German elections

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German elections relates to Federal General Elections in Germany of particular note.

1930

On 14th September 1930 a Federal General Election was held across Germany. It passed off quietly and the weather was fine. It was stated that for the whole Reich 82 per cent of the electorate voted. In some districts as many as 90 per cent went to the polls, the percentage of electors being the highest since the 1918 revolution. The Reichstag seats and figures released the following day were[1]

  • Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)(Marxists): 136 seats (8,575,699 votes), loss of 10 seats.
  • National Socialist Party (NSDAP): 110 seats (6,380,465), gain of 95 seats.
  • Communist Party of Germany (KPD): 78 seats (4,590,453), gain of 22 seats.
  • Catholic Centre Party: 69 seats (4,010,570), gain of seven seats.
  • German National People's Party (DNVP) (National-Conservative): 42 seats (2,457,572), loss of 32 seats.
  • German People's Party (DVP)(Liberals): 27 seats (1,577,411), loss of 15 seats.
  • Bavarian People's Party: 19 seats (1,175,146)
  • Conservative People's Party (or State Party) (KVP): 4 seats (1,322,028), loss of 12 seats.
  • Christian Socialists Party: 14 seats (869,766).
  • Economic Party: 21 seats (1,361,747).
  • Peasants' Party: 5 seats (281,871).
  • Landvolk Party: 18 seats (1,108,334).
  • Socialist Labour Party: 6 seats.
  • German Hanoverians: 3 seats (166,541).

However, Dr. Bruning's Government resigned on 30 May 1932 citing disagreement with President Hindenburg on vital points.[2]

It will be seen here that the German electorate voted overwhelmingly Left in these elections. The British Ambassador in Berlin, Sir Horace Rumbold, seemed to think that Germany was very socialist, writing on 28 June 1932:

The growth of anti-capitalist feeling in Germany is, of course, no new discovery, and it is not confined to the National Socialists. Under the old pre-war regime, contempt for finance, business and money was common to army officers and officials, and the old ideas survive amongst the crop of new ones. Now that the Government controls the banks and, in effect, steel and shipping interests, and foreign exchange, while the Prussian State owns huge forests and vast coal interests, the step to official State socialism is but a short one, and the change, if carried out by experienced and responsible people, might not be so noticeable.[3]

On 4 July 1932 the Reichstag was dismissed by Presidential Decree which stated "it no longer represented the political will of the German people".

1932

New Federal General Elections were held on July 31st with the following results[4]:

  • National Socialist Party (NSDAP): 230 seats (13,732,777 votes) gain of 120 seats. (Largest party)
  • Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)(Marxists): 133 seats (7,951,245) loss of 3 seats.
  • Communist Party of Germany (KPD): 89 seats (5,278,094) gain of 11 seats.
  • Catholic Centre Party: 75 seats (4,586,501) gain of 6 seats.
  • German National People's Party (DNVP) (National-Conservative): 37 seats (2,172,941) loss of 5 seats.
  • Bavarian People's Party: 23 seats (1,190.453) gain of 4 seats.
  • German People's Party (DVP)(Liberals): 7 seats (434,548) loss of 20 seats.
  • Conservative People's Party (or State Party) (KVP): 4 seats (371,378) loss of 12 seats.
  • Christian Socialists Party: 4 seats (364,749) loss of 10 seats.
  • Economic Party: no seats (146,061) loss of 21 seats.
  • Peasants' Party: 2 seats (137,081) loss of 3 seats.
  • Landbund: 2 seats (96,859). (Not in 1930 Reichstag)
  • Landvolk Party: 1 seat (91,284) loss of 17 seats.
  • Socialist Labour Party: no seats (72,569) loss of 6 seats.
  • German-Hanovarians: no seats (46,873) loss of 3 seats.

The Economic Party, Socialist Labour Party and German-Hanovarians were now eliminated from the new parliament which opened on August 30th:

This was a short-lived parliament and the Reichstag was dissolved by Presidential Decree on September 12th.


Sources

  1. ↑ Woodward, Prof. E.L., & Butler, Rohan, editors, Documents on British Foreign Policy 1919-1939, Second series, vol.1, HMSO, London, 1946, p.508-9.
  2. ↑ Woodward, Prof. E.L, & Butler, Rohan, editors, Documents on British Foreign Policy 1919-1939, Second series, vol.iii, HMSO, London, p.143.
  3. ↑ Woodward & Butler, Second series, vol.iii, p.5.
  4. ↑ Woodward, Prof. E.L., Butler, Rohan, & Lambert, Margaret, editors, Documents on British Foreign Policy 1919-1939, Second series, vol.iv, HMSO, London, 1950, p.19.
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