Fourth Adenauer cabinet

{{Infobox government cabinet

| cabinet_name = Fourth Cabinet of Konrad Adenauer
Cabinet Adenauer IV

| cabinet_type =

| cabinet_number = 4th

| jurisdiction = West Germany

| flag = Flag of Germany.svg

| flag_border =

| incumbent = 14 November 1961 – 15 October 1963
(until 17 October 1963 as caretaker government)

| image = Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F078072-0004, Konrad Adenauer.jpg

| caption =

| date_formed = {{Start date|1961|11|14|df=y}}

| date_dissolved = {{End date|1963|10|15|df=y}}
({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=11|day1=14|year1=1961|month2=10|day2=15|year2=1963}})

| government_head_title = Chancellor

| government_head = Konrad Adenauer

| government_head_history =

| deputy_government_head_title = Vice-Chancellor

| deputy_government_head = Ludwig Erhard

| state_head_title = President

| state_head = Heinrich Lübke

| members_number =

| former_members_number =

| total_number =

| political_parties = {{Legend inline|{{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}}}Christian Democratic Union
{{Legend inline|{{party color|Christian Social Union in Bavaria}}}}Christian Social Union
{{Legend inline|{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}}}Free Democratic Party

| legislature_status = Coalition majority
309/499 (62%)

{{Composition_bar/advanced

|divisionname=

|total = 200

|boxwidth = 200

|party1 = 97

|partycolor1 = {{party color|CDU/CSU}}

|party2 = 27

|partycolor2 = {{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}

}}

| opposition_cabinet =

| opposition_party = {{Legend inline|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}}}Social Democratic Party

| opposition_leader = Erich Ollenhauer (SPD)

| election = 1961 West German federal election

| last_election =

| legislature_term = 4th Bundestag

| budget =

| advice_and_consent1 =

| advice_and_consent2 =

| incoming_formation =

| outgoing_formation =

| predecessor = Adenauer III

| successor = Erhard 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;{{Cite web|url=http://www.election.de/hist/kabinette_adenauer.html|title=Kabinette Adenauer}} 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.

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Chancellor

| minister1 = Konrad Adenauer

| minister1_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Vice-Chancellor &
Federal Minister for Economy

| minister1 = Ludwig Erhard

| minister1_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs

| minister1 = Gerhard Schröder

| minister1_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of the Interior

| minister1 = Hermann Höcherl

| minister1_party = Christian Social Union in Bavaria

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of Justice

| minister1 = Wolfgang Stammberger

| minister1_party = Free Democratic Party (Germany)

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 19 November 1962

| minister2 = Ewald Bucher

| minister2_party = Free Democratic Party (Germany)

| minister2_termstart = 14 December 1962

| minister2_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of Finance

| minister1 = Heinz Starke

| minister1_party = Free Democratic Party (Germany)

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 19 November 1962

| minister2 = Rolf Dahlgrün

| minister2_party = Free Democratic Party (Germany)

| minister2_termstart = 14 December 1962

| minister2_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Forests

| minister1 = Werner Schwarz

| minister1_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister for Labour and Social Affairs

| minister1 = Theodor Blank

| minister1_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of Defence

| minister1 = Franz Josef Strauss

| minister1_party = Christian Social Union in Bavaria

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 16 December 1962 (de facto)
9 January 1963 (de jure)

| minister2 = Kai-Uwe von Hassel

| minister2_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister2_termstart = 9 January 1963

| minister2_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of Transport

| minister1 = Hans-Christoph Seebohm

| minister1_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of Post and Telecommunications

| minister1 = Richard Stücklen

| minister1_party = Christian Social Union in Bavaria

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of Housing Construction

| minister1 = Paul Lücke

| minister1_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of Displaced Persons, Refugees and War Victims

| minister1 = Wolfgang Mischnick

| minister1_party = Free Democratic Party (Germany)

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 19 November 1962

| minister2 = Wolfgang Mischnick

| minister2_party = Free Democratic Party (Germany)

| minister2_termstart = 14 December 1962

| minister2_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of All-German Affairs

| minister1 = Ernst Lemmer

| minister1_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 11 December 1962

| minister2 = Rainer Barzel

| minister2_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister2_termstart = 14 December 1962

| minister2_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Ministry of Nuclear Energy

| minister1 = Siegfried Balke

| minister1_party = Christian Social Union in Bavaria

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 13 December 1962

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Ministry of Scientific Research

| minister1 = Hans Lenz

| minister1_party = Free Democratic Party (Germany)

| minister1_termstart = 14 December 1962

| minister1_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of Family and Youth Affairs

| minister1 = Franz-Josef Wuermeling

| minister1_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 11 December 1962

| minister2 = Bruno Heck

| minister2_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister2_termstart = 14 December 1962

| minister2_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of Bundesrat and State Affairs

| minister1 = Hans-Joachim von Merkatz

| minister1_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 13 December 1962

| minister2 = Alois Niederalt

| minister2_party = Christian Social Union in Bavaria

| minister2_termstart = 14 December 1962

| minister2_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of the Treasury

| minister1 = Hans Lenz

| minister1_party = Free Democratic Party (Germany)

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 19 November 1962

| minister2 = Werner Dollinger

| minister2_party = Christian Social Union in Bavaria

| minister2_termstart = 14 December 1962

| minister2_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation

| minister1 = Walter Scheel

| minister1_party = Free Democratic Party (Germany)

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 19 November 1962

| minister2 = Walter Scheel

| minister2_party = Free Democratic Party (Germany)

| minister2_termstart = 14 December 1962

| minister2_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister of Health

| minister1 = Elisabeth Schwarzhaupt

| minister1_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

{{Cabinet table minister

| title = Federal Minister for Special Affairs

| minister1 = Heinrich Krone

| minister1_party = Christian Democratic Union of Germany

| minister1_termstart = 14 November 1961

| minister1_termend = 15 October 1963

}}

Fourth Adenauer cabinet

Composition

References and notes

Further reading