December 1924 German federal election

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December 1924 German federal election
Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg
  May 1924 7 December 1924 (1924-12-07) 1928  

All 493 seats in the Reichstag
247 seats needed for a majority
Registered38,987,324 (Increase2.svg 1.6%)
Turnout78.8% (Increase2.svg 1.4pp)
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
SPD 1924 leadership.jpg
Kuno von Westarp.jpg
Reichskanzler Wilhelm Marx (cropped).jpg
Leader Hermann Müller
Otto Wels
Arthur Crispien
Kuno von Westarp Wilhelm Marx
Party SPD DNVP Centre
Last election20.5%, 100 seats19.5%, 95 seats13.4%, 65 seats
Seats won13110369
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 31Increase2.svg 8Increase2.svg 4
Popular vote7,881,0416,205,8024,118,849
Percentage26.0%20.5%13.6%
SwingIncrease2.svg 5.5ppIncrease2.svg 1.0ppIncrease2.svg 0.2pp

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1982-092-11, Gustav Stresemann.jpg
Fischer-Ruth-1924-Bain.jpg
Erich Koch-Weser circa 1920 (cropped).jpg
Leader Gustav Stresemann Ruth Fischer & Arkadi Maslow Erich Koch-Weser
Party DVP KPD DDP
Last election9.2%, 45 seats12.6%, 62 seats5.7%, 28 seats
Seats won514532
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 6Decrease2.svg 17Increase2.svg 4
Popular vote3,049,0642,709,0861,919,829
Percentage10.1%8.9%6.3%
SwingIncrease2.svg 0.9ppDecrease2.svg 3.7ppIncrease2.svg 0.6pp

German Federal Election, December, 1924.svg

Government before election

Second Marx cabinet
ZDVPDDP

Government after election

First Luther cabinet
DVPDNVPZDDPBVP

Snap federal elections were held in Germany on 7 December 1924, [1] [2] the second that year after the Reichstag had been dissolved on 20 October. The Social Democratic Party remained the largest party in the Reichstag, receiving an increased share of the vote and winning 131 of the 493 seats. [3] Voter turnout was 78.8%. [4]

Contents

Campaign

The National Socialist Freedom Movement received 6.5% in the previous election, but party unity broke down afterwards. Julius Streicher and Hermann Esser left to form their own party while Adalbert Volck and Ludolf Haase advocated abstaining from the election or voting for other nationalist parties. [5] The NSFM was attacked as anti-Catholic by the Centre Party and anti-Christian by the German National People's Party (DNVP). [6]

Catholics accounted for 17% of NSFM's vote. [7]

Results

Germany Reichstag Dec 1924.svg
PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Social Democratic Party 7,881,04126.02+5.50131+31
German National People's Party 6,205,80220.49+1.04103+8
Centre Party 4,118,84913.60+0.2369+4
German People's Party 3,049,06410.07+0.8751+6
Communist Party of Germany 2,709,0868.94−3.6745−17
German Democratic Party 1,919,8296.34+0.6932+4
Bavarian People's Party 1,134,0353.74+0.5119+3
National Socialist Freedom Movement 907,2423.00−3.5514−18
Economic Party of the German Middle Class 692,9632.29+0.5812+5
Agricultural League 500,5251.65−0.318−2
Bavarian Peasant's and Middle Class Party 312,4421.03+0.375+2
German-Hanoverian Party 261,5490.86−0.234−1
German Social Party–Reichsbund für Aufwertung159,1150.53−0.610−4
Independent Social Democratic Party 98,8420.33−0.4700
German Revaluation and Reconstruction Party81,9440.27New0New
Polish People's Party 81,7000.27−0.0700
Christian Social People's Community41,5300.14−0.2900
Free Economy Union F.F.F.38,9230.13+0.0100
Revaluation and Reconstruction Party (RWV 23)33,6560.11New0New
Party for People's Welfare32,4960.11New0New
Haeusser Alliance9,7470.03−0.0500
Wendish People's Party 5,5850.02−0.0200
Schleswig Club5,1340.02−0.0100
German Christian People's Party4,3220.01New0New
Deutschvölkische Reichspartei3,4050.01New0New
Masurian Union5420.000.0000
Reevaluation and Reconstruction Party4780.00New0New
Tenants' Party2460.00New0New
Total30,290,092100.00493+21
Valid votes30,290,09298.65
Invalid/blank votes414,9341.35
Total votes30,705,026100.00
Registered voters/turnout38,987,32478.76
Source: Gonschior.de

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References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p762 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Graper, Elmer D. (1925). "The Reichstag Elections". American Political Science Review. 19 (2): 362–370. doi:10.2307/2938928. ISSN   0003-0554. JSTOR   2938928. S2CID   147108053.
  3. Nohlen & Stöver, p790
  4. Nohlen & Stöver, p777
  5. Childers 1983, p. 58-61.
  6. Childers 1983, p. 114-115.
  7. Childers 1983, p. 112-113.

Works cited