Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Germany)
| Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs | |
|---|---|
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| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1919 (Weimar Republic), 1949 (West Germany) |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Germany |
| Headquarters | Wilhelmstraße 49 10117 Berlin |
| Minister responsible | Ursula von der Leyen, Federal Minister for Labour and Social Affairs |
| Website | |
| http://www.bmas.de | |
The Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs[1] is a top-level federal agency of the Federal Republic of Germany headed by the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs as a member of the Cabinet of Germany (Bundesregierung). Its first location is on Wilhelmstrasse in Berlin, the second in Bonn.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Reich Ministry of Labour of the Weimar Republic was established on 13 February 1919 as the successor of the Labour Office (Reichsarbeitsamt) of the German Empire. The Social Democratic politician Gustav Bauer became the first Minister for Labour under Chancellor Philipp Scheidemann, whom he succeeded on June 21 of the same year. On the day of the Machtergreifung in January 1933, the German National politician and Stahlhelm leader Franz Seldte was appointed Minster for Labour in the Cabinet Hitler, a position he officially held until 1945, though without actual power.
The West German Ministry for Labour was re-established in Bonn on 20 September 1949 with the Cabinet Adenauer I. According to the 1991 Berlin/Bonn Act it moved to its present seat in Berlin-Mitte in 2000, on premises formerly used by Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry and the East German National Front organisation.
During the Cabinet Schröder II from 2002 to 2005, the ministry had been dissolved and its responsibilities allocated to the Federal Ministry for Economics and Labour[2] and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security. Responsibilities were re-allocated once again when a new government was formed under Chancellor Angela Merkel following the Bundestag elections of 2005. The German name was changed from Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Sozialordnung to Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales.
[edit] Ministers
[edit] Reich Ministers for Labour
- Gustav Bauer (SPD), 1919
- Alexander Schlicke (SPD), 1919–1920
- Heinrich Brauns (Centre), 1920–1928
- Rudolf Wissell (SPD), 1928–1930
- Adam Stegerwald (Centre), 1930–1932
- Hermann Warmbold, 1932
- Hugo Schäffer, 1932
- Friedrich Syrup, 1932–1933
- Franz Seldte (DNVP, NSDAP), 1933–1945
[edit] Federal Minister for Labour
- Anton Storch (CDU), 1949–1957
[edit] Federal Ministers for Labour and Social Affairs
- Theodor Blank (CDU), 1957–1965
- Hans Katzer (CDU), 1965–1969
- Walter Arendt (SPD), 1969–1976
- Herbert Ehrenberg (SPD), 1976–1982
- Heinz Westphal (SPD), 1982–1982
- Norbert Blüm (CDU), 1982–1998
- Walter Riester (SPD), 1998–2002
[edit] Federal Minister for Economics and Labour
- Wolfgang Clement (SPD), 2002–2005
[edit] Federal Ministers for Labour and Social Affairs from 2005
- Franz Müntefering (SPD), 2005–2007
- Olaf Scholz (SPD), 2007–2009
- Franz Josef Jung (CDU), 2009
- Ursula von der Leyen (CDU), from 2009
[edit] State secretaries
The Parliamentary Secretary of States are Klaus Brandner and Franz Thönnes. The Secretaries of State are Detlef Scheele, Franz-Josef Lersch-Mense and Kajo Wasserhövel.[3]
[edit] Notes
- ^ German name: Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales. Former German name: Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Sozialordnung. The English translation used by the ministry is the same
- ^ German name: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Arbeit
- ^ as of April 2008
