World leaders in 1966

Everyone who held a state’s top posts at some point in 1966, 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 1966 →

Major powers in 1966

United StatesUnited States history

President: Lyndon B. Johnson

United KingdomUnited Kingdom history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Harold Wilson

Soviet UnionRussia history

First Secretary; General Secretary: Leonid Brezhnev
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet: Nikolai Podgorny
Chairman of the Council of Ministers: Alexei Kosygin

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: Georges Pompidou

East GermanyGermany history

Chairmen of the State Council: Walter Ulbricht
Chairman: Willi Stoph

West GermanyGermany history

President: Heinrich Lübke
Chancellor: Ludwig Erhard, then Kurt Georg Kiesinger

JapanJapan history

Emperor: Hirohito
Prime minister: Eisaku Satō

Republic of IndiaIndia history

President: Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Prime minister: Lal Bahadur Shastri, then Indira Gandhi
Acting Prime minister: Gulzarilal Nanda

Africa

Arab Republic of EgyptEgypt history

President: Gamal Abdel Nasser
Prime minister: Zakaria Mohieddin, then Mohamed Sedki Sulayman

Central African Republic

President: David Dacko, then Jean-Bédel Bokassa

Ethiopian EmpireEthiopia history

I, Emperor: Haile Selassie

Federal Republic of Nigeria: Fourth RepublicNigeria history

President of the First Republic: Nnamdi Azikiwe
Military Head of State: Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, then Yakubu Gowon

French Upper Volta/ Republic of Upper VoltaBurkina Faso history

President: Maurice Yaméogo, then Sangoulé Lamizana

GabonGabon history

President: Léon M'ba

Islamic Republic of MauritaniaMauritania history

Acting Head of State; President: Moktar Ould Daddah

KenyaKenya history

President: Jomo Kenyatta

Kingdom of BurundiBurundi history

Prime minister: Léopold Biha, then Michel Micombero

Kingdom of LesothoLesotho history

King: Moshoeshoe II

Kingdom of LibyaLibya history

King: Idris
Prime minister: Hussein Maziq

LiberiaLiberia history

President: William Tubman

Malagasy RepublicMadagascar history

President: Philibert Tsiranana

Malawi (Commonwealth realm)Malawi history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Hastings Banda

People's Democratic Republic of AlgeriaAlgeria history

Chairman of the Revolutionary Council: Houari Boumediene

Republic of BotswanaBotswana history

President: Seretse Khama
Prime minister: Seretse Khama

Republic of CameroonCameroon history

President: Ahmadou Ahidjo

Republic of ChadChad history

President: François Tombalbaye

Republic of DahomeyBenin history

President: Christophe Soglo
Prime minister: Christophe Soglo

Republic of GhanaGhana history

President of the First Republic: Kwame Nkrumah
Military Head of State: Joseph Arthur Ankrah

Republic of GuineaGuinea history

President: Ahmed Sékou Touré

Republic of Ivory CoastIvory Coast history

President: Félix Houphouët-Boigny

Republic of MaliMali history

President: Modibo Keïta

Republic of RwandaRwanda history

President: Grégoire Kayibanda

Republic of SenegalSenegal history

President: Léopold Sédar Senghor

Republic of South AfricaSouth Africa history

State President: Charles Robberts Swart
Prime minister: Hendrik Verwoerd, then Balthazar Johannes Vorster

Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville)

President: Alphonse Massamba-Débat
Prime minister: Pascal Lissouba

Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)

President: Mobutu Sese Seko
Prime minister: Léonard Mulamba

Republic of the NigerNiger history

President of the Republic: Hamani Diori

Republic of the Sudan (1956–1969)Sudan history

President: Ismail al-Azhari
Prime minister: Sadiq al-Mahdi

Republic of TunisiaTunisia history

President: Habib Bourguiba

Republic of Uganda

President: Mutesa II, then Milton Obote
Prime minister: Milton Obote

Republic of ZambiaZambia history

President: Kenneth Kaunda

Rhodesia, unrecognised state

Prime minister: Ian Smith

Sierra Leone (Commonwealth realm)Sierra Leone history

Queen: Elizabeth II

Somali RepublicSomalia history

President: Aden Abdullah Osman Daar
Prime minister: Abdirizak Haji Hussein

Sultanate/ Kingdom of MoroccoMorocco history

King: Hassan II

The Gambia (1965–1970)Gambia history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Dawda Jawara

Togolese RepublicTogo history

President: Nicolas Grunitzky

United Republic of TanzaniaTanzania history

President: Julius Nyerere

Americas

ArgentinaArgentina history

President: Arturo Umberto Illia
de facto President: Juan Carlos Onganía

BarbadosBarbados history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Errol Barrow

BoliviaBolivia history

Co-Chairmen of the Military Junta: René Barrientos, then Alfredo Ovando Candía
Chairman of the Military Junta: Alfredo Ovando Candía
President: René Barrientos

Brazilian Military regimeBrazil history

President: Humberto Castello Branco

CanadaCanada history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Lester B. Pearson

