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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Short description|1920 cabinet of Weimar Germany}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1979-122-28A, Hermann Müller.jpg|thumb|Hermann Müller (1928)]]
{{Infobox government cabinet
'''Cabinet Müller I''' or '''the first Cabinet Müller''' (German: ''Kabinett Müller I'' or ''das erste Kabinett Müller'') was the third democratically elected government of Germany and the second in office after the [[Weimar Constitution]] came into force in August 1919. It was named after the new Chancellor (''Reichskanzler'') [[Hermann Müller (politician)|Hermann Müller]] of the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]] (SPD). The cabinet was based on the same three centre-left parties as the previous one: the SPD, the [[German Center Party]] (''Zentrum'') and the [[German Democratic Party]] (DDP). It was formed in March 1920 after the resignation of the [[Cabinet Bauer]]. The Cabinet Müller resigned in reaction to the outcome of the [[German federal election, 1920|Reichstag elections of 6 June 1920]].
| cabinet_name = First Cabinet of Hermann Müller
| cabinet_type = <!-- an alternative name for "cabinet"; defaults to "cabinet" -->
| cabinet_number = 3rd
| jurisdiction = [[Weimar Germany]]
| flag = Flag of Germany.svg
| incumbent = 27 March 1920 – 8 June 1920<br />''(until 21 June 1920 as [[caretaker government]])''
| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1982-092-28, Kabinett Müller.jpg
| caption = Members of cabinet
| date_formed = {{Start date|1920|3|27|df=y}}
| date_dissolved = {{End date|1920|6|21|df=y}}<br>({{Age in years, months and days|month1=3|day1=27|year1=1920|month2=6|day2=21|year2=1920}})
| government_head_title = [[List of chancellors of Germany#Weimar Republic (1918–1933)|Chancellor]]
| government_head = [[Hermann Müller (politician, born 1876)|Hermann Müller]]
| government_head_history =
| deputy_government_head_title = [[Vice-Chancellor of Germany#Weimar Republic (1918–1933)|Vice-Chancellor]]
| deputy_government_head = [[Erich Koch-Weser]]
| state_head_title = [[List of presidents of Germany#Weimar Republic (1918–1933)|President]]
| state_head = [[Friedrich Ebert]]
| members_number =
| former_members_number =
| total_number =
| political_parties = [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]<br>[[Centre Party (Germany)|Centre Party]]<br>[[German Democratic Party]]
| legislature_status = [[Weimar Coalition]]<br> 331/423 (78%) <br />
{{composition bar/advanced
|divisionname=
|total = 423
|boxwidth = 200
|party1 = 165
|partycolor1 = {{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}
|party2 = 91
|partycolor2 = {{party color|Centre Party (Germany)}}
|party3 = 75
|partycolor3 = {{party color|German Democratic Party}}
}}
| opposition_cabinet =
| opposition_parties = [[German National People's Party]]<br>[[Independent Social Democratic Party]]<br>[[German People's Party]]
| opposition_leader =
| opposition_leaders =
| election = [[1919 German federal election|1919 federal election]]
| last_election =
| legislature_term = [[Weimar National Assembly]]
| budget =
| advice_and_consent1 =
| advice_and_consent2 = <!-- up to 5 times -->
| incoming_formation =
| outgoing_formation =
| predecessor = [[Bauer cabinet]]
| successor = [[Fehrenbach cabinet]]
}}

[[File:Erich Koch-Weser circa 1920 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Erich Koch-Weser]] (DDP), Vice-Chancellor and Minister of the Interior|211x211px]]
[[File:Koester adolf 1920s.png|thumb|[[Adolf Köster]] (SPD), Minister of Foreign Affairs after Müller|208x208px]]
[[File:Andreas Blunck.jpg|thumb|[[Andreas Blunck]] (DDP), Minister of Justice |183x183px]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1968-100-04A, Otto Karl Geßler.jpg|thumb|right|[[Otto Gessler]] (DDP), Reichswehr Minister|227x227px]]
[[File:Robert Schmidt (politician).jpg|thumb|[[Robert Schmidt (German politician)|Robert Schmidt]] (SPD), Minister of Economic Affairs|181x181px]]

The '''first Müller cabinet''', headed by Chancellor [[Hermann Müller (politician, born 1876)|Hermann Müller]] of the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]] (SPD), was the third democratically elected government of Germany and the second in office after the [[Weimar Constitution]] came into force in August 1919. The cabinet was based on the same three centre-left parties as the preceding [[Bauer cabinet]]: the SPD, [[Centre Party (Germany)|Centre Party]] and [[German Democratic Party]] (DDP), a grouping known as the [[Weimar Coalition]]. It was formed on 27 March 1920 after the government of [[Gustav Bauer]] (SPD) resigned as a result of the unsuccessful [[Kapp Putsch]], which it was seen as having handled badly.

