List of state leaders in 1956

1955 state leaders - Events of 1956 - 1957 state leaders - State leaders by year-----

See also:
*List of religious leaders in 1956
*List of international organization leaders in 1956

Africa

* Egypt - Gamal Abdel Nasser, President (1954-1970) and Prime Minister (1954-1962)
* Ethiopia
** Monarch - Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia (1941-1974)
** Prime Minister - Makonnen Endelkachew, Prime Minister of Ethiopia (1942-1957)
* Liberia - William V.S. Tubman, President of Liberia (1944-1971)
* Libya -
**Monarch- Idris I, King of Libya (1951-1969)
**Prime Minister - Mustafa Ben Halim, Prime Minister of Libya (1954-1957)
* Union of South Africa
** Monarch - Elizabeth II, Queen of South Africa (1952-1961)
** Governor-General - Ernest George Jansen, Governor-General of South Africa (1951-1959)
** Prime Minister - Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom, Prime Minister of South Africa (1954-1958)

Asia

* Afghanistan
**Monarch - Mohammed Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan (1933-1973)
**Prime Minister - Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan, Prime Minister of Afghanistan (1953-1963)
* Bhutan
**Monarch - Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, King of Bhutan (1952-1972)
**Prime Minister - Jigme Palden Dorji, Prime Minister of Bhutan (1952-1964)
* Burma
**President- Ba U, President of Burma (1952-1957)
**Prime Minister -
**#U Nu, Prime Minister of Burma (1948-1956)
**#Ba Swe, Prime Minister of Burma (1956-1957)
* Cambodia
**Monarch - Norodom Suramarit, King of Cambodia (1955-1960)
**Prime Minister -
**#Norodom Sihanouk, Prime Minister of Cambodia (1955-1956)
**#Oum Chheang Sun, Prime Minister of Cambodia (1956)
**#Khim Tit, Prime Minister of Cambodia (1956)
**#Sam Yun, Prime Minister of Cambodia (1956-1957)
* Ceylon
** Monarch - Elizabeth II, Queen of Ceylon (1952-1972)
** Governor-General - Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke, Governor-General of Ceylon (1954-1962)
** Prime Minister -
**#John Lionel Kotalawela, Prime Minister of Ceylon (1953-1956)
**#Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Ceylon (1956-1959)
* People's Republic of China
** Head of State - Mao Zedong, Chairman of the People's Republic of China (1954-1959)
** Premier - Zhou Enlai, Premier of the State Council (1949-1976)
** Head of Communist Party - Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Communist Party of China (1935-1976)
* Republic of China
** President - Chiang Kai-Shek, President of the Republic of China (1948-1975)
** Premier - Yü Hung-chün, President of the Executive Yuan (1954-1958)
* India -
**President - Rajendra Prasad, President of India (1950-1962)
**Prime Minister - Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India (1947-1964)
*Indonesia -
**President - Sukarno, President of Indonesia (1945–1967)
**Prime Minister -
**#Burhanuddin Harahap, Prime Minister of Indonesia (1955-1956)
**#Ali Sastroamidjojo, Prime Minister of Indonesia (1956-1957)
* Iran
**Monarch - Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran (1941-1979)
**Prime Minister - Hossein Ala, Prime Minister of Iran (1955-1957)
* Iraq
**Monarch - Faisal II, King of Iraq (1939-1958)
**Prime Minister - Nuri as-Said, Prime Minister of Iraq (1954-1957)
* Israel -
**President - Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, President of Israel (1952-1963)
**Prime Minister - David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister of Israel (1955-1963)
* Japan -
** Monarch - Showa Emperor, Emperor of Japan (1926-1989)
** Prime Minister -
**# Ichirō Hatoyama, Prime Minister of Japan (1954 - 1956)
**# Tanzan Ishibashi, Prime Minister of Japan (1956 - 1957)
* Jordan -
** Monarch - Hussein, King of Jordan (1952-1999)
** Prime Minister -
**# Ibrahim Hashim, Prime Minister of Jordan (1955-1956, 1956)
**# Samir al-Rifai, Prime Minister of Jordan (1956)
**# Sa`id al-Mufti, Prime Minister of Jordan (1956)
**# Sulayman al-Nabulsi, Prime Minister of Jordan (1956-1957)
* Democratic People´s Republic of Korea
** Head of State - Kim Du Bong, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (1948-1957)
** Premier - Kim Il Sung, Chairman of the Council of Ministers (1948-1972)
** Head of Communist Party - Kim Il Sung, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (1948-1994)
* Republic of Korea - Syngman Rhee, President of the Republic of Korea (1948-1960)
* Laos
**Monarch - Sisavang Vong, King of Laos (1949-1959)
**Prime Minister -
**# Katay Don Sasorith, Prime Minister of Laos (1954-1956)
**# Prince Souvanna Phouma, Prime Minister of Laos (1956-1958)
* Lebanon
**President- Camille Chamoun, President of Lebanon (1952-1958)
** Prime Minister -
**# Rashid Karami, Prime Minister of Lebanon (1955-1956)
**# Abdullah Aref al-Yafi, Prime Minister of Lebanon (1956)
**# Sami as-Solh, Prime Minister of Lebanon (1956-1958)
* Mongolia
** Head of State - Jamtsarangiin Sambuu, Chairman of the State Great Khural (1954-1972)
** Premier - Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal, Chairman of the Council of Ministers (1952-1974)
** Head of Communist Party - Dashiin Damba, First Secretary of the People´s Revolutionary Party (1954-1958)
* Nepal
**Monarch - Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah, King of Nepal (1955-1972)
**Prime Minister -
**#Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah, Prime Minister of Nepal (1955-1956)
**#Tanka Prasad Acharya, Prime Minister of Nepal (1956-1957)
* Oman - Said Bin Taimur, Sultan of Oman (1932-1970)
* Pakistan -
**Dominion of Pakistan -
***Monarch - Elizabeth II, Queen of Pakistan (1952-1956)
***Governor-General - Iskandar Ali Mirza, Governor-General of Pakistan (1955-1956)
***Prime Minister - Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, Prime Minister of Pakistan (1955-1956)
**Islamic Republic of Pakistan -
***President - Iskandar Ali Mirza, President of Pakistan (1956-1958)
***Prime Minister -
***# Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, Prime Minister of Pakistan (1956)
***# Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Prime Minister of Pakistan (1956-1957)
* Philippines - Ramon Magsaysay, President of the Philippines (1953-1957)
* Saudi Arabia
**Monarch - Saud, King of Saudi Arabia (1953-1964)
**Prime Minister - Faisal, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia (1954-1960)
* Syria
** President - Shukri al-Kuwatli, President of Syria {1955-1958}
** Prime Minister -
**#Said al-Ghazzi, Prime Minister of Syria (1955-1956)
**#Sabri al-Assali, Prime Minister of Syria (1956-1958)
* Thailand
**Monarch - Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX), (1946 -)
**Prime Minister - Luang Phibunsongkhram, Prime Minister of Thailand (1948 - 1957)
* Republic of Vietnam - Ngo Dinh Diem, President of the Republic of Vietnam (1955-1963)
* Democratic Republic of Vietnam
** Head of State - Ho Chi Minh, President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1946-1969)
** Prrime Minister - Pham Van Dong, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1955-1976)
** Head of Communist Party - Ho Chi Minh, President of the Vietnam Workers Party (1930-1969)
* Yemen - Ahmad bin Yahya, King of Yemen (1948-1962)

