German election, July 1932
Encyclopedia
The German parliamentary election of 31 July 1932, held after the premature dissolution of the Reichstag
, saw great gains by the Nazi Party, which for the first time became the largest party in parliament, though without winning a majority. With the Communists remaining strong, anti-republican parties together now had a majority in the Reichstag (called a "negative majority" by contemporary observers since the two parties would never have allied), making a (majority) government by any union of pro-republican parties impossible.
as unemployment rose from 8.5% to nearly 30% between 1929 and 1932., while industrial production inside Germany dropped roughly 42%.
In 1930, the governing grand coalition of the pro-republican parties - Social Democrats, Centre Party
and the two liberal parties - had broken apart. A minority government headed by the Centre Party's Heinrich Brüning
governed via the President's emergency powers, as in the elections of 1930 the pro-republican had lost their majority in the Reichstag. These elections also saw Hitler's Nazi Party rise to national prominence. Brüning's policies, implemented via presidential decree and tolerated by parliament, failed to solve the economic crisis while weakening the parliamentary system.
In March 1932, presidential elections
pitted the incumbent Field Marshal Hindenburg
, supported by pro-republican parties, against Hitler and the Communist candidate Ernst Thälmann
. Hitler gained roughly a third of the vote but was defeated in the second round in April by Hindenburg. However, after this victory Hindenburg increasingly moved towards the political right and at the end of May 1932 was persuaded to dismiss Brüning as Chancellor, replacing him with Franz von Papen
(a renegade of the Centre Party) and a non-partisan "Cabinet of Barons". Papen's cabinet had almost no support in parliament and only three days after his appointment, when faced with this opposition, had the President dissolve the Reichstag and called for new elections, to be held on 31 July.
The election campaigns was held under violent circumstances, as Papen lifted the ban on the SA
, the Nazi paramilitary, which Brüning had banned during the last days of his administration. This inevitably led to clashes with the Communist paramilitary.
The elections resulted in great gains by the Nazi party, who with 230 seats for the first time became the largest party in parliament. Combined with the Communists, the totalitarian parties now commanded a firm majority in parliament. Neither the Nazi Party nor President Hindenburg had a governing majority and the other parties refused cooperation. Neither side had a majority on its own and no coalition could be formed to create a governing majority. Hence, Papen's minority government continued, leading to another election in November.
Reichstag (Weimar Republic)
The Reichstag was the parliament of Weimar Republic .German constitution commentators consider only the Reichstag and now the Bundestag the German parliament. Another organ deals with legislation too: in 1867-1918 the Bundesrat, in 1919–1933 the Reichsrat and from 1949 on the Bundesrat...
, saw great gains by the Nazi Party, which for the first time became the largest party in parliament, though without winning a majority. With the Communists remaining strong, anti-republican parties together now had a majority in the Reichstag (called a "negative majority" by contemporary observers since the two parties would never have allied), making a (majority) government by any union of pro-republican parties impossible.
