Fourth Adenauer cabinet

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Fourth Cabinet of Konrad Adenauer
Cabinet Adenauer IV
Flag of Germany.svg
4th Cabinet of West Germany
14 November 1961 – 15 October 1963
(until 17 October 1963 as caretaker government)
Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F078072-0004, Konrad Adenauer.jpg
Date formed14 November 1961 (1961-11-14)
Date dissolved15 October 1963 (1963-10-15)
(1 year, 11 months and 1 day)
People and organisations
PresidentHeinrich Lübke
ChancellorKonrad Adenauer
Vice-ChancellorLudwig Erhard
Member parties
Opposition partySocial Democratic Party
Opposition leaderErich Ollenhauer (SPD)
History
Election(s)1961 West German federal election
Legislature term(s)4th Bundestag
PredecessorAdenauer III
SuccessorErhard I

The Fourth Adenauer cabinet (German: Kabinett Adenauer IV) was formed by incumbent Chancellor Konrad Adenauer after the 1961 federal election. The cabinet was sworn in on 14 November 1961.

The Spiegel affair in 1962 caused the coalition to fall apart over Defence Minister Franz Josef Strauss' actions which violated press freedom, leading to all FDP ministers resigning in protest. As a result, the cabinet was a minority government of the CDU/CSU for just under a month in the fall of 1962 before Adenauer was able to convince the FDP to return to the coalition by assuring Strauß' resignation.

Composition[]

Shortly after the Spiegel affair, the resignation of Defence Minister Franz Josef Strauss was required to gain back the FDP's support for the cabinet, leading to a reshuffle. The heavily reshuffled cabinet is sometimes referred to as cabinet Adenauer V;[1] however, this is not constitutionally correct, since no new election of the chancellor took place. The government still drew its constitutional legitimacy from Adenauer's election on 14 November 1961. Adenauer decided to retire just a few months later, following which Ludwig Erhard was elected as Chancellor and formed the first Erhard cabinet on 17 October 1963.

Portfolio Minister Took office Left office Party
ChancellorKonrad Adenauer14 November 196115 October 1963 CDU
Vice-Chancellor &
Federal Minister for Economy		Ludwig Erhard14 November 196115 October 1963 CDU
Federal Minister for Foreign AffairsGerhard Schröder14 November 196115 October 1963 CDU
Federal Minister of the InteriorHermann Höcherl14 November 196115 October 1963 CSU
Federal Minister of JusticeWolfgang Stammberger14 November 196119 November 1962 FDP
Ewald Bucher14 December 196215 October 1963 FDP
Federal Minister of FinanceHeinz Starke14 November 196119 November 1962 FDP
Rolf Dahlgrün14 December 196215 October 1963 FDP
Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and ForestsWerner Schwarz14 November 196115 October 1963 CDU
Federal Minister for Labour and Social AffairsTheodor Blank14 November 196115 October 1963 CDU
Federal Minister of DefenceFranz Josef Strauss14 November 196116 December 1962 (de facto)
9 January 1963 (de jure)		 CSU
Kai-Uwe von Hassel9 January 196315 October 1963 CDU
Federal Minister of TransportHans-Christoph Seebohm14 November 196115 October 1963 CDU
Federal Minister of Post and TelecommunicationsRichard Stücklen14 November 196115 October 1963 CSU
Federal Minister of Housing ConstructionPaul Lücke14 November 196115 October 1963 CDU
Federal Minister of Displaced Persons, Refugees and War VictimsWolfgang Mischnick14 November 196119 November 1962 FDP
Wolfgang Mischnick14 December 196215 October 1963 FDP
Federal Minister of All-German AffairsErnst Lemmer14 November 196111 December 1962 CDU
Rainer Barzel14 December 196215 October 1963 CDU
Federal Ministry of Nuclear EnergySiegfried Balke14 November 196113 December 1962 CSU
Federal Ministry of Scientific Research14 December 196215 October 1963 FDP
Federal Minister of Family and Youth AffairsFranz-Josef Wuermeling14 November 196111 December 1962 CDU
Bruno Heck14 December 196215 October 1963 CDU
Federal Minister of Bundesrat and State AffairsHans-Joachim von Merkatz14 November 196113 December 1962 CDU
14 December 196215 October 1963 CSU
Federal Minister of the Treasury14 November 196119 November 1962 FDP
Werner Dollinger14 December 196215 October 1963 CSU
Federal Minister for Economic CooperationWalter Scheel14 November 196119 November 1962 FDP
Walter Scheel14 December 196215 October 1963 FDP
Federal Minister of HealthElisabeth Schwarzhaupt14 November 196115 October 1963 CDU
Federal Minister for Special AffairsHeinrich Krone14 November 196115 October 1963 CDU

References and notes[]

  1. ^ "Kabinette Adenauer".

Further reading[]

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