Australia and Oceania

*Australia
**Monarch - Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia (1953–present)
**Governor-General - Sir William Slim, Governor-General of Australia (1953-1960)
**Prime Minister - Sir Robert Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia (1939-1941, 1949-1966)
*New Zealand
** Monarch - Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand (1952–present)
**Governor-General - Sir Willoughby Norrie, Governor-General of New Zealand (1952-1957)
**Prime Minister - Sidney Holland, Prime Minister of New Zealand (1949-1957)
* Tonga
** Monarch - Salote Tupou III, Queen of Tonga (1918 – 1965)
** Prime Minister - Siaosi Taufa'ahau Tupoulahi, Prime Minister of Tonga, (1949 – 1965)

Europe

* People's Republic of Albania
**Communist Party Leader - Enver Hoxha, First Secretary of the Albanian Party of Labour (1945-1985)
**Head of State - Chairman of the Presidium of the National People´s Assembly - Haxhi Lleshi (1953-1982)
**Prime Minister - Mehmet Shehu, Chairman of the Council of Ministers (1954-1981)
* Andorra -
**Coprinces - Ramon Iglésias Navarri, Bishop of Urgell (1937-1960) and René Coty, President of France (1954-1959).
*Austria -
**President - Theodor Körner, President of Austria (1951–1957)
**Chancellor - Julius Raab, Chancellor of Austria (1953–1961)
* Belgium -
** Monarch - Baldwin I, King of the Belgians (1951-1993)
** Prime Minister - Achille Van Acker, Prime Minister of Belgium (1954-1958)
* People's Republic of Bulgaria -
**Communist Party Leader - Todor Zhivkov, First Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party (1954-1989)
**Head of State - Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly - Georgi Damyanov (1950-1958)
**Prime Minister - Vulko Chervenkov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria (1950-1956)
* Czechoslovakia -
**Communist Party Leader - Antonín Novotný, First Secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party (1953-1968)
**Head of State - Antonín Zápotocký, President of Czechoslovakia (1953-1957)
**Prime Minister - Viliam Široký, Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (1953-1963)
* Denmark -
** Monarch - Frederick IX, King of Denmark (1947-1972)
** Prime Minister - Hans Christian Hansen, Prime Minister of Denmark (1 February 1955-1960)
* Finland
**President -
**#Juho Kusti Paasikivi, President of Finland (1946-1956)
**#Urho Kekkonen, President of Finland (1956-1982)
**Prime Minister -
**#Urho Kaleva Kekkonen, Prime Minister of Finland (1954-1956)
**#Karl-August Fagerholm, Prime Minister of Finland (1956-1957)
* France -
**President - René Coty, President of France (1954-1959)
**Prime Minister -
**# Edgar Faure, President of the Council (1955-1956)
**# Guy Mollet, President of the Council (1956-1957)
* Federal Republic of Germany -
**President - Theodor Heuss, President of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949-1959)
**Chancellor - Konrad Adenauer, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949-1963)
* German Democratic Republic -
**Communist Party Leader - Walter Ulbricht, General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (1950-1971)
**President - Wilhelm Pieck, President of the German Democratic Republic (1949-1960)
**Premier - Otto Grotewohl, Chairman of the Council of Ministers (1949-1964)
* Kingdom of Greece -
**Monarch - Paul, King of the Hellenes (1947-1964)
**Prime Minister - Constantine Karamanlis, Prime Minister of Greece (1955-1958)
* Hungary
**Communist Party Leader -
**# Mátyás Rákosi, General Secretary of the Hungarian Communist Party (1945-1956)
**# Ernő Gerő, General Secretary of the Hungarian Communist Party (1956)
**# János Kádár, General Secretary of the Hungarian Communist Party (1956-1988)
**Head of State - Chairman of the Hungarian Presidential Council - István Dobi (1952-1967)
**Prime Minister -
**# András Hegedűs, Prime Minister of Hungary (1955-1956)
**# Imre Nagy, Prime Minister of Hungary (1956)
**# János Kádár, Prime Minister of Hungary (1956-1958)
* Iceland -
