Second Marx cabinet: Difference between revisions

OnFollowing the lapse on 15 February 1924, of the ''Ermächtigungsgesetz'' ([[enabling act]]), that had allowed the emergency decrees on which many of the actions of the first Marx cabinet had beenwere based, lapsed and there was no prospect of the [[Reichstag (Weimar Republic)|Reichstag]] granting an extension. TheAfter parliamentthe metintroduction on 20 February andof several draft laws werethat tabled,were aimed at undoing some of the government's decrees, notably on taxes, working hours and cuts to the public workforce. The government decided to fight to keep these in place as it saw them as corner stones of its economic and fiscal policies. The opposition parties refused to withdraw their motions. Chancellor, Marx thus askedcalled for the Reichstag to be dissolved on 13 March, arguing that "vital" decrees would otherwise be revoked. The [[German federal election, May 1924|elections of 4 May]] weakened the parties of the political center and strengthened the extremes of the spectrum. [[German Democraticfederal Partyelection|DDP]]new and [[German People's Party|DVP]]elections in particular lost votes. The [[DNVPMay]] (in conjunctionorder withto the ''[[Agricultural League|Landbund]]'') now hadprevent the largestReichstag parliamentaryfrom groupundoing andwhat demandedhe tosaw beas includedvital in the government in a leading rolepolicies.<ref name=Akten3>{{cite web|url=http://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktenreichskanzlei/1919-1933/0000/ma1/ma11p/kap1_1/para2_2.html|title= Innenpolitische Entwicklung vom ersten zum zweiten Kabinett Marx (German)|publisher=Bundesarchiv|accessdate=15 July 2015}}</ref>

==Overview ofIn theoffice members==

The parties on which the coalition was based had only 138 out of 472 votesseats in the Reichstag., Its foreign policy was mostly supported byalthough the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPDSocial Democratic Party]]. However,(SPD) with its 100 seats for the most part supported the government's foreign policy. The DVP was interested in getting parliamentary support for key decisions from the DNVP and to add them to the coalition. One reason was that the DVP viewed the DNVP as its main rival for the public vote and wanted to include them in the government, therebyin forcingorder to force them to accept responsibility for the Reichgovernment's policies. Marx asked the DNVP to settle for three seats in the cabinet rather than the four they wanted, and requested that the DDP allow Otto Gessler stay on as Reichswehr minister even if the DDP did not formally take part in the government. In negotiations in October 1924, however, the DDP refused to accept government participation by the DNVP. Attempts by Marx's attempts to get agreement by the DDP to agree to tolerate a cabinet based on Zentrumthe Centre Party, DVP and DNVP also failed. andHe hethen thusasked askedPresident Ebert to dissolve the Reichstag (elected not even six months previously), which the presidenthe did on 20 October.<ref name="Akten1">{{cite web |title=Die Verhandlungen über eine Umbildung des zweiten Kabinetts Marx |trans-title=Negotiations on a Reshuffle of the Second Marx Cabinet |url=httphttps://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktenreichskanzlei/1919-1933/0000/ma1/ma11p/kap1_1/para2_5.html |accessdate=24 July 2015 |website=Das Bundesarchiv |language=de}}</ref>

The economic situation improved considerably in 1924, and thiswhich was a key factor in the shift of votes from extreme to centrecentrist parties in the [[December 1924 German federal election, December 1924|election of 7 December]]. CommunistsThe [[Communist Party of Germany|Communist]] and Nazis[[Nazi Party|Nazi]] Parties lost votes, whilst both Social Democrats and DNVP posted gains. ThisThat made it an open question, whether the new government should include the former or the latter. Arithmetically, both aan SPD/ZentrumCentre/DDP/DVP or Zentruma Centre/DDP/DVP/DNVP coalition would have been able to rely on a Reichstag majority. However,When the DVP rejected the possibility of governing with the SPD. As a result, Marx announced the cabinet's resignation on 15 December, although (it stayed in office as a caretaker) government. Negotiations on a new cabinet then proved as difficult as they had been prior to the elections. They soon were broken off and a resumption postponed until early January 1925.<ref name="Akten1"/>

In thesethe talks, none of the parties moved from their earlier positions. A government based on a parliamentary majority thus proved elusive. Once again, the idea of a "government of personages" was considered, i.e. of individuals not representing parties at all. Marx offered two politicians of the DNVP seats in a new "non-partisan" cabinet, but both DVP and DNVP rejected thisthe suggestion. A final attempt byof Marx's to retain a cabinet based just on Zentrumthe Centre and DDP failed, and on 9 January he informed Ebert that he was unable to form a new government. On 15 January, Hansthe Lutherindependent (not[[Hans a member of any party)Luther]] succeeded in putting together a cabinet of technocrats and "trusted men" based on a loose combination of parties from Zentrumthe Centre Party to the DNVP. The [[first Luther cabinet]] replaced Marx's government thatthe same day.<ref name="Akten1"/>

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