German federal election, 1884

The Reichstag elections of 1884 was the election of the 6th German Reichstag. It took place on 28 October 1884.

The turnout was just over 60 %, higher again than in the general election in 1881.

The election campaign was marked by the beginning of the colonial policy, which had found the support of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and was supported by the Conservatives and the National Liberal Party. According to the popularity of the colonial policy was given especially the German Conservative Party, the National Liberals were after severe losses in the previous elections to regain more mandates.

The German Progress Party and the Liberal Association had merged to German Liberal Party. But together with the German People's Party, they won only 74 seats; in the previous general election, the left-liberal camp had asked 115 MPs yet. This was also due to the rather skeptical attitude towards the colonial policy.

Despite the ongoing obstruction by the Anti-Socialist Law, the Social Democrats were able to double their number of seats from 12 to 24. The center held its own among its strongest parliamentary group.

Increasingly, the distortions were visible, which brought the majority vote with them. Since there had been no change in the demarcation of constituencies since the general election in 1871, cities were over-represented among and rural areas by population movement. This hurt especially the stronger in the cities of left-liberals and the social democrats. Thus, the Liberal party came to a total of 17.6 % of the vote, to 67 seats ( 16.9% ), while the German Conservative Party with 15.2% of votes 78 seats (19.6%) achieved. The Social Democrats had won 9.7% of votes 24 seats (6.0%), the German Nazi Party achieved with only 6.9 % of the vote but 28 seats ( 7.1%).

Results

Comments

In five cases, a candidate won the same two constituencies. In such a case, the mandate could only be accepted for one of the two constituencies and in the other constituency a by-election was conducted.

1) Carl Brown won both the Silesian constituency Sagan and the Saxon constituency chub. He accepted the mandate in chub. Eugen Richter won both the electoral district of Berlin 5 and the Westphalian constituency Hagen. He accepted the mandate in Hagen. Heinrich Rickert won both the electoral district of Gdansk city as well as the constituency of Brandenburg an der Havel. He accepted the mandate in Brandenburg.

2) Wilhelm Blos won both the electoral district of Braunschweig- city as well as the constituency Reuss elder line. He accepted the mandate in Braunschweig. Wilhelm Hasenclever won both the electoral district of Berlin 6 as well as the constituency Breslau -east. He accepted the mandate in Wroclaw.

The result of the German Liberal Party ( DFP) is compared with the aggregated results of the German Progressive Party and the Liberal Union of 1881.

Elected representatives by constituencies

In each of the 397 constituencies, a deputy was elected by absolute majority vote. If no candidate in the first ballot won an absolute majority, a runoff between the top two candidates was performed. The following tables list the winners and their constituency referred to in the official results party status be specified.

Prussia

Bavaria

Saxony

Württemberg

Baden

Hesse

Small States

Alsace-Lorraine

The fractions of the 6th Reichstag

In the 6th Reichstag, several MPs did not join the fraction of their actual party and remained partially attached Member. Ten DHP MPs joined the Centre Party. Because in five cases MPs had won a dual mandate, but could only accept the mandate for an electoral district, the Reichstag had at the beginning of the 6th legislature only 392 members. First, the Reichstag fractions had the following strength:

In the further course of the legislature changed due to elections and faction change several times the strength of the individual fractions.