Hertling cabinet

The Hertling cabinet was the first cabinet of the German Empire that came about after consulting with the majority parties in the Reichstag. The Social Democrats did not join the cabinet, not wanting to render the process of forming a government even more difficult.

Hertling belonged to the right wing of the Catholic Centre Party, and was against a parliamentarisation of the German Empire. The left wing around Matthias Erzberger took the opposite view, and the broad centre of the party wanted to take into account the views of the right wing, but also took note of the wishes of Catholic workers for democratisation. The centre did not want to put obstacles in the way of parliamentarisation, but did not take active steps to prevent a split in the party. Hertling's chancellorship meant that the Centre and the left Liberals took account of the conservative elements. The latter could thus get used to a parliamentary way of governing.

Cabinet Hertling 25 October 1917 to 4 October 1918
Reich Chancellor	Georg von Hertling	Centre
Vice-Chancellor	Karl Helfferich to 9 November 1917 Friedrich von Payer	independent Conservative FVP
Foreign Office	Richard von Kühlmann to 9 July 1918 Paul von Hintze	independent independent
Interior	Max Wallraf	independent Conservative
Justice	Paul von Krause	independent National Liberal
Navy	Admiral Eduard von Capelle	independent
Economy	Rudolf Schwander to 20 November 1917 Hans Karl Freiherr von Stein zu Nord- und Ostheim	independent independent
Food Supply	Wilhelm von Waldow	independent Conservative
Post	Otto Rüdlin	independent
Treasury	Siegfried Graf von Roedern	independent
Colonies	Wilhelm Solf	independent Liberal

Further reading

• Regenten und Regierungen der Welt, Vols 2,3. Neueste Zeit: 1492–1917, ed. by B. Spuler; 2. edition, Würzburg, Ploetz, 1962.