Second Cabinet of Willy Brandt
Cabinet Brandt II

9th Cabinet of the Federal Republic of Germany
15 December 1972 – 6 May 1974
(until 16 May 1974 as caretaker government)
Date formed 15 December 1972
Date dissolved 16 May 1974
(1 year, 5 months and 1 day)
People and organisations
President Gustav Heinemann
Chancellor Willy Brandt (until 7 May 1974)
Walter Scheel (Acting; from 7 May 1974)
Vice-Chancellor Walter Scheel
Member party   Social Democratic Party
  Free Democratic Party
Status in legislature Coalition government
Opposition party   Christian Democratic Union
  Christian Social Union
Opposition leader
  • Rainer Barzel (CDU), until 1973
  • Karl Carstens (CDU), from 1973
History
Election 1972 West German federal election
Legislature terms 7th Bundestag
Predecessor Brandt I
Successor Schmidt I
Cabinet Brandt II outside the Hammerschmidt Villa on 15 December 1972

The Second Brandt cabinet was the government of West Germany between 15 December 1972 and 16 May 1974, during the 7th legislature of the Bundestag. Led by the Social Democrat Willy Brandt, the cabinet was a coalition between the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). It followed the Cabinet Brandt I. Following Brandt's resignation as Chancellor on 7 May 1974, Vice-Chancellor Walter Scheel (FDP) served as Acting Chancellor for nine days, until the inception of the Cabinet Schmidt I.

Composition

Notable members of the second Brandt cabinet included Minister of Finance Helmut Schmidt, who went on to become the next German Chancellor.[1]

Cabinet members
Portfolio Minister Took office Left office Party
Chancellor
Willy Brandt
15 December 1972 7 May 1974   SPD
Walter Scheel
(Acting)
7 May 1974 16 May 1974   FDP
Vice-Chancellor &
Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs
Walter Scheel
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   FDP
Federal Minister of Interior
Hans-Dietrich Genscher
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   FDP
Federal Minister of Justice
Gerhard Jahn
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   SPD
Federal Minister of Finance
Helmut Schmidt
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   SPD
Federal Minister of Economics
Hans Friderichs
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   FDP
Federal Minister of Defence
Georg Leber
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   SPD
Federal Minister of Research and Technology &
Post and Communications
Horst Ehmke
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   SPD
Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture
Josef Ertl
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   FDP
Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
Walter Arendt
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   SPD
Federal Minister of Youth, Families and Health
Katharina Focke
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   SPD
Federal Minister of Intra-German Relations
Egon Franke
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   SPD
Federal Minister of Education and Science
Klaus von Dohnanyi
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   SPD
Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation
Erhard Eppler
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   SPD
Federal Minister of Planning, Architecture und Urban Development
Hans-Jochen Vogel
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   SPD
Federal Minister for Special Affairs &
Head of the Chancellery
Horst Grabert
15 December 1972 15 May 1974   SPD
Federal Minister for Special Affairs &
Affairs of the Vice Chancellor
Werner Maihofer
15 December 1972 16 May 1974   FDP

See also

  • Cabinet of Germany

References

  1. ^ Rabenschlag, Ann-Judith (December 2021). "Semantic Struggles in the Face of Crisis: 'The West' as Contested Key Concept in West German Parliamentary Debate (1973/74)". Redescriptions. 24 (2): 150–165. ProQuest 2681640348.