ColombiaColombia history

President: Guillermo León Valencia, then Carlos Lleras Restrepo

Dominion of Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Eric Williams

Duvalier dynasty, HaitiHaiti history

President for Life: François Duvalier

EcuadorEcuador history

Interim President: Otto Arosemena

El Stronato: ParaguayParaguay history

President: Alfredo Stroessner

Fourth Dominican RepublicDominican Republic history

President: Joaquín Balaguer

GuatemalaGuatemala history

President: Enrique Peralta Azurdia, then Julio César Méndez Montenegro

Guyana (1966–1970)Guyana history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Forbes Burnham

HondurasHonduras history

President: Oswaldo López Arellano

JamaicaJamaica history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Alexander Bustamante

MexicoMexico history

President: Gustavo Díaz Ordaz

NicaraguaNicaragua history

President: René Schick, then Lorenzo Guerrero
Acting President: Orlando Montenegro Medrano

Presidential Republic (1925–1973) of ChileChile history

President: Eduardo Frei Montalva

Republic of Costa RicaCosta Rica history

President: Francisco Orlich Bolmarcich, then José Trejos Fernández

Republic of CubaCuba history

President: Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado
Prime minister: Fidel Castro

Republic of PeruPeru history

Constitutional President: Fernando Belaúnde Terry

Republic of VenezuelaVenezuela history

President: Raúl Leoni

Suriname (Kingdom of the Netherlands)Suriname history

Prime minister: Johan Adolf Pengel

United StatesUnited States history

President: Lyndon B. Johnson

UruguayUruguay history

President (National Council of Government): Washington Beltrán, then Alberto Héber Usher

Asia

BhutanBhutan history

Druk Gyalpo: Jigme Dorji Wangchuck

Democratic KampucheaCambodia history

General Secretary: Pol Pot

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: Dudley Senanayake

Emirate of Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates history

ruler: Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan, then Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Emirate of AjmanUnited Arab Emirates history

ruler: Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi III

Emirate of DubaiUnited Arab Emirates history

ruler: Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum

Emirate of FujairahUnited Arab Emirates history

ruler: Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi

Emirate of Ras Al KhaimahUnited Arab Emirates history

ruler: Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi

Emirate of SharjahUnited Arab Emirates history

ruler: Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi

Hakims of Bahrain/ State of BahrainBahrain history

Hakim: Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa

Imperial State of IranIran history

Shah: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Iraqi Republic (1958–1968)Iraq history

President: Abdul Salam Arif, then Abdul Rahman Arif
Interim President: Abd al-Rahman al-Bazzaz
Prime minister: Abd ar-Rahman al-Bazzaz, then Naji Talib

Islamic Republic of PakistanPakistan history

President: Ayub Khan

IsraelIsrael history

President: Zalman Shazar
Prime minister: Levi Eshkol

JapanJapan history

Emperor: Hirohito
Prime minister: Eisaku Satō

Kingdom of AfghanistanAfghanistan history

King: Mohammad Zahir Shah
Prime minister: Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal

Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970)Cambodia history

Prime minister: Norodom Kantol, then Lon Nol

Kingdom of JordanJordan history

King: Hussein
Prime minister: Wasfi al-Tal

Kingdom of LaosLaos history

King: Sisavang Vatthana
Prime minister: Souvanna Phouma

Kingdom of NepalNepal history

King: Mahendra

Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia history

King: Faisal

Lao People's Democratic RepublicLaos history

General Secretary: Kaysone Phomvihane

LebanonLebanon history

President: Charles Helou
Prime minister: Rashid Karami, then Abdallah El-Yafi

Liberal democracy period in IndonesiaIndonesia history

President: Sukarno

MalaysiaMalaysia history

Yang di-Pertuan Agong: Ismail Nasiruddin of Terengganu
Prime minister: Tunku Abdul Rahman

Mongolian People's Republic

Prime minister: Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal

North KoreaNorth Korea history

Chairman; General Secretary: Kim Il Sung
Premier: Kim Il Sung

North Yemen: Yemen Arab RepublicYemen history

President: Abdullah al-Sallal
Prime minister: Abdullah al-Sallal

People's Republic of ChinaChina history

Chairman; Paramount Leader: Mao Zedong
President: Liu Shaoqi
Premier: Zhou Enlai

PhilippinesPhilippines history

President: Ferdinand Marcos

Protectorate of Brunei / Nation of BruneiBrunei history

Sultan: Omar Ali Saifuddien III

QatarQatar history

Emir: Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani

Republic of China: TaiwanTaiwan history

President: Chiang Kai-shek
Premier: Yen Chia-kan

Republic of CyprusCyprus history

President: Makarios III

Republic of IndiaIndia history

President: Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Prime minister: Lal Bahadur Shastri, then Indira Gandhi
Acting Prime minister: Gulzarilal Nanda

Republic of South MalukuIndonesia history

President: Chris Soumokil

Republic of TurkeyTurkey history

President: Cemal Gürsel, then Cevdet Sunay
Prime minister: Süleyman Demirel

Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) (1955–1975)Vietnam history

