Kiesinger cabinet

Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger (left) and Finance Minister Franz Josef Strauß (right).

The Kiesinger cabinet was the eighth of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was Germany's first Grand Coalition, a coalition between the CDU/CSU (led by Kurt Georg Kiesinger, who became Chancellor) and the SPD (headed by Willy Brandt, who became Vice Chancellor). The Bundestag chosen in the September 1965 election initially resulted in the Cabinet Erhard II, but when the FDP resigned from the government, that led to the formation of this new cabinet.

1 December 1966 – 21 October 1969

• Kurt Georg Kiesinger (CDU) – Chancellor
• Willy Brandt (SPD) – Vice Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Gerhard Schröder (CDU) – Minister of Defense
• Paul Lücke (CDU) – Minister of the Interior
• Franz Josef Strauß (CSU) – Minister of Finance
• Gustav Heinemann (SPD) – Minister of Justice
• Karl Schiller (SPD) – Minister of Economics
• Hans Katzer (CDU) – Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
• Hermann Höcherl (CSU) – Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry
• Georg Leber (SPD) – Minister of Transport
• Lauritz Lauritzen (SPD) – Minister of Construction
• Bruno Heck (CDU) – Minister of Family and Youth
• Käte Strobel (SPD) – Minister of Health
• Gerhard Stoltenberg (CDU) – Minister of Scientific Research
• Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski (SPD) – Minister of Economic Cooperation
• Werner Dollinger (CSU) – Minister of Posts and Communications
• Kai-Uwe von Hassel (CDU) – Minister of Displaced Persons, Refugees, and War Victims
• Herbert Wehner (SPD) – Minister of All-German Affairs
• Carlo Schmid (SPD) – Minister of Bundesrat and State Affairs
• Kurt Schmücker (CDU) – Minister of Federal Treasure

Changes

• 2 April 1968 – Ernst Benda (CDU) succeeds Lücke as Minister of the Interior.
• 16 October 1968 – Aenne Brauksiepe (CDU) succeeds Heck as Minister of Family and Youth. Erhard Eppler (SPD) succeeds Wischnewski as Minister of Economic Cooperation.
• 7 February 1969 – Heinrich Windelen (CDU) succeeds von Hassel as Minister of Displaced Persons, Refugees, and War Victims after the latter was elected to President of the Bundestag.
• 26 March 1969 – Horst Ehmke (SPD) succeeds Heinemann as Minister of Justice after the latter was elected to 5th President of Germany.

References