The [[Ruhr uprising]], which broke out in the aftermath of the putsch, took place during the cabinet's time in office. It was suppressed with considerable loss of life by units of the [[Reichswehr]] and the [[Freikorps]].

The first Müller cabinet resigned in reaction to the poor showing of its constituent parties in the [[1920 German federal election|Reichstag election of 6 June 1920]] but remained in office through 21 June in a caretaker capacity. The [[Fehrenbach cabinet]], headed by the [[Centre Party (Germany)|Centre Party]], took over on 25 June.


==Election and establishment==
==Election and establishment==
In late March 1920, when ''Reichspräsident'' (president) [[Friedrich Ebert]] (SPD) asked Hermann Müller (SPD) to form a new government, the parliament of Germany was still the [[Weimar National Assembly]] which served as the "acting Reichstag" according to Article 180 of the constitution.<ref name=Constitution>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/dokumente/verfassung/index.html|title=Die Verfassung des Deutschen Reichs vom 11. August 1919 (German)|publisher=Deutsches Historisches Museum|accessdate=16 December 2013}}</ref> New elections for the Reichstag had yet to be held. The cabinet was based on the three centre-left parties that also made up the previous [[Cabinet Bauer]]: the SPD, the [[German Center Party]] (''Zentrum'') and the [[German Democratic Party]] (DDP). These parties accounted for 331 out of a total of 421 seats in the National Assembly and were also known as the [[Weimar Coalition]].<ref name="Reich"/>{{rp|338}}
In late March 1920, when President [[Friedrich Ebert]] (SPD) asked Hermann Müller (SPD) to form a new government, the parliament of Germany was still the [[Weimar National Assembly]]. It served as the acting [[Reichstag (Weimar Republic)|Reichstag]] according to the Law on Provisional Reich Power that the Assembly had passed on 10 February 1919.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gesetz über die vorläufige Reichsgewalt vom 10. Februar 1919. |trans-title=Law on Provisional Reich Power of 10 February 1919 |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/wr/vorl-reichsgewalt_ges.html |access-date=15 July 2023 |website=documentArchiv.de |language=de}}</ref> Elections for the new [[Reichstag (Weimar Republic)|Reichstag]] had yet to be held. The cabinet was based on the SPD, Centre Party and [[German Democratic Party]] (DDP). The three parties accounted for 331 out of a total of 423 seats in the National Assembly and were known as the [[Weimar Coalition]].<ref name="Reich">{{cite book |last=Dederke |first=Karlheinz |title=Reich und Republik Deutschland, 1917–1933 |publisher=Klett-Cotta |year=1996 |isbn=978-3608918021 |location=Stuttgart |pages=338 |language=de}}</ref>


The previous government, led by [[Gustav Bauer]], also SPD, had become untenable and finally resigned on 27 March 1920 as a result of the [[Kapp-Putsch|Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch]]. In the wake of the putsch's collapse, caused not least by a national general strike, the unions drew up an eight-point agenda as conditions for ending the strike. They demanded the punishment of the putschists, dissolution of associations hostile to the constitution, new social laws and the socialization of "appropriate" industries. They also demanded a right to participate in the creation of a new government. Although [[Otto Wels]] for the SPD rejected the harsh form in which [[Carl Legien]] had presented the unions' demands, the SPD accepted that both the current Reich government and the government of Prussia had been compromised and discredited by the putsch and would have to resign. The new government was to be based on politicians not tainted by the charge of having—voluntarily or involuntarily—aided and abetted the putsch. This was a position not shared by the SPD's coalition partners, however. The DDP did not see itself bound by any conditions the unions had attached to the ending of the general strike. Although the formation of a new government and restoring order in the Reich became increasingly pressing with the threat of a general uprising from the left (see [[Ruhr Uprising]]), the positions of the coalition partners seemed to move further apart.<ref name="Müller2"/>
The previous government, led by [[Gustav Bauer]], also SPD, had become untenable and finally resigned on 26 March 1920 as a result of the [[Kapp-Putsch|Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch]]. In the wake of the putsch's collapse, caused not least by a national general strike, the [[Free Trade Unions (Germany)|Free Trade Unions]] drew up an eight-point agenda as conditions for ending the strike. They demanded the punishment of the putschists, dissolution of associations hostile to the constitution, new social laws and the socialisation of "appropriate" industries. They also demanded a right to participate in the creation of a new government. Although [[Otto Wels]] for the SPD rejected the harsh form in which union leader and Reichstag member [[Carl Legien]] had presented the unions' demands, the SPD accepted that both the current government and the government of the state of [[Free State of Prussia|Prussia]] had been compromised and discredited by the putsch and would have to resign. The new government was to be based on politicians not tainted by the charge of having – voluntarily or involuntarily – aided and abetted the putsch. It was a position not shared by the SPD's coalition partners. The DDP did not see itself bound by any conditions the unions had attached to the ending of the general strike. Although the formation of a new government and restoring order in Germany became increasingly pressing with the threat of a general uprising from the left (the [[Ruhr uprising]]), the positions of the coalition partners seemed to move further apart.<ref name="Müller2"/>