| Party | Vote percentage (change) | Seats (change) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) | 37.8% | +19.0% | 230 | +123 |
| Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... (SPD) |
21.9% | -2.9% | 133 | -10 |
| Communist Party of Germany Communist Party of Germany The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956... (KPD) |
14.6% | +1.2% | 89 | +12 |
| Centre Party Centre Party (Germany) The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church... (Z) |
12.3% | +0.6% | 75 | +7 |
| German National People's Party German National People's Party The German National People's Party was a national conservative party in Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the NSDAP it was the main nationalist party in Weimar Germany composed of nationalists, reactionary monarchists, völkisch, and antisemitic elements, and... (DNVP) |
6.1% | -1.1% | 37 | -4 |
| Bavarian People's Party Bavarian People's Party The Bavarian People's Party was the Bavarian branch of the Centre Party, which broke off from the rest of the party in 1919 to pursue a more conservative, more Catholic, more Bavarian particularist course... (BVP) |
3.6% | +0.2% | 22 | +3 |
| German People's Party German People's Party The German People's Party was a national liberal party in Weimar Germany and a successor to the National Liberal Party of the German Empire.-Ideology:... (DVP) |
1.2% | -3.3% | 7 | -23 |
| German Democratic Party (DStP) | 0.7% | -2.8% | 4 | -16 |
| Christian Social People's Service Christian Social People's Service The Christian Social People's Service was a Protestant conservative political party in the Weimar Republic.... (CSVD) |
0.5% | -1.5% | 3 | -11 |
| Reich Party of the German Middle Class Reich Party of the German Middle Class The Reich Party of the German Middle Class , known from 1920-25 as the Economic Party of the German Middle Classes , was a liberal German political party during the Weimar Republic. It was commonly known as the Wirtschaftspartei or WP.... (WP) |
0.3% | -3.5% | 2 | -21 |
| German Farmers' Party German Farmers' Party The German Farmers' Party or German Peasants' Party was a German agrarian political party during the Weimar Republic, existing from 1928-33.... (DBP) |
0.3% | -0.6% | 2 | -4 |
| Agricultural League Agricultural League The Agricultural League was a German agrarian political party during the Weimar Republic. It was led by landowners with property east of the Elbe and was allied with the German National People's Party.... |
0.3% | -0.3% | 2 | -1 |
| German Country Party | 0.2% | -2.8% | 1 | -18 |
| Right-Wing People's Party | 0.2% | -0.7% | 1 | +1 |
| Other | 0.0% | -0.3% | 0 | +/-0 |
| Total | 100.0% | 608 | +38 | |
Background
Since 1929, Germany was suffering from the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
as unemployment rose from 8.5% to nearly 30% between 1929 and 1932., while industrial production inside Germany dropped roughly 42%.
In 1930, the governing grand coalition of the pro-republican parties - Social Democrats, Centre Party
Centre Party (Germany)
The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...
and the two liberal parties - had broken apart. A minority government headed by the Centre Party's Heinrich Brüning
Heinrich Brüning
Heinrich Brüning was Chancellor of Germany from 1930 to 1932, during the Weimar Republic. He was the longest serving Chancellor of the Weimar Republic, and remains a controversial figure in German politics....
governed via the President's emergency powers, as in the elections of 1930 the pro-republican had lost their majority in the Reichstag. These elections also saw Hitler's Nazi Party rise to national prominence. Brüning's policies, implemented via presidential decree and tolerated by parliament, failed to solve the economic crisis while weakening the parliamentary system.
In March 1932, presidential elections
German presidential election, 1932
The presidential election of 1932 was the second and final direct election to the office of President of the Reich , Germany's head of state during the 1919-1934 Weimar Republic. The incumbent President, Paul von Hindenburg, had been elected in 1925 but his seven year term expired in May...
pitted the incumbent Field Marshal Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
, supported by pro-republican parties, against Hitler and the Communist candidate Ernst Thälmann
Ernst Thälmann
Ernst Thälmann was the leader of the Communist Party of Germany during much of the Weimar Republic. He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1933 and held in solitary confinement for eleven years, before being shot in Buchenwald on Adolf Hitler's orders in 1944...
. Hitler gained roughly a third of the vote but was defeated in the second round in April by Hindenburg. However, after this victory Hindenburg increasingly moved towards the political right and at the end of May 1932 was persuaded to dismiss Brüning as Chancellor, replacing him with Franz von Papen
Franz von Papen
Lieutenant-Colonel Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen zu Köningen was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933–1934...
(a renegade of the Centre Party) and a non-partisan "Cabinet of Barons". Papen's cabinet had almost no support in parliament and only three days after his appointment, when faced with this opposition, had the President dissolve the Reichstag and called for new elections, to be held on 31 July.
The election campaigns was held under violent circumstances, as Papen lifted the ban on the SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
, the Nazi paramilitary, which Brüning had banned during the last days of his administration. This inevitably led to clashes with the Communist paramilitary.
The elections resulted in great gains by the Nazi party, who with 230 seats for the first time became the largest party in parliament. Combined with the Communists, the totalitarian parties now commanded a firm majority in parliament. Neither the Nazi Party nor President Hindenburg had a governing majority and the other parties refused cooperation. Neither side had a majority on its own and no coalition could be formed to create a governing majority. Hence, Papen's minority government continued, leading to another election in November.