Fourth Adenauer cabinet


The fourth Adenauer cabinet was formed by incumbent Chancellor Konrad Adenauer after the 1961 federal election. The cabinet was sworn in on 14 November 1961.
The Spiegel affair in 1962 caused the coalition to fall apart over Defence Minister Franz Josef Strauss' actions which violated press freedom, leading to all FDP ministers resigning in protest. As a result, the Adenauer IV cabinet lasted for only little more than a year.

Composition