On the left, both Legien and Rudolf Wissell were unwilling to become Chancellor. The eventual government to emerge thus largely ignored the eight points. No changes of coalition partners were possible. The right-wing [[German People's Party|DVP]] had disqualified itself by its behaviour during the putsch, the left-wing [[USPD]] insisted on a purely socialist government. Within the SPD, some favoured a coalition with the USPD, but the risk of a civil war or outright secession by some states in southern Germany was ultimately seen as too great. This decision ended all attempts to move ahead with the socialization project, promoted by many on the left like [[Rudolf Hilferding]].<ref name="Müller2"/>
On the left, both Legien and [[Rudolf Wissell]] were unwilling to become chancellor. The eventual government to emerge thus largely ignored the unions' eight points. No changes of coalition partners were possible. The right-wing [[German People's Party|DVP]] had disqualified itself by its behaviour during the putsch and the left-wing [[Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany|Independent Social Democrats]] (USPD) insisted on a purely socialist government. Within the SPD, some favoured a coalition with the USPD, but the risk of a civil war or outright secession by some states in southern Germany was ultimately seen as too great. The decision ended all attempts to move ahead with the socialisation project that was promoted by many on the left such as [[Rudolf Hilferding]].<ref name="Müller2"/>


On 24 March, president Ebert called the leaders of the coalition parties to discuss the new cabinet. The SPD had settled on Hermann Müller as new Chancellor. The previous Chancellor, Bauer, although blamed by many for not having prevented the putsch, remained in new cabinet but in the much lower profile job as Minister of the Treasury. Former Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Justice [[Eugen Schiffer]] (DDP), who had been in the forefront of those negotiating with the putschists, did not become a member of the new cabinet. However, many other ministers of the Cabinet Bauer remained. Müller had been Foreign Minister under Chancellor Bauer and retained that office until a replacement could be found in April 1920.<ref name="Müller2"/>
On 24 March, president Ebert called the leaders of the coalition parties to discuss the new cabinet. The SPD had settled on Hermann Müller as new chancellor. The previous chancellor, Gustav Bauer, although blamed by many for not having prevented the putsch, remained in the new cabinet in the much lower profile job as Treasury minister. Former vice-chancellor and minister of Justice [[Eugen Schiffer]] (DDP), who had been in the forefront of those negotiating with the putschists, did not become a member of the new cabinet. However, many other ministers of the Bauer cabinet remained. Müller had been foreign minister under Chancellor Bauer and retained the office until a replacement was found in April 1920.<ref name="Müller2"/>


Two other vacancies had resulted from the earlier resignation of [[Matthias Erzberger]] as Minister of Finance in March and of {{ill|de|Wilhelm Mayer (politician)|Wilhelm Mayer (Politiker)|Wilhelm Mayer}} in January 1920. These were now filled by [[Joseph Wirth]] who took over at Finance and Bauer who became Minister of the Treasury.<ref name="Müller2">{{cite web|url=http://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktenreichskanzlei/1919-1933/0000/mu1/mu11p/kap1_1/para2_1.html|title=Files of the Reichskanzlei: Das Kabinett Müller I – Kabinettsbildung und Charakteristik der Minister (German)|publisher=Bundesarchiv|accessdate=16 December 2013}}</ref> Notably absent from the new cabinet was [[Gustav Noske]] (SPD) who as ''Reichswehrminister'' (Defence) had been ultimately responsible for the (lack of a) military response to the Kapp-Lüttwitz-Putsch and who had been in charge of previous military action against left-wing uprisings. Although president Ebert wanted to keep Noske, the unions and many in the SPD demanded his resignation, arguing that he had been too ready to use force against the leftist uprisings and too lenient towards the right-wing putschists, both before and after the actual putsch.<ref name="Reich"/>{{rp|54}}<ref name="Müller2"/>
Two other vacancies had resulted from the earlier resignations of [[Matthias Erzberger]] as Finance minister in March and of {{Interlanguage link multi|Wilhelm Mayer (politician)|de|3=Wilhelm Mayer (Politiker)|lt=Wilhelm Mayer}} as Treasury minister in January 1920. The positions were filled by [[Joseph Wirth]], who took over as Finance minister and Bauer who became Treasury minister.<ref name="Müller2">{{cite web |title=Das Kabinett Müller I – Kabinettsbildung und Charakteristik der Minister |trans-title=Müller Cabinet I – Cabinet Formation and Characteristics of the Ministers |url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktenreichskanzlei/1919-1933/0000/mu1/mu11p/kap1_1/para2_1.html |access-date=16 December 2013 |website=Das Bundesarchiv |language=de}}</ref> Notably absent from the new cabinet was [[Gustav Noske]] (SPD), who as minister of the [[Reichswehr]] (Armed Forces) had been ultimately responsible for the lack of a military response to the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch and who had been in charge of previous military action against left-wing uprisings. Although President Ebert wanted to keep Noske, the unions and many in the SPD demanded his resignation, arguing that he had been too ready to use force against the leftist uprisings and too lenient towards the right-wing putschists, both before and after the actual putsch.{{Sfn|Dederke|1996|p=54}}<ref name="Müller2"/>


