German presidential election, 1925

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German presidential election, 1925
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←  1919 March 29 and April 26, 1925 1932  →

  Paul von Hindenburg-2.png WilhelmMarxEn1932.jpeg Bundesarchiv Bild 102-12940, Ernst Thalmann (scrap).jpg
Nominee Paul von Hindenburg Wilhelm Marx Ernst Thälmann
Alliance DNVP–DVP–BVP DZ–SPD–DDP KPD
Popular vote14,655,64113,751,6051,931,151
Percentage48.3%45.3%6.4%
RPW1925 2.png
Results of the second round, by constituencies.
President before election

Friedrich Ebert
SPD

President-Elect

Paul von Hindenburg
Independent

Presidential elections were held in Germany on 29 March 1925, with a second round run-off on 26 April. [1] They were the first direct elections to the office of President of the Reich (Reichspräsident), Germany's head of state during the 1919-1933 Weimar Republic. The first President, Friedrich Ebert, who had died on 28 February 1925, had been elected indirectly, by the National Assembly, but the Weimar constitution required that his successor be elected by the "whole German people". Paul von Hindenburg was elected as the second president of Germany in the second round of voting.

Germany Federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central and Western Europe, lying between the Baltic and North Seas to the north, and the Alps to the south. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France to the southwest, and Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west.

A head of state is the public persona who officially represents the national unity and legitimacy of a sovereign state. Depending on the country's form of government and separation of powers, the head of state may be a ceremonial figurehead or concurrently the head of government. In a parliamentary system the head of state is the de jure leader of the nation, and there is a separate de facto leader, often with the title of prime minister. In contrast, a semi-presidential system has both heads of state and government as the leaders de facto of the nation.

Weimar Republic Germany state in the years 1918/1919–1933

The Weimar Republic is an unofficial historical designation for the German state from 1918 to 1933. The name derives from the city of Weimar, where its constitutional assembly first took place. The official name of the republic remained Deutsches Reich unchanged from 1871, because of the German tradition of substates. Although commonly translated as "German Empire", the word Reich here better translates as "realm", in that the term does not have monarchical connotations in itself. The Reich was changed from a constitutional monarchy into a republic. In English, the country was usually known simply as Germany.

Contents

Hindenburg was the candidate of a broad coalition of the political right. Many on the right hoped that once in power he would destroy Weimar democracy from the inside and restore the pre-Weimar status quo. The two other candidates who were believed to have a chance of winning were Otto Braun of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Wilhelm Marx of Zentrum (also known as the 'Catholic Centre Party'). Braun and Marx's parties were both members of the 'Weimar coalition': the group of parties regarded as most committed to the Weimar system. Only Marx proceeded to the second round of the election.

Otto Braun German politician

Otto Braun was a German Social Democratic politician who served as Prime Minister of Prussia for most of the time from 1920 to 1932. After the Nazis seized power in 1933, Braun went into exile in Switzerland.

Social Democratic Party of Germany political party in Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany.

Wilhelm Marx German chancellor

Wilhelm Marx was a German lawyer, Catholic politician and a member of the Centre Party. He was Chancellor of Germany twice, from 1923 to 1925 and again from 1926 to 1928, and he also served briefly as Minister President of Prussia in 1925, during the Weimar Republic. He was the longest-serving Chancellor during the Weimar Republic.

The election was important because of the turbulent times in which it occurred and because, under the Weimar constitution, the head of state wielded considerable power. Hindenburg would be again returned in the 1932 election and would play an important role during the rise to power of the Nazis. However, many of Hindenburg's 1925 backers were subsequently disappointed. Although in the years that followed his election many questioned the constitutionality of certain of his actions, Hindenburg never attempted to overthrow the Weimar constitution outright.

Electoral system

During the Weimar Republic the law provided that if no candidate received an absolute majority of votes (i.e. more than half) in the first round of a presidential election then a second ballot would occur in which the candidate with a plurality of votes would be deemed elected. It was permitted for a group to nominate an alternative candidate in the second round.

A plurality vote or relative majority describes the circumstance when a candidate or proposition polls more votes than any other, but does not receive a majority. For example, if 100 votes were cast, including 45 for Candidate A, 30 for Candidate B and 25 for Candidate C, then Candidate A received a plurality of votes but not a majority. In some votes, the winning candidate or proposition may have only a plurality, depending on the rules of the organization holding the vote.