**President - Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, President of Iceland (1952-1968)
**Prime Minister -
**# Ólafur Thors, Prime Minister of Iceland (1953-1956)
**# Hermann Jónasson, Prime Minister of Iceland (1956-1958)
* Ireland
**President - Seán T. O'Kelly, President of Ireland (1945-1959)
**Prime Minister - John A. Costello, Taoiseach (1954-1957)
* Italy -
**President - Giovanni Gronchi, President of the Italian Republic (1955-1962)
**Prime Minister - Antonio Segni, Prime Minister of Italy (1955-1957)
* Liechtenstein
**Monarch - Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1938-1989)
**Head of Government - Alexander Frick, Head of Government (1945-1962)
* Luxembourg
** Monarch - Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (1919-1964)
** Prime Minister - Joseph Bech, Prime Minister of Luxembourg (1953-1958)
* Monaco -
**Monarch - Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (1949-2005)
**Head of Government - Henry Soum, Minister of State of Monaco (1953-1959)
* Netherlands -
** Monarch - Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands (1948-1980)
** Prime Minister - Willem Drees, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1948-1958)
* Norway -
**Monarch - Haakon VII, King of Norway (1905-1957)
**Prime Minister - Einar Gerhardsen, Prime Minister of Norway (1955-1963)
* Polish People's Republic
**Communist Party Leader -
**# Bolesław Bierut, First Secretary of the Central Committee of Polish United Workers' Party (1948-1956)
**# Edward Ochab, First Secretary of the Central Committee of Polish United Workers' Party (1956)
**# Władysław Gomułka, First Secretary of the Central Committee of Polish United Workers' Party (1956-1970)
**Head of State - Council of State, Chairman - Aleksander Zawadzki (1952-1964)
**Premier - Józef Cyrankiewicz, President of the Council of Ministers (1954-1970)
* Portugal -
**President - Francisco Craveiro Lopes, President of Portugal (1951-1958)
**Prime Minister - António de Oliveira Salazar, President of the Council of Ministers (1932-1968)
* Romanian People's Republic
**Communist Party Leader - Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party (1945-1965)
**Head of State - President of Romania - Petru Groza (1952-1958)
**Prime Minister - Chivu Stoica, Prime Minister of Romania (1955-1961)
* San Marino -
*# Primo Bugli & Giuseppe Maiani, Captains Regent of San Marino {1955-1956}
*# Mario Nanni & Enrico Andreoli, Captains Regent of San Marino {1956}
*# Mariano Ceccoli & Eugenio Bernardini, Captains Regent of San Marino {1956-1957}
* Soviet Union -
**Head of Communist Party - Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1953-1964)
**Head of State - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet - Kliment Voroshilov (1953-1960)
**Prime Minister - Nikolay Bulganin , Chairman of the Council of Ministers (1955-1958)
* Spain -
**Generalísimo - Francisco Franco, Head of the Spanish State and President of the Government (1939-1975), (1939-1973)
* Sweden -
**Monarch - Gustaf VI Adolf, King of Sweden (1950-1973)
**Prime Minister - Tage Erlander, Prime Minister of Sweden (1946-1969)
* Switzerland
**Swiss Federal Council: Philipp Etter, Max Petitpierre, Markus Feldmann, Hans Streuli, Thomas Holenstein, Paul Chaudet, Giuseppe Lepori; members of the Swiss Federal Council
* Turkey
** President - Celal Bayar, President of Turkey (1950-1960)
** Prime Minister - Adnan Menderes, Prime Minister of Turkey (1950-1960)
* United Kingdom
**Monarch - Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom (1952-present)
**Prime Minister - Anthony Eden, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1955-1957)
*Vatican City
** Pope - Pius XII, Bishop of Rome (1939-1958)
** Secretary of State - Domenico Cardinal Tardini, Cardinal Secretary of State (1952-1961)
* Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia
**Head of State - President of Yugoslavia - Josip Broz Tito (1953-1980)

