Second Cabinet of Hans Luther | |
|---|---|
 13th Cabinet of Weimar Germany | |
| 20 January 1926 – 13 May 1926 (until 17 May 1926 as caretaker government) | |
 Chancellor Hans Luther | |
| Date formed | 20 January 1926 |
| Date dissolved | 17 May 1926 (3 months and 27 days) |
| People and organisations | |
| President | Paul von Hindenburg |
| Chancellor | Hans Luther (until 13 May 1926) Otto Gessler (acting from 13 May 1926) |
| Member parties | Centre Party German People's Party German Democratic Party Bavarian People's Party |
| Status in legislature | Minority coalition government 171 / 493 (35%) |
| Opposition parties | German National People's Party Communist Party Nazi Party |
| History | |
| Election | December 1924 federal election |
| Legislature term | 3rd Reichstag of the Weimar Republic |
| Predecessor | First Luther cabinet |
| Successor | Third Marx cabinet |
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The second Luther cabinet, headed by the independent Hans Luther, was the 13th democratically elected government of the Weimar Republic. On 20 January 1926 it replaced the first Luther cabinet, which had resigned on 5 December 1925 following the withdrawal of the German National People's Party (DNVP) from the coalition in protest against the government's support of the Locarno Treaties. Luther had wanted to build a more stable majority coalition but had to settle for a second minority government with the same parties as his first cabinet but without the DNVP.
The short-lived cabinet attempted to deal with a growing economic crisis and rapidly rising unemployment by implementing measures to stimulate the economy. It faced strongly conflicting viewpoints when a referendum to expropriate the dynastic properties of the former German Empire's ruling houses was initiated. The cabinet fell after it backed a decree that allowed a trade flag with the Empire's colours to fly in certain mostly overseas locations. The Reichstag passed a motion of censure against Luther that led to the cabinet's resignation on 12 May 1926.
Luther refused to remain in office, but the rest of the cabinet stayed on as a caretaker government under the leadership of Otto Gessler until 17 May, when Wilhelm Marx of the Centre Party formed a new government. It was virtually unchanged from the second Luther cabinet except for the departure of Luther.