History of Germany and coal and distributed the new currency in West Berlin as well. The city thereby became economically integrated into West Germany. Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967) was the dominant leader in West Germany. He was the first chancellor (top official) of the FRG, 1949–63, and until his death was the founder and leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a coalition of conservatives, ordoliberals, and adherents of Protestant and Catholic social teaching that dominated West Germany politics for most of its history. During his chancellorship, the West Germany economy grew quickly, and West Germany established friendly relations with France, participated in the
Vice-Chancellor of Germany in any other way. It is the President who asks the Vice Chancellor to fulfill the Chancellor's duties until the Bundestag elects a new Chancellor. This has happened only once: Vice Chancellor Walter Scheel was acting Chancellor for nine days in May 1974 between Chancellor Willy Brandt’s resignation and Helmut Schmidt’s election. The office was initially established by the 1878 "Stellvertretungsgesetz" (Deputation Act), which provided for the Imperial Chancellor appointing a deputy, officially known as "Allgemeiner Stellvertreter des Reichskanzlers" (General Deputy to the Imperial Chancellor). In addition to the general deputy, who would be responsible for all the affairs of