Joseph Wirth

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Joseph Wirth
Chancellor of Germany
In office May 10, 1921 – November 14, 1922
Preceded by	Konstantin Fehrenbach
Succeeded by	Wilhelm Cuno
Born	September 6, 1879(1879-09-06)
Died	January 3, 1956 (aged 76)
Political party	Catholic Centre Party

Karl Joseph Wirth, known as Joseph Wirth, (September 6, 1879 – January 3, 1956) was a German politician of the Catholic Centre Party who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1921 to 1922. Along with his foreign minister, Walther Rathenau, Wirth set out to follow a policy of "fulfillment" with respect to Germany's reparations in order to show that Germany was incapable of payment.

Wirth was the youngest Chancellor Germany has had as of 2007. He is nowadays best known for his speech in front of the Reichstag after the assassination of Walther Rathenau by rightist extremists in 1922. Wirth - as a centre-right politician - famously proclaimed "The enemy is on the right!". His words later turned out to be prophetic.

[edit] First Cabinet, May - October 1921

• Joseph Wirth (Z) - Chancellor and Finance Minister
• Gustav Bauer (SPD) - Vice Chancellor and Treasury Minister
• Friedrich Rosen - Foreign Minister
• Georg Gradnauer (SPD) - Interior Minister
• Robert Schmidt (SPD) - Economics Minister
• Heinrich Brauns (Z) - Labour Minister
• Eugen Schiffer (DDP) - Justice Minister
• Otto Gessler (DDP) - Defence Minister
• Wilhelm Gröner - Transport Minister
• Andreas Hermes (Z) - Food Minister

Changes

• May 29, 1921 - Walther Rathenau (DDP) enters the cabinet as Reconstruction Minister.

[edit] Second Cabinet, October 1921 - November 1922

• Joseph Wirth (Z) - Chancellor and Foreign Minister
• Gustav Bauer (SPD) - Vice Chancellor
• Adolf Köster (SPD) - Interior Minister
• Andreas Hermes (Z) - Finance Minister and Food Minister
• Robert Schmidt (SPD) - Economics Minister
• Heinrich Brauns (Z) - Labour Minister
• Gustav Radbruch (SPD) - Justice Minister
• Otto Gessler (DDP) - Defence Minister
• Johannes Giesberts (Z) - Postal Minister
• Wilhelm Groener - Transport Minister

Changes

• February 1, 1922 - Walther Rathenau (DDP) succeeds Wirth as Foreign Minister. Wirth remains Chancellor
• March 10, 1922 - Anton Fehr (Bavarian Peasants' League) succeeds Hermes as Food Minister. Hermes remains Finance Minister.
• June 24, 1922 - Upon Rathenau's assassination, Wirth again becomes Foreign Minister.

v • d • e Chancellor of Germany German Empire (1871–1918) Otto von Bismarck · Leo von Caprivi · Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst · Bernhard von Bülow · Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg · Georg Michaelis · Georg von Hertling · Prince Maximilian of Baden Revolutionary Period (1918–1919) Friedrich Ebert Weimar Republic (1919–1933) Philipp Scheidemann · Gustav Bauer · Hermann Müller · Konstantin Fehrenbach · Joseph Wirth · Wilhelm Cuno · Gustav Stresemann · Wilhelm Marx · Hans Luther · Wilhelm Marx · Hermann Müller · Heinrich Brüning · Franz von Papen · Kurt von Schleicher Third Reich (1933–1945) Adolf Hitler · Joseph Goebbels · Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk Federal Republic (1949–) Konrad Adenauer · Ludwig Erhard · Kurt Georg Kiesinger · Willy Brandt · Helmut Schmidt · Helmut Kohl · Gerhard Schröder · Angela Merkel

v • d • e Foreign Ministers of Germany Foreign Minister of Prussia until 1918 Kingdom of Prussia (1701-1918) office established 1768 · Hertzberg · Goltz · Hardenberg · Bernstorff · Ancillon · Werther · Maltzan · H. Bülow · Canitz · Arnim-Boitzenburg · Arnim · Schleinitz · Auerswald · Dönhoff · Brandenburg · Eichmann · Arnim-Heinrichsdorff · Schleinitz · Radowitz · Manteuffel · Schleinitz · Bernstorff · Bismarck · Caprivi · Bieberstein · B. Bülow · Bethmann Hollweg · Michaelis · Hertling · Baden Weimar Republic (1918-1933) Brockdorff-Rantzau · Müller · Köster · Simons · Rosen · Wirth · Rathenau · Wirth · Rosenburg · Stresemann · Curtius · Brüning Nazi Germany (1933-1945) Neurath · Ribbentrop · Seyss-Inquart · Krosigk German Democratic Republic (1949-1990) Dertinger · Ackermann · Bolz · Winzer · Fischer · Meckel · de Maizière Federal Republic of Germany (1951-present) Adenauer · Brentano · Schröder · Brandt · Scheel · Genscher · Schmidt · Genscher · Kinkel · Fischer · Steinmeier

v • d • e The First Müller Cabinet – 27 March 1920 to 21 June 1920 Hermann Müller (Chancellor, SPD) | Erich Koch-Weser (DDP) | Adolf Köster (SPD) | Andreas Blunck (DDP) | Joseph Wirth (Z) | Robert Schmidt (SPD) | Andreas Hermes (Z) | Alexander Schlicke (SPD) | Otto Gessler (DDP) | Johannes Bell (Z) | Gustav Bauer (SPD) | Johannes Giesberts (Z) | Eduard David (SPD)

v • d • e The Fehrenbach Cabinet – 25 June 1920 to 4 May 1921 Konstantin Fehrenbach (Chancellor, Z) | Rudolf Heinze (DVP) | Walter Simons (independent) | Erich Koch-Weser (DDP) | Joseph Wirth (Z) | Ernst Scholz (DVP) | Andreas Hermes (Z) | Heinrich Brauns (Z) | Otto Gessler (DDP) | Wilhelm Groener (independent) | Johannes Giesberts (Z) | Hans von Raumer (DVP)

v • d • e The Second Müller Cabinet Hermann Müller (Chancellor, SPD) | Gustav Stresemann (DVP) | Julius Curtius (DVP) | Carl Severing (SPD) | Erich Koch-Weser (DDP) | Theodor von Guérard (Z) | Rudolf Hilferding (SPD) | Paul Moldenhauer (DVP) | Robert Schmidt (SPD) | Hermann Dietrich (DDP) | Rudolf Wissell (SPD) | Wilhelm Groener (independent) | Georg Schätzel (BVP) | Adam Stegerwald (Z) | Joseph Wirth (Z)