President: Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
Prime minister: Nguyễn Cao Kỳ

SingaporeSingapore history

President: Yusof Ishak
Prime minister: Lee Kuan Yew

Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma

Chairman: Ne Win

Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1976–present)Vietnam history

General Secretary: Lê Duẩn

South KoreaSouth Korea history

President: Park Chung Hee
Prime minister: Chung Il-kwon

State of KuwaitKuwait history

Emir: Sabah III
Prime minister: Jaber Al-Ahmad

Sultanate of Muscat and OmanOman history

Sultan: Said III

Syrian Arab RepublicSyria history

President: Amin al-Hafiz, then Nureddin al-Atassi
Prime minister: Salah al-Din al-Bitar, then Yusuf Zuaiyin

ThailandThailand history

King: Bhumibol Adulyadej
Prime minister: Thanom Kittikachorn

Umm Al QuwainUnited Arab Emirates history

ruler: Ahmad bin Rashid Al Mualla

Europe

Andorra

Episcopal Co-Prince: Ramon Iglesias i Navarri
French Co-Prince: Charles de Gaulle

AustriaAustria history

President: Franz Jonas
Chancellor: Josef Klaus

BelgiumBelgium history

King: Baudouin
Prime minister: Pierre Harmel, then Paul Vanden Boeynants

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic

General Secretary: Antonín Novotný
President: Antonín Novotný
Prime minister: Jozef Lenárt

DenmarkDenmark history

King: Frederik IX
Prime minister: Jens Otto Krag

East GermanyGermany history

Chairmen of the State Council: Walter Ulbricht
Chairman: Willi Stoph

FinlandFinland history

President: Urho Kekkonen
Prime minister: Johannes Virolainen, then Rafael Paasio

France: Fifth RepublicFrance history

President: Charles de Gaulle
Prime minister: Georges Pompidou

Francoist SpainSpain history

Caudillo: Francisco Franco
Prime minister: Francisco Franco

Hungarian People's RepublicHungary history

Chairman: István Dobi
Prime minister: Gyula Kállai

IcelandIceland history

President: Ásgeir Ásgeirsson
Prime minister: Bjarni Benediktsson

ItalyItaly history

President: Giuseppe Saragat
Prime minister: Aldo Moro

Kingdom of Greece: 4th of August RegimeGreece history

King: Constantine II
Prime minister: Stefanos Stefanopoulos
Interim Prime minister: Ioannis Paraskevopoulos

Kingdom of the NetherlandsNetherlands history

Queen: Juliana
Prime minister: Jo Cals, then Jelle Zijlstra

Liechtenstein

Prince: Franz Josef II
Prime minister: Gerard Batliner

LuxembourgLuxembourg history

Grand Duke: Jean
Prime minister: Pierre Werner

Monaco

Prince: Rainier III
Minister of state: Jean Reymond, then Paul Demange

NorwayNorway history

King: Olav V
Prime minister: Per Borten

People's Republic of BulgariaBulgaria history

Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly: Georgi Traykov
Prime minister: Todor Zhivkov

People's Socialist Republic of AlbaniaAlbania history

First Secretary: Enver Hoxha
Chairman: Haxhi Lleshi
Prime minister: Mehmet Shehu

Polish People's RepublicPoland history

Chairman: Edward Ochab
Prime minister: Józef Cyrankiewicz

Republic of IrelandIreland history

President: Éamon de Valera
Taoiseach: Seán Lemass, then Jack Lynch

Second Portuguese RepublicPortugal history

President: Américo Thomaz

Socialist Republic of RomaniaRomania history

General Secretary: Nicolae Ceaușescu
Prime minister: Ion Gheorghe Maurer

Soviet UnionRussia history

First Secretary; General Secretary: Leonid Brezhnev
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet: Nikolai Podgorny
Chairman of the Council of Ministers: Alexei Kosygin

State of MaltaMalta history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Giorgio Borġ Olivier

SwedenSweden history

King: Gustaf VI Adolf
Prime minister: Tage Erlander

SwitzerlandSwitzerland history

President of the Confederation: Hans Schaffner

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandUnited Kingdom history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Harold Wilson

Vatican City

Sovereign: Paul VI

West GermanyGermany history

President: Heinrich Lübke
Chancellor: Ludwig Erhard, then Kurt Georg Kiesinger

Yugoslavia: Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

President of the Presidium: Josip Broz Tito
President: Josip Broz Tito

Oceania

AustraliaAustralia history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Sir Robert Menzies, then Harold Holt

New ZealandNew Zealand history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Keith Holyoake

TongaTonga history

King: Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV
Prime minister: Fatafehi Tu'ipelehake

Trust Territory of the Pacific IslandsUnited States history

High Commissioner: Maurice W. Goding, then William R. Norwood

Wallis and Futuna

King: Tomasi Kulimoetoke II

Western Samoa/ Independent State of Samoa

O le Ao o le Malo: Malietoa Tanumafili II
Prime Minister: Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II