World leaders in 1974

Everyone who held a state’s top posts at some point in 1974, 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 1974 →

Major powers in 1974

United StatesUnited States history

President: Richard Nixon, then Gerald Ford

United KingdomUnited Kingdom history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Edward Heath, then Harold Wilson

Soviet UnionRussia history

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
Premier: Zhou Enlai

FranceFrance history

President: Georges Pompidou, then Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Acting President: Alain Poher
Prime minister: Pierre Messmer, then Jacques Chirac

East GermanyGermany history

Chairmen of the State Council: Willi Stoph
Chairman: Horst Sindermann

West GermanyGermany history

President: Gustav Heinemann, then Walter Scheel
Chancellor: Willy Brandt, then Helmut Schmidt

JapanJapan history

Emperor: Hirohito
Prime minister: Takeo Miki

Republic of IndiaIndia history

President: V. V. Giri, then Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Prime minister: Indira Gandhi

Africa

Arab Republic of EgyptEgypt history

President: Anwar Sadat
Prime minister: Anwar Sadat, then Abd El Aziz Mohamed Hegazi

Central African Republic

President: Jean-Bédel Bokassa

Democratic Republic of the SudanSudan history

President: Gaafar Nimeiry
Prime minister: Gaafar Nimeiry

Derg: Provisional Military Government of Socialist EthiopiaEthiopia history

Chairmen: Aman Andom, then Tafari Benti
Acting Chairmen: Mengistu Haile Mariam

Equatorial Guinea

President: Francisco Macías Nguema

Ethiopian EmpireEthiopia history

I, Emperor: Haile Selassie

Federal Republic of Nigeria: Fourth RepublicNigeria history

Military Head of State: Yakubu Gowon

French Upper Volta/ Republic of Upper VoltaBurkina Faso history

President: Sangoulé Lamizana
Prime minister: Gérard Kango Ouédraogo, then Sangoulé Lamizana

GabonGabon history

President: Omar Bongo

Guinea-Bissau

President: Luís Cabral
Prime minister: Francisco Mendes

Islamic Republic of MauritaniaMauritania history

Acting Head of State; President: Moktar Ould Daddah

KenyaKenya history

President: Jomo Kenyatta

Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland)

King: Sobhuza II
Prime minister: Makhosini Dlamini

Kingdom of LesothoLesotho history

King: Moshoeshoe II

LiberiaLiberia history

President: William R. Tolbert Jr.

Malagasy RepublicMadagascar history

President: Gabriel Ramanantsoa

Mauritius (Commonwealth realm)Mauritius history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Seewoosagur Ramgoolam

People's Democratic Republic of AlgeriaAlgeria history

Chairman of the Revolutionary Council: Houari Boumediene

People's Republic of the Congo

President: Marien Ngouabi
Prime minister: Henri Lopès

Republic of BotswanaBotswana history

President: Seretse Khama

Republic of BurundiBurundi history

President: Michel Micombero

Republic of CameroonCameroon history

President: Ahmadou Ahidjo

Republic of ChadChad history

President: François Tombalbaye

Republic of DahomeyBenin history

President: Mathieu Kérékou

Republic of GhanaGhana history

Military Head of State: Ignatius Kutu Acheampong

Republic of GuineaGuinea history

President: Ahmed Sékou Touré
Prime minister: Louis Lansana Beavogui

Republic of Ivory CoastIvory Coast history

President: Félix Houphouët-Boigny

Republic of MalawiMalawi history

President: Hastings Banda

Republic of MaliMali history

Head of State: Moussa Traoré

Republic of RwandaRwanda history

President: Juvénal Habyarimana

Republic of SenegalSenegal history

President: Léopold Sédar Senghor
Prime minister: Abdou Diouf

Republic of Sierra LeoneSierra Leone history

President: Siaka Stevens

Republic of South AfricaSouth Africa history

Prime minister: Balthazar Johannes Vorster

Republic of the GambiaGambia history

President: Dawda Jawara

Republic of the NigerNiger history

President of the Republic: Hamani Diori

Republic of TunisiaTunisia history

President: Habib Bourguiba
Prime minister: Hedi Amara Nouira

Republic of Uganda

President: Idi Amin

Republic of ZambiaZambia history

President: Kenneth Kaunda
Prime minister: Mainza Chona

Rhodesia, unrecognised state

President: Clifford Dupont
Prime minister: Ian Smith

Somali Democratic RepublicSomalia history

President: Siad Barre

Sultanate/ Kingdom of MoroccoMorocco history

King: Hassan II
Prime minister: Ahmed Osman

Togolese RepublicTogo history

President: Gnassingbé Eyadéma

United Republic of TanzaniaTanzania history

President: Julius Nyerere
Prime minister: Rashidi Kawawa

Zaire

President: Mobutu Sese Seko

Americas

ArgentinaArgentina history

President: Juan Perón, then Isabel Perón

BarbadosBarbados history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Errol Barrow

BoliviaBolivia history

President: Hugo Banzer

Brazilian Military regimeBrazil history

President: Emílio Garrastazu Médici, then Ernesto Geisel

CanadaCanada history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Pierre Trudeau

Co-operative Republic of GuyanaGuyana history

President: Arthur Chung
Prime minister: Forbes Burnham

ColombiaColombia history

President: Misael Pastrana Borrero, then Alfonso López Michelsen

Dominion of Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Eric Williams

Duvalier dynasty, HaitiHaiti history

President for Life: Jean-Claude Duvalier

El SalvadorEl Salvador history

President: Arturo Armando Molina

El Stronato: ParaguayParaguay history

President: Alfredo Stroessner

Fourth Dominican RepublicDominican Republic history

President: Joaquín Balaguer

Grenada

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Eric Gairy

GuatemalaGuatemala history

President: Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio

HondurasHonduras history

President: Oswaldo López Arellano

JamaicaJamaica history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Michael Manley

MexicoMexico history

President: Luis Echeverría

Military Junta of PeruPeru history

President of the Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces: Juan Velasco Alvarado

NicaraguaNicaragua history

President: Anastasio Somoza Debayle

PanamaPanama history

Military Leader: Omar Torrijos

Republic of Costa RicaCosta Rica history

President: José Figueres Ferrer, then Daniel Oduber Quirós

Republic of CubaCuba history

President: Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado
Prime minister: Fidel Castro

Republic of PeruPeru history

Prime Minister: Luis Edgardo Mercado Jarrín

Republic of VenezuelaVenezuela history

President: Carlos Andrés Pérez

Suriname (Kingdom of the Netherlands)Suriname history

Prime minister: Henck Arron

The Bahamas

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Lynden Pindling

United StatesUnited States history

President: Richard Nixon, then Gerald Ford

UruguayUruguay history

President: Juan María Bordaberry

Asia

Ba'athist IraqIraq history

President: Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr
Prime minister: Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr

BangladeshBangladesh history

Acting President: Mohammad Mohammadullah
Prime minister: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

BhutanBhutan history

Druk Gyalpo: Jigme Singye Wangchuck

Democratic KampucheaCambodia history

General Secretary: Pol Pot

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

President: Tôn Đức Thắng
Prime minister: Phạm Văn Đồng

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaSri Lanka history

President: William Gopallawa
Prime minister: Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Emirate of Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates history

ruler: 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

Hakims of Bahrain/ State of BahrainBahrain history

Emir: Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa
Prime minister: Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa

Imperial State of IranIran history

Shah: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Islamic Republic of PakistanPakistan history

President: Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry
Prime minister: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

IsraelIsrael history

President: Ephraim Katzir
Prime minister: Golda Meir, then Yitzhak Rabin

JapanJapan history

Emperor: Hirohito
Prime minister: Takeo Miki

Khmer RepublicCambodia history

President: Lon Nol
Prime minister: Long Boret

Kingdom of JordanJordan history

King: Hussein
Prime minister: Zaid al-Rifai

Kingdom of LaosLaos history

King: Sisavang Vatthana
Prime minister: Souvanna Phouma

Kingdom of NepalNepal history

King: Birendra

Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia history

King: Faisal

Lao People's Democratic RepublicLaos history

General Secretary: Kaysone Phomvihane

LebanonLebanon history

President: Suleiman Frangieh
Prime minister: Takieddin el-Solh, then Rachid Solh

MalaysiaMalaysia history

Yang di-Pertuan Agong: Abdul Halim of Kedah
Prime minister: Abdul Razak Hussein

Mongolian People's Republic

Chairman: Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal
Prime minister: Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal

New Order, IndonesiaIndonesia history

President: Suharto

North KoreaNorth Korea history

General Secretary: Kim Il Sung
President: Kim Il Sung
Premier: Kim Il

North Yemen: Yemen Arab RepublicYemen history

Chairman: Abdul Rahman al-Eryani
President: Ibrahim al-Hamdi
Prime minister: Mohsin Ahmad al-Aini

People's Republic of ChinaChina history

Chairman; Paramount Leader: Mao Zedong
Premier: Zhou Enlai

PhilippinesPhilippines history

President: Ferdinand Marcos

Protectorate of Brunei / Nation of BruneiBrunei history

Sultan: Hassanal Bolkiah

QatarQatar history

Emir: Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani
Prime minister: Khalifa bin Hamad

Republic of AfghanistanAfghanistan history

President: Mohammad Daoud Khan

Republic of China: TaiwanTaiwan history

President: Chiang Kai-shek
Premier: Chiang Ching-kuo

Republic of CyprusCyprus history

President: Makarios III

Republic of IndiaIndia history

President: V. V. Giri, then Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Prime minister: Indira Gandhi

Republic of TurkeyTurkey history

President: Fahri Korutürk
Prime minister: Naim Talu, then Bülent Ecevit, then Sadi Irmak

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

President: Nguyễn Văn Thiệu

Second Republic of Maldives

President: Ibrahim Nasir

SingaporeSingapore history

President: Benjamin Sheares
Prime minister: Lee Kuan Yew

Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma

Chairman: Ne Win
President: Ne Win

Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1976–present)Vietnam history