First round

Seventeen candidates stood in the first round. Hindenburg was not included among them as he would not be nominated as a candidate until the second round. Instead, the most popular candidate of the political right was Karl Jarres of the German People's Party (DVP), a former Minister of the Interior, Vice-Chancellor of Germany and mayor of Duisburg. Otto Braun, the SPD's candidate, was a former Minister-President of Prussia and a well known and respected figure. Zentrum's candidate, Wilhelm Marx, was the chair of the party and a former chancellor.

Karl Jarres German politician (Liberal)

Karl Jarres was a politician of the German People's Party during the Weimar Republic. From 1923 to 1924/1925, he was Minister of the Interior and Vice-Chancellor of Germany. Jarres was also the long-serving mayor of Duisburg from 1914 to 1933. After the Nazis deposed him, he started a career in industry.

German Peoples Party German liberal political 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. A right-wing liberal or conservative-liberal party, its most famous member was Chancellor and Foreign Minister Gustav Stresemann, a 1926 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Vice-Chancellor of Germany position

The Deputy to the Federal Chancellor, widely known as the Vice Chancellor of Germany is, according to protocol, the second highest position in the Cabinet of Germany. He is the equivalent of a deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems.

The other significant candidates were Ernst Thälmann of the Communist Party (KPD) and Willy Hellpach of the German Democratic Party (DDP). The Völkisch movement's party (DVFP) put forward Erich Ludendorff but was at that time merely a fringe movement and secured only a negligible share of the vote. The first ballot was held on 29 March, with a turnout of 68.9%.

Ernst Thälmann leader of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) during much of the Weimar Republic

Ernst Thälmann was the leader of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) 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 personal orders in 1944.

Communist Party of Germany former political party in 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.

Willy Hellpach German politician

Willy Hugo Hellpach was the sixth State President of Baden. He was a member of the German Democratic Party (DDP). He was also a physician and psychologist.

CandidatePartyVotes%
Karl Jarres German People's Party, German National People's Party 10,416,65838.8
Otto Braun Social Democratic Party 7,802,49729.0
Wilhelm Marx Centre Party 3,887,73414.5
Ernst Thälmann Communist Party 1,871,8157.0
Willy Hellpach German Democratic Party 1,568,3985.8
Heinrich Held Bavarian People's Party 1,007,4503.7
Erich Ludendorff German Völkisch Freedom Party 285,7931.1
Other candidates25,7610.1
Invalid/blank votes–
Total26,866,106100
Registered voters/turnout39,226,13868.5
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Second round

After the election's first round Jarres withdrew in favour of Hindenburg, who was a committed monarchist and popular former general. Although Hindenburg had no interest in seeking public office and was especially uneasy with the prospect of becoming Germany's head of state, he reluctantly agreed to stand, supposedly only after first consulting with the deposed Kaiser. His major supporters were the DVP, the German National People's Party (DNVP) and the Bavarian People's Party (BVP). The DVP, and especially its leader Gustav Stresemann, had reservations about the idea of a Hindenburg presidency because of its possible repercussions for German foreign policy, but eventually came on board.

The SPD and Zentrum agreed to make Marx their common candidate to ensure the defeat of Hindenburg and so, after Zentrum refused to support Braun, he withdrew from the race. The DDP also reluctantly agreed to withdraw its candidate and support Marx. As Marx's supporters included both the moderate left and the political centre he was believed to have a high chance of winning. The three participants in the second round were therefore Hindenburg, Marx and Thälmann of the Communists. The election occurred on April 26 and with a turnout of 77.6%. Hindenburg won on a plurality of the vote, with 48.3% to Marx's 45.3%. The BVP's support of Hindenburg, rather than Marx (even though Marx represented the BVP's sister party), and Thälmann's participation splitting the left-wing vote, provided Hindenburg the margin of victory. [2] .

CandidatePartySupported byVotes%
Paul von Hindenburg Independent DVP, DNVP, BVP, NSDAP, [3] RLB 14,655,64148.3
Wilhelm Marx Centre Party SPD, DDP 13,751,60545.3
Ernst Thälmann Communist Party 1,931,1516.4
Other candidates13,4160.0
Invalid/blank votes–
Total30,351,813100
Registered voters/turnout39,414,31677.0
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

See also

Further reading

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References

  1. ↑ Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p762 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ↑ Richard J. Evans (2003). The Coming of the Third Reich. Allen Lane, London. p. 82. ISBN   0-7139-9648-X.
  3. ↑ Phillip Wegehaupt: Ludendorff, Erich. In: Wolfgang Benz (Hrsg.): Handbuch des Antisemitismus. Bd. 2: Personen. De Gruyter Saur, Berlin 2009, ISBN   978-3-598-44159-2, S. 495 (abgerufen über De Gruyter Online).
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