It was difficult to find candidates for some positions. Otto Wels was considered for the ''Reichswehrministerium'', but was told that his appointment would result in a mass-exodus of officers and thus withdrew. [[Wilhelm Cuno]], offered the Finance Ministry, also declined. [[Otto Landsberg]] said he did not feel up to the job of leading the Foreign Office. Müller himself, who agreed only reluctantly to take on the chancellorship, at times considered handing back the task of forming a government.<ref name="Müller2"/>
It was difficult to find candidates for some positions. Otto Wels was considered as minister of the Reichswehr but was told that his appointment would result in a mass exodus of officers and therefore withdrew. [[Wilhelm Cuno]], offered the Ministry of Finance, also declined. [[Otto Landsberg]] said he did not feel up to the job of leading the Foreign Office. Müller himself, who agreed only reluctantly to take on the chancellorship, at times considered handing back the task of forming a government.<ref name="Müller2"/>


==Members==
==Overview of the members==
The members of the cabinet were as follows:<ref name="Reich">{{cite book|last = Dederke|first = Karlheinz|title = Reich und Republik, Deutschland 1917–1933 (German)|publisher = Klett-Cotta|year = 1996|isbn = 3-608-91802-7| pages = }}</ref>{{rp|335}}<ref name="Müller1">{{cite web|url=http://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktenreichskanzlei/1919-1933/0000/mu1/mu11p/kap1_3/para2_1.html|title=Files of the Reichskanzlei: Das Kabinett Müller I (German)|publisher=Bundesarchiv|accessdate=16 December 2013}}</ref><ref name=DHM>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/weimar/verfassung/kabinette/index.html|title=Kabinette von 1919 bis 1933 (German)|publisher=Deutsches Historisches Museum|accessdate=16 December 2013}}</ref>
The members of the cabinet were as follows:{{Sfn|Dederke|1996|p=335}}<ref name="Müller1">{{cite web |title=Das Kabinett Hermann Müller I |trans-title=The First Hermann Müller Cabinet |url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktenreichskanzlei/1919-1933/0000/mu1/mu11p/kap1_3/para2_1.html |access-date=16 December 2013 |website=Das Bundesarchiv |language=de}}</ref>


{{Cabinet table start
{| class="prettytable"
| hidepartycol = n
!colspan="3"| '''Cabinet Müller I''' <br /> ''27 March 1920 to 21 June 1920''
| hiderefcol = y
|-----
}}
| ''[[German Chancellor]] (Reichskanzler)''
{{Cabinet table minister
| [[Hermann Müller (politician)|Hermann Müller]] || [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]
| title = [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellorship]]
|-----
| minister1 = [[Hermann Müller (politician, born 1876)|Hermann Müller]]
| ''Deputy of the Reichskanzler''<br />''Reichsministerium des Innern'' (Interior)
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
| [[Erich Koch-Weser]] || [[German Democratic Party|DDP]]
| minister1_termend = 21 June 1920
|-----
| minister1_party = Social Democratic Party of Germany
| ''Reichsministerium der Finanzen'' (Finance)
}}
| [[Joseph Wirth]]''|| [[German Center Party|Zentrum]]
{{Cabinet table minister
|-----
| title = [[Vice Chancellor of Germany|Vice-chancellorship]]
| ''[[Auswärtiges Amt]]'' (Foreign Office)
| minister1 = [[Erich Koch-Weser]]
| [[Hermann Müller (politician)|Hermann Müller]]<br />''(through 10 April 1920)''<br />[[Adolf Köster]]<br />''(after 10 April 1920)'' || SPD<br />SPD
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
|-----
| minister1_termend = 21 June 1920
| ''Reichsministerium für Wirtschaft'' (Economics)
| minister1_party = German Democratic Party
| [[Robert Schmidt (politician)|Robert Schmidt]] || SPD
}}
|-----
{{Cabinet table minister
| ''Reichsministerium für Arbeit'' (Labour)
| title = [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany)|Foreign Affairs]]
| {{ill|de|Alexander Schlicke}} || SPD
| minister1 = [[Hermann Müller (politician, born 1876)|Hermann Müller]]
|-----
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
| ''[[Reichsministerium der Justiz]]'' (Justice)
| minister1_termend = 10 April 1920
| [[Andreas Blunck]]'' || DDP
| minister1_party = Social Democratic Party of Germany
|-----
| minister2 = [[Adolf Köster]]
| ''Reichswehrministerium'' (Defence)
| minister2_termstart = 10 April 1920
| [[Otto Gessler]] || DDP
| minister2_termend = 21 June 1920
|-----
| minister2_party = Social Democratic Party of Germany
| ''Reichsministerium für das Postwesen'' (Mail)
}}
| {{ill|de|Johannes Giesberts}} || Zentrum
{{Cabinet table minister
|-----
| title = [[List of German interior ministers|Interior]]
| ''Reichsministerium für Verkehr'' (Transport)
| minister1 = [[Erich Koch-Weser]]
| [[Johannes Bell]] <br />''(through 1 May 1920)''<br /> [[Gustav Bauer]] <br />''(after 1 May 1920)''|| Zentrum <br /> SPD
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
|-----
| minister1_termend = 21 June 1920
| ''Reichsministerium für Ernährung'' (Food)
| minister1_party = German Democratic Party
| [[Andreas Hermes]] <br /> ''(after 30 March 1920)'' || Zentrum
}}
|-----
{{Cabinet table minister
| ''Reichsschatzministerium'' (Treasury)
| title = [[Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection|Justice]]
| [[Gustav Bauer]] || SPD
| minister1 = [[Andreas Blunck]]
|-----
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
| ''[[Minister without portfolio|Reichsminister ohne Geschäftsbereich]]''
| minister1_termend = 21 June 1920
| [[Eduard David]] || SPD
| minister1_party = German Democratic Party
|-----
|}
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = [[List of German labour ministers|Labour]]
| minister1 = [[Alexander Schlicke]]
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
| minister1_termend = 21 June 1920
| minister1_party = Social Democratic Party of Germany
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = [[List of German defence ministers|Reichswehr]]
| minister1 = [[Otto Gessler]]
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
| minister1_termend = 21 June 1920
| minister1_party = German Democratic Party
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = [[List of German economics ministers|Economic Affairs]]
| minister1 = [[Robert Schmidt (German politician)|Robert Schmidt]]
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
| minister1_termend = 21 June 1920
| minister1_party = Social Democratic Party of Germany
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = [[List of German finance ministers|Finance]]
| minister1 = [[Joseph Wirth]]
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
| minister1_termend = 21 June 1920
| minister1_party = Centre Party (Germany)
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Treasury
| minister1 = [[Gustav Bauer]]
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
| minister1_termend = 21 June 1920
| minister1_party = Social Democratic Party of Germany
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = [[List of Federal Ministers of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (Germany)|Food and Agriculture]]
| minister1 = [[Andreas Hermes]]
| minister1_termstart = 30 March 1920
| minister1_termend = 21 June 1920
| minister1_party = Centre Party (Germany)
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = [[Reich Ministry of Transport|Transport]]
| minister1 = [[Johannes Bell]]
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
| minister1_termend = 1 May 1920
| minister1_party = Centre Party (Germany)
| minister2 = [[Gustav Bauer]]
| minister2_termstart = 1 May 1920
| minister2_termend = 21 June 1920
| minister2_party = Social Democratic Party of Germany
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = [[List of German postal ministers|Postal affairs]]
| minister1 = {{ill|Johannes Giesberts|de}}
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
| minister1_termend = 21 June 1920
| minister1_party = Centre Party (Germany)
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = [[Reich Ministry for Reconstruction|Reconstruction]]
| minister1 = Vacant
| minister1_termstart = –
| minister1_termend = –
| minister1_party =
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = [[Minister without portfolio|Without portfolio]]
| minister1 = [[Eduard David]]
| minister1_termstart = 27 March 1920
| minister1_termend = 21 June 1920
| minister1_party = Social Democratic Party of Germany
}}
{{Cabinet table end}}


==Resignation==
== In office ==
The Müller government spent much of its short life dealing with the [[Ruhr uprising]], a radical left-wing revolt that grew out of the general strike against the Kapp Putsch in an attempt to set up a dictatorship of the proletariat. The Reichswehr and [[Freikorps]] units that the cabinet sent against the insurgents were able to suppress it by 12 April at the cost of about 1,350 lives.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Angress |first=Werner T. |date=March 1957 |title=Weimar Coalition and Ruhr Insurrection, March-April 1920: A Study of Government Policy |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1872582 |journal=Journal of Modern History |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=3, 16 |doi=10.1086/237962 |jstor=1872582 |s2cid=154798779 |via=JSTOR}}</ref> The state of emergency that President Ebert had declared at the uprising's outbreak was lifted only on 25 May.
After the events of the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch the date for the elections to a new Reichstag was brought forward to 6 June 1920. The cabinet resigned as a result of the outcome of these Reichstag elections. The SPD went from 163 seats in the National Assembly to just 102 in the new Reichstag. The number of people voting for the SPD plunged from 11.5 million in the January 1919 National Assembly elections to 6.1 million in June 1920. The share of votes cast for the three coalition parties shrunk from 76.1% in 1919 to 43.5%.<ref name="Reich"/>{{rp|338}} Many on the left who had been disappointed with the biased way the SPD-led government had dealt with the right-wing and left-wing revolts in the spring, voted for the "independent" Social Democrats of the [[Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany|USPD]] instead. Its share of the popular vote rose from 7.6% in 1919 to 17.8% in 1920.<ref name="Reich"/>{{rp|338}}


