German federal election, 1928

German federal election, 1928
Weimar Republic
20 May 1928 (1928-05-20)

All 491 seats in the Reichstag
246 seats needed for a majority
Turnout 75.6%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Otto Wels Kuno von Westarp Wilhelm Marx
Party SPD DNVP Centre
Leader since 1919 1924 1922
Last election 131 seats 103 seats 69 seats
Seats won 153 73 61
Seat change Increase22 Decrease30 Decrease8
Popular vote 9,152,979 4,381,563 3,712,152
Percentage 29.8% 14.2% 12.1%
Swing Increase3.8% Decrease6.3% Decrease1.5%

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Ernst Thälmann Gustav Stresemann Erich Koch-Weser
Party KPD DVP DDP
Leader since October 1925 1919 1924
Last election 45 seats 51 seats 32 seats
Seats won 54 45 25
Seat change Increase9 Decrease6 Decrease7
Popular vote 3,264,793 2,679,703 1,479,374
Percentage 10.6% 8.7% 4.8%
Swing Increase1.6% Decrease1.4% Decrease1.5%

Electoral map (in German)

Chancellor before election

Wilhelm Marx
Centre

Resulting Chancellor

Hermann Müller
SPD

Federal elections were held in Germany on 20 May 1928.[1] The Social Democratic Party (SPD) remained the largest party in the Reichstag after winning 153 of the 491 seats.[2] Voter turnout was 75.6%.[3]

The only two parties to gain significantly were the SPD, who polled almost a third of votes, and the Communist Party of Germany, completing a thorough victory of the left-wing. However, although the SPD now had 153 seats, they still failed to gain a clear majority, resulting in another coalition government led by Hermann Müller.[4] Following his appointment, Müller, who had already been Germany's Chancellor for 4 months in 1920, created a Grand Coalition of members of the SPD, German Democratic Party, Centre Party and the German People's Party. The coalition was plagued by internal divisions right from the beginning, with each party more concerned with their self-interest than the interest of the government and eventually Müller asked President Paul Von Hindenburg for emergency powers. When Hindenburg refused, Müller resigned, marking the end of the 'last genuinely democratic government of the Weimar Republic' on 27 March 1930.[5]

The recently reformed Nazi Party contested the elections after the ban on the party was lifted in 1925. However, the party received less than 3% of the vote and won just 12 seats in the Reichstag. This was due to the fact that Hitler, who had been incarcerated in Landsberg prison for his involvement in the Beer Hall Putsch until Christmas 1924,[6] had concentrated on re-establishing himself as the leader of the Nazi Party following his release rather than on the party's electability.

Results

Party Votes % Seats +/–
Social Democratic Party9,152,97929.8153+22
German National People's Party4,381,56314.273−30
Centre Party3,712,15212.161−8
Communist Party of Germany3,264,79310.654+9
German People's Party2,679,7038.745−6
German Democratic Party1,479,3744.825−7
Reich Party of the German Middle Class1,387,6024.523+11
Bavarian People's Party945,6443.117−2
National Socialist German Workers Party810,1272.612−2
Christian-National Peasants' and Farmers' Party571,8911.99New
Reich Party for Civil Rights and Deflation509,4711.72New
German Farmers' Party481,2541.68New
Patriotic-National Bloc266,3700.90New
Agricultural League199,5480.73−5
German-Hanoverian Party195,5550.640
Saxon Peasants127,7000.42New
Christian Social Reich Party110,7040.40New
Left Communists80,4050.30New
Old Social Democratic Party of Germany65,7750.20New
Polish People's Party64,7530.200
Evangelical Party of Germany52,4880.20New
German Social Party46,0470.200
General People's Party37,3730.10New
German House and Property Owners' Party35,8460.10New
Independent Social Democratic Party20,8150.100
Evangelical Community Spirit10,7090.00New
Christian National Middle Class Party9,9570.00New
Pastor Greber Party9,5270.00New
Aufwertungs- und Aufbaupartei8,5620.00New
Deutscher Reichsblock der Geschädigten7,4370.00New
Reichspartei für Handwerk, Handel und Gewerbe6,6140.00New
People's Welfare Party6,0710.00New
Franconian Peasants3,4170.00New
Wendish People's Party3,1110.000
Party for Justice and Tenant Protection2,8310.00New
Schleswig Club2,4350.000
German Christian Folk Party9010.00New
Lebensinteressen der Ledigen8730.00New
Masurian People's Party2950.00New
Lithuanian People's Party2890.00New
Friesland2860.00New
Invalid/blank votes412,542
Total31,165,789100491–2
Registered voters/turnout41,224,67875.6
Source: Gonschior.de
Popular Vote
SPD
 
29.76%
DNVP
 
14.25%
Zentrum
 
12.07%
KPD
 
10.62%
DVP
 
8.71%
DDP
 
4.81%
WP
 
4.51%
BVP
 
3.07%
NSDAP (NSFP)
 
2.63%
CNBL
 
1.89%
Other
 
7.66%
Reichstag seats
SPD
 
31.16%
DNVP
 
14.87%
Zentrum
 
12.42%
KPD
 
11.00%
DVP
 
9.16%
DDP
 
5.09%
WP
 
4.68%
BVP
 
3.46%
NSDAP (NSFP)
 
2.44%
CNBL
 
1.83%
Other
 
3.87%

See also

References

  1. Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p762 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, p790
  3. Nohlen & Stöver, p777
  4. Evans, D. & Jenkins, J. (1999), Years of Weimar & the Third Reich, London: Hodder & Stoughton Educational, p. 83, ISBN 0-340-70474-8.
  5. Evans & Jenkins 1999, p. 88.
  6. Broszat, M. (1987), Hitler and the Collapse of Weimar Germany, Oxford: Berg Publishers, p. 9, ISBN 0-85496-509-2.
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