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
Matthias Erzberger (20 September 1875 – 26 August 1921) was a German writer and politician (Centre Party), the minister of Finance from 1919 to 1920.
Prominent in the Catholic Centre Party, he spoke out against World War I from 1917 and as a ...
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.
[Manfred Rauh: ''Die Parlamentarisierung des Deutschen Reiches,'' Droste Verlag: Düsseldorf 1977, p. 383, 384 and 386.]
Further reading
* ''Regenten und Regierungen der Welt,'' Vols 2,3. ''Neueste Zeit: 1492–1917,'' ed. by B. Spuler; 2. edition, Würzburg, Ploetz, 1962.
References
{{German Cabinets
Historic German cabinets
1917 establishments in Germany
1918 disestablishments in Germany
Cabinets established in 1917
Cabinets disestablished in 1918