==Resignation==
As the SPD remained the largest party in the Reichstag, president Ebert first asked Müller to form a new cabinet. Müller tried to convince the USPD to join a government, but its chairman refused to participate in any coalition that was not purely socialist and in which the USPD was not the majority party. As Müller was unwilling to work with the [[German People's Party]] (DVP), he handed back the task of forming a government.<ref name="Müller3">{{cite web|url=http://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktenreichskanzlei/1919-1933/0000/mu1/mu11p/kap1_1/para2_8.html|title=Files of the Reichskanzlei: Das Kabinett Müller I – Reichstagswahlen und Rücktritt des Kabinetts (German)|publisher=Bundesarchiv|accessdate=16 December 2013}}</ref>
After the events of the Kapp Putsch, the date for the elections to the new Reichstag was brought forward to 6 June 1920. The cabinet resigned as a result of the outcome of the elections. The SPD went from 163 seats in the National Assembly to just 102 in the new Reichstag. The number of people voting for the SPD plunged from 11.5 million in the January 1919 National Assembly elections to 6.1 million in June 1920. The share of votes cast for the three coalition parties shrank from 76.1% in 1919 to 43.5%.{{Sfn|Dederke|1996|p=338}} Many on the left who had been disappointed with the biased way the SPD-led government had dealt with the right-wing and left-wing revolts in the spring voted for the more leftist USPD instead. Its share of the popular vote rose from 7.6% in 1919 to 17.8% in 1920.{{Sfn|Dederke|1996|p=338}}


Since the SPD remained the largest party in the Reichstag, President Ebert first asked Müller to form a new cabinet. Müller tried to convince the USPD to join his government, but its chairman refused to participate in any coalition that was not purely socialist and in which the USPD was not the majority party. As Müller was unwilling to work with the [[German People's Party]] (DVP), he handed back the task of forming a government.<ref name="Müller3">{{cite web |title=Das Kabinett Müller I – Reichstagswahlen und Rücktritt des Kabinetts |trans-title=Müller Cabinet I - Reichstag Elections and Resignation of the Cabinet |url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktenreichskanzlei/1919-1933/0000/mu1/mu11p/kap1_1/para2_8.html |access-date=16 December 2013 |website=Das Bundesarchiv |language=de}}</ref>
Thus the "bourgeois" parties now decided to form a minority government without the Social Democrats. The SPD promised to support it in foreign policy and on questions of reparations to the Allies.<ref name="Müller3"/> The new government was formed by [[Constantin Fehrenbach]] of the Zentrum, previously president of the National Assembly. It was based on Zentrum, DDP and—for the first time—the centre-right DVP led by [[Gustav Stresemann]], which had received 13.9% of the vote (up from 4.4% in 1919).<ref name="Reich"/>{{rp|338}} It thus ended the period of government by the so-called "Weimar Coalition" that had been in office from February 1919 to June 1920.


The "bourgeois" parties then decided to form a minority government without the Social Democrats. The SPD promised to support it in foreign policy and on questions of reparations to the Allies.<ref name="Müller3"/> The new government was formed by [[Constantin Fehrenbach]] of the Centre Party, who had been president of the National Assembly. It was based on the Centre Party, DDP and – for the first time – the centre-right DVP led by [[Gustav Stresemann]], which had received 13.9% of the vote (up from 4.4% in 1919).{{Sfn|Dederke|1996|p=338}} The cabinet ended the period of government by the Weimar Coalition that had been in office from February 1919 to June 1920.
Hermann Müller became Chancellor again in 1928 as the head of the Cabinet Müller II, the last "regular" government of the Weimar Republic before the ''Präsidialkabinette'' took over, i.e. governments not based on a Reichstag majority but on the support of the ''Reichspräsident'' (then [[Paul von Hindenburg]]).<ref name="Reich"/>{{rp|335}}


==References==
==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabinet Muller I}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabinet Muller I}}
[[Category:Historic German cabinets]]
[[Category:Cabinets of Germany|Müller I]]
[[Category:German Revolution of 1918–19]]
[[Category:1920 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:1920 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:Cabinets established in 1920]]
[[Category:Cabinets established in 1920]]

Latest revision as of 01:04, 28 September 2024

First Cabinet of Hermann Müller

3rd Cabinet of Weimar Germany
27 March 1920 – 8 June 1920
(until 21 June 1920 as caretaker government)
Members of cabinet
Date formed27 March 1920 (1920-03-27)
Date dissolved21 June 1920 (1920-06-21)
(2 months and 25 days)
People and organisations
PresidentFriedrich Ebert
ChancellorHermann Müller
Vice-ChancellorErich Koch-Weser
Member partiesSocial Democratic Party
Centre Party
German Democratic Party
Status in legislatureWeimar Coalition
331/423 (78%)