North America and the Caribbean

*Canada
**Monarch - Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada (1952-present)
** Governor General - Vincent Massey, Governor General (1952-1959)
**Prime Minister - Louis St. Laurent, Prime Minister (1948-1957)
*Costa Rica - José Figueres Ferrer, President of Costa Rica (1953–1958)
* Cuba
** President - Fulgencio Batista, President of Cuba (1952-1959)
** Premier - Jorge García Montes, Premier of Cuba (1955-1957)
*Dominican Republic - Héctor Trujillo, President of the Dominican Republic (1952–1960)
*El Salvador
**Óscar Osorio, President of El Salvador {1950-1956}
**José María Lemus, President of El Salvador (1956-1960)
*Guatemala - Carlos Castillo Armas, President of Guatemala {1954-1957}
*Haiti -
**Paul Magloire, President of Haiti {1950-1956}
**Joseph Nemours Pierre-Louis , President of Haiti, (1956-1957)
*Honduras -
**Julio Lozano Díaz, President of Honduras {1954-1956}
**Military Junta, (1956-1957)
* Mexico - Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, President of Mexico (1952-1958)
*Nicaragua -
**Anastasio Somoza García, President of Nicaragua (1937-1956)
**Luis Somoza Debayle, President of Nicaragua (1956-1963)
*Panama
**Ricardo Arias Espinosa, President of Panama {1955-1956}
**Ernesto de la Guardia Navarro, President of Panama (1956-1960)
* United States - Dwight Eisenhower, President of the United States (1953-1961)

outh America

* Argentina - Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, Provisional President of Argentina (1955-1958)
* Bolivia
*# Víctor Paz Estenssoro, President of Bolivia (1952-1956)
*# Hernán Siles Zuazo, President of Bolivia (1956-1960)
* Brazil -
*# João Café Filho, President of Brazil (1954-1956)
*# Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, President of Brazil (1956-1961)
* Chile - Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, President of Chile (1952-1958)
* Colombia - Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, President of Colombia (1953 - 10 May 1957)
* Ecuador -
** José Maria Velasco Ibarra, President of Ecuador (1952-1956)
** Camilo Ponce, President of Ecuador (1956-1960)
* Paraguay - Alfredo Stroessner, President of Paraguay (1954-1989)
* Peru -
*# Manuel A. Odría, President of Peru (1948-1956)
*# Manuel Prado Ugarteche, President of Peru (1956-1962)
*Uruguay -
*#Luis Batlle Berres, President of Uruguay (1955-1956)
*#Alberto Fermín Zubiría, President of Uruguay (1956-1957)
* Venezuela - Marcos Pérez Jiménez, President of Venezuela (1952-1958)