoslavia: Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
- General Secretary
- Josip Broz Tito
- President
- Josip Broz Tito
- Prime minister
- Josip Broz Tito
Oceania
AustraliaAustralia history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Sir Robert Menzies
Kingdom of Tonga (1900–70)Tonga history
- King
- Sālote Tupou III
- Prime minister
- Tupoutoʻa-Tungi
New ZealandNew Zealand history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Keith Holyoake
Trust Territory of the Pacific IslandsUnited States history
- High Commissioner
- Delmas H. Nucker, then Maurice W. Goding
Wallis and Futuna
Western Samoa/ Independent State of Samoa
- Prime Minister
- Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II