Opposition partiesGerman National People's Party
Independent Social Democratic Party
German People's Party
History
Election1919 federal election
Legislature termWeimar National Assembly
PredecessorBauer cabinet
SuccessorFehrenbach cabinet
Erich Koch-Weser (DDP), Vice-Chancellor and Minister of the Interior
Adolf Köster (SPD), Minister of Foreign Affairs after Müller
Andreas Blunck (DDP), Minister of Justice
Otto Gessler (DDP), Reichswehr Minister
Robert Schmidt (SPD), Minister of Economic Affairs

The first Müller cabinet, headed by Chancellor Hermann Müller of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), was the third democratically elected government of Germany and the second in office after the Weimar Constitution came into force in August 1919. The cabinet was based on the same three centre-left parties as the preceding Bauer cabinet: the SPD, Centre Party and German Democratic Party (DDP), a grouping known as the Weimar Coalition. It was formed on 27 March 1920 after the government of Gustav Bauer (SPD) resigned as a result of the unsuccessful Kapp Putsch, which it was seen as having handled badly.

The Ruhr uprising, which broke out in the aftermath of the putsch, took place during the cabinet's time in office. It was suppressed with considerable loss of life by units of the Reichswehr and the Freikorps.

The first Müller cabinet resigned in reaction to the poor showing of its constituent parties in the Reichstag election of 6 June 1920 but remained in office through 21 June in a caretaker capacity. The Fehrenbach cabinet, headed by the Centre Party, took over on 25 June.

Election and establishment

[edit]

In late March 1920, when President Friedrich Ebert (SPD) asked Hermann Müller (SPD) to form a new government, the parliament of Germany was still the Weimar National Assembly. It served as the acting Reichstag according to the Law on Provisional Reich Power that the Assembly had passed on 10 February 1919.[1] Elections for the new Reichstag had yet to be held. The cabinet was based on the SPD, Centre Party and German Democratic Party (DDP). The three parties accounted for 331 out of a total of 423 seats in the National Assembly and were known as the Weimar Coalition.[2]

The previous government, led by Gustav Bauer, also SPD, had become untenable and finally resigned on 26 March 1920 as a result of the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch. In the wake of the putsch's collapse, caused not least by a national general strike, the Free Trade Unions drew up an eight-point agenda as conditions for ending the strike. They demanded the punishment of the putschists, dissolution of associations hostile to the constitution, new social laws and the socialisation of "appropriate" industries. They also demanded a right to participate in the creation of a new government. Although Otto Wels for the SPD rejected the harsh form in which union leader and Reichstag member Carl Legien had presented the unions' demands, the SPD accepted that both the current government and the government of the state of Prussia had been compromised and discredited by the putsch and would have to resign. The new government was to be based on politicians not tainted by the charge of having – voluntarily or involuntarily – aided and abetted the putsch. It was a position not shared by the SPD's coalition partners. The DDP did not see itself bound by any conditions the unions had attached to the ending of the general strike. Although the formation of a new government and restoring order in Germany became increasingly pressing with the threat of a general uprising from the left (the Ruhr uprising), the positions of the coalition partners seemed to move further apart.[3]

On the left, both Legien and Rudolf Wissell were unwilling to become chancellor. The eventual government to emerge thus largely ignored the unions' eight points. No changes of coalition partners were possible. The right-wing DVP had disqualified itself by its behaviour during the putsch and the left-wing Independent Social Democrats (USPD) insisted on a purely socialist government. Within the SPD, some favoured a coalition with the USPD, but the risk of a civil war or outright secession by some states in southern Germany was ultimately seen as too great. The decision ended all attempts to move ahead with the socialisation project that was promoted by many on the left such as Rudolf Hilferding.[3]

On 24 March, president Ebert called the leaders of the coalition parties to discuss the new cabinet. The SPD had settled on Hermann Müller as new chancellor. The previous chancellor, Gustav Bauer, although blamed by many for not having prevented the putsch, remained in the new cabinet in the much lower profile job as Treasury minister. Former vice-chancellor and minister of Justice Eugen Schiffer (DDP), who had been in the forefront of those negotiating with the putschists, did not become a member of the new cabinet. However, many other ministers of the Bauer cabinet remained. Müller had been foreign minister under Chancellor Bauer and retained the office until a replacement was found in April 1920.[3]

Two other vacancies had resulted from the earlier resignations of Matthias Erzberger as Finance minister in March and of Wilhelm Mayer [de] as Treasury minister in January 1920. The positions were filled by Joseph Wirth, who took over as Finance minister and Bauer who became Treasury minister.[3] Notably absent from the new cabinet was Gustav Noske (SPD), who as minister of the Reichswehr (Armed Forces) had been ultimately responsible for the lack of a military response to the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch and who had been in charge of previous military action against left-wing uprisings. Although President Ebert wanted to keep Noske, the unions and many in the SPD demanded his resignation, arguing that he had been too ready to use force against the leftist uprisings and too lenient towards the right-wing putschists, both before and after the actual putsch.[4][3]