General Secretary: Lê Duẩn

South KoreaSouth Korea history

President: Park Chung Hee
Prime minister: Kim Jong-pil

South Yemen: People's Democratic Republic of YemenYemen history

Chairmen: Salim Rubai Ali
Prime minister: Ali Nasir Muhammad

State of KuwaitKuwait history

Emir: Sabah III
Prime minister: Jaber Al-Ahmad

Sultanate of Oman: Al Busaidi dynastyOman history

Sultan: Qaboos bin Said

Syrian Arab RepublicSyria history

President: Hafez al-Assad
Prime minister: Mahmoud al-Ayyubi

ThailandThailand history

King: Bhumibol Adulyadej
Prime minister: Sanya Dharmasakti

Umm Al QuwainUnited Arab Emirates history

ruler: Ahmad bin Rashid Al Mualla

Europe

Andorra

Episcopal Co-Prince: Joan Martí i Alanis
French Co-Prince: Georges Pompidou, then Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Acting French Co-Prince: Alain Poher

AustriaAustria history

President: Franz Jonas, then Rudolf Kirchschläger
Chancellor: Bruno Kreisky

BelgiumBelgium history

King: Baudouin
Prime minister: Edmond Leburton, then Leo Tindemans

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic

General Secretary: Gustáv Husák
President: Ludvík Svoboda
Prime minister: Lubomír Štrougal

DenmarkDenmark history

Queen: Margrethe II
Prime minister: Poul Hartling

East GermanyGermany history

Chairmen of the State Council: Willi Stoph
Chairman: Horst Sindermann

FinlandFinland history

President: Urho Kekkonen
Prime minister: Kalevi Sorsa

France: Fifth RepublicFrance history

President: Georges Pompidou, then Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Acting President: Alain Poher
Prime minister: Pierre Messmer, then Jacques Chirac

Francoist SpainSpain history

Caudillo: Francisco Franco
Prime minister: Carlos Arias Navarro

Greece: Third RepublicGreece history

President: Michail Stasinopoulos
Prime minister: Konstantinos Karamanlis

Hungarian People's RepublicHungary history

Chairman: Pál Losonczi
Prime minister: Jenő Fock

IcelandIceland history

President: Kristján Eldjárn
Prime minister: Ólafur Jóhannesson, then Geir Hallgrímsson

ItalyItaly history

President: Giovanni Leone
Prime minister: Mariano Rumor, then Aldo Moro

Kingdom of the NetherlandsNetherlands history

Queen: Juliana
Prime minister: Joop den Uyl

Liechtenstein

Prince: Franz Josef II
Prime minister: Alfred Hilbe, then Walter Kieber

LuxembourgLuxembourg history

Grand Duke: Jean
Prime minister: Pierre Werner, then Gaston Thorn

Military junta of Greece (1967–1974)Greece history

President: Phaedon Gizikis
Prime minister: Adamantios Androutsopoulos

Monaco

Prince: Rainier III
Minister of state: André Saint-Mleux

NorwayNorway history

King: Olav V
Prime minister: Trygve Bratteli

People's Republic of BulgariaBulgaria history

General Secretary: Todor Zhivkov
Chairman of the State Council: Todor Zhivkov
Prime minister: Stanko Todorov

People's Socialist Republic of AlbaniaAlbania history

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

Polish People's RepublicPoland history

First Secretary: Edward Gierek
Prime minister: Piotr Jaroszewicz

Republic of IrelandIreland history

President: Erskine Hamilton Childers, then Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh
Taoiseach: Liam Cosgrave

Republic of MaltaMalta history

President: Anthony Mamo
Prime minister: Dom Mintoff

Second Portuguese RepublicPortugal history

President: Américo Thomaz

Socialist Republic of RomaniaRomania history

General Secretary: Nicolae Ceaușescu
President of the State Council: Nicolae Ceaușescu
Prime minister: Ion Gheorghe Maurer, then Manea Mănescu

Soviet UnionRussia history

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: Dom Mintoff

SwedenSweden history

King: Carl XVI Gustaf
Prime minister: Olof Palme

SwitzerlandSwitzerland history

President of the Confederation: Ernst Brugger

Third Republic of PortugalPortugal history

President: António de Spínola, then Francisco da Costa Gomes
Prime minister: Adelino da Palma Carlos, then Vasco Gonçalves

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandUnited Kingdom history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Edward Heath, then Harold Wilson

Vatican City

Sovereign: Paul VI

West GermanyGermany history

President: Gustav Heinemann, then Walter Scheel
Chancellor: Willy Brandt, then Helmut Schmidt

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: Gough Whitlam

Dominion of FijiFiji history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Kamisese Mara

Nauru

President: Hammer DeRoburt

New ZealandNew Zealand history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Norman Kirk, then Bill Rowling
Acting Prime minister: Hugh Watt

TongaTonga history

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

Trust Territory of the Pacific IslandsUnited States history

High Commissioner: Edward E. Johnston

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