The First Schmidt cabinet was the government of West Germany between 16 May 1974 and 14 December 1976, during the 7th legislature of the Bundestag. It was formed after Brandt had resigned from his position as chancellor on 6 May 1974. Led by the Social Democrat Helmut Schmidt, the cabinet was a coalition between the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). The Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister was Hans-Dietrich Genscher (FDP).
The cabinet faced its first major internal crisis only weeks after taking office, when Development Minister Erhard Eppler resigned in July 1974 following disputes over budget cuts, exposing early tensions within the governing coalition.