It was difficult to find candidates for some positions. Otto Wels was considered as minister of the Reichswehr but was told that his appointment would result in a mass exodus of officers and therefore withdrew. Wilhelm Cuno, offered the Ministry of Finance, also declined. Otto Landsberg said he did not feel up to the job of leading the Foreign Office. Müller himself, who agreed only reluctantly to take on the chancellorship, at times considered handing back the task of forming a government.[3]

Members

[edit]

The members of the cabinet were as follows:[5][6]

Portfolio Minister Took office Left office Party
Chancellorship27 March 192021 June 1920 SPD
Vice-chancellorship27 March 192021 June 1920 DDP
Foreign Affairs27 March 192010 April 1920 SPD
10 April 192021 June 1920 SPD
Interior27 March 192021 June 1920 DDP
Justice27 March 192021 June 1920 DDP
Labour27 March 192021 June 1920 SPD
Reichswehr27 March 192021 June 1920 DDP
Economic Affairs27 March 192021 June 1920 SPD
Finance27 March 192021 June 1920 Centre
Treasury27 March 192021 June 1920 SPD
Food and Agriculture30 March 192021 June 1920 Centre
Transport27 March 19201 May 1920 Centre
1 May 192021 June 1920 SPD
Postal affairs27 March 192021 June 1920 Centre
Reconstruction
Vacant
–– 
Without portfolio27 March 192021 June 1920 SPD

In office

[edit]

The Müller government spent much of its short life dealing with the Ruhr uprising, a radical left-wing revolt that grew out of the general strike against the Kapp Putsch in an attempt to set up a dictatorship of the proletariat. The Reichswehr and Freikorps units that the cabinet sent against the insurgents were able to suppress it by 12 April at the cost of about 1,350 lives.[7] The state of emergency that President Ebert had declared at the uprising's outbreak was lifted only on 25 May.

Resignation

[edit]

After the events of the Kapp Putsch, the date for the elections to the new Reichstag was brought forward to 6 June 1920. The cabinet resigned as a result of the outcome of the elections. The SPD went from 163 seats in the National Assembly to just 102 in the new Reichstag. The number of people voting for the SPD plunged from 11.5 million in the January 1919 National Assembly elections to 6.1 million in June 1920. The share of votes cast for the three coalition parties shrank from 76.1% in 1919 to 43.5%.[8] Many on the left who had been disappointed with the biased way the SPD-led government had dealt with the right-wing and left-wing revolts in the spring voted for the more leftist USPD instead. Its share of the popular vote rose from 7.6% in 1919 to 17.8% in 1920.[8]

Since the SPD remained the largest party in the Reichstag, President Ebert first asked Müller to form a new cabinet. Müller tried to convince the USPD to join his government, but its chairman refused to participate in any coalition that was not purely socialist and in which the USPD was not the majority party. As Müller was unwilling to work with the German People's Party (DVP), he handed back the task of forming a government.[9]

The "bourgeois" parties then decided to form a minority government without the Social Democrats. The SPD promised to support it in foreign policy and on questions of reparations to the Allies.[9] The new government was formed by Constantin Fehrenbach of the Centre Party, who had been president of the National Assembly. It was based on the Centre Party, DDP and – for the first time – the centre-right DVP led by Gustav Stresemann, which had received 13.9% of the vote (up from 4.4% in 1919).[8] The cabinet ended the period of government by the Weimar Coalition that had been in office from February 1919 to June 1920.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Gesetz über die vorläufige Reichsgewalt vom 10. Februar 1919" [Law on Provisional Reich Power of 10 February 1919]. documentArchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  2. ^ Dederke, Karlheinz (1996). Reich und Republik Deutschland, 1917–1933 (in German). Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta. p. 338. ISBN 978-3608918021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Das Kabinett Müller I – Kabinettsbildung und Charakteristik der Minister" [Müller Cabinet I – Cabinet Formation and Characteristics of the Ministers]. Das Bundesarchiv (in German). Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  4. ^ Dederke 1996, p. 54.
  5. ^ Dederke 1996, p. 335.
  6. ^ "Das Kabinett Hermann Müller I" [The First Hermann Müller Cabinet]. Das Bundesarchiv (in German). Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  7. ^ Angress, Werner T. (March 1957). "Weimar Coalition and Ruhr Insurrection, March-April 1920: A Study of Government Policy". Journal of Modern History. 29 (1). University of Chicago Press: 3, 16. doi:10.1086/237962. JSTOR 1872582. S2CID 154798779 – via JSTOR.
  8. ^ a b c Dederke 1996, p. 338.
  9. ^ a b "Das Kabinett Müller I – Reichstagswahlen und Rücktritt des Kabinetts" [Müller Cabinet I - Reichstag Elections and Resignation of the Cabinet]. Das Bundesarchiv (in German). Retrieved 16 December 2013.
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