German federal election, 1928
- KPD: 54
- SPD: 153
- DDP: 25
- Z: 61
- BVP: 17
- WP: 23
- DVP: 45
- DNVP: 73
- NSDAP: 12
- Otherwise:. 28
The Reichstag election of 20 May 1928 election to the 4th German Reichstag. It ended with the weakening of the bourgeois parties and profits for the SPD and KPD. Seven small parties had even fewer votes than the regional party Bavarian People's Party ( BVP ), with its 3.1%, but still were able to win mandates. Together these seven factions got 9.4% of the vote and 40 seats in the Reichstag by ( 491 ).
Background
After the election in December 1924 was the first time Hans Luther (independent) become Chancellor. His first Cabinet reigned until January 20, 1926; his second Cabinet until May 18, 1926. was followed by the Cabinet Marx III ( to 1 February 1927) and the Cabinet Marx IV ( to the end of the coalition see here).
Preceded the general election were profound conflicts between the parties of the bourgeois coalition. The trigger was the draft of a new law school with Christian tendencies. According to Article 146 of the constitution was priority of inter-faith community schools against schools for children of individual denominations. The Centre Party in 1927 presented a draft of a new Education Act, which provided for an equality instead of denominational schools with community schools. The BVP and the DNVP wore this with. Strictly, however, was the German People's Party. In particular, the measured center of the school about outstanding importance. Neither side relented on the issue; on 15 February 1928, the failure of the legislative proposal, it was stated. This meant the end of the coalition. Reich President Paul von Hindenburg dissolved the Reichstag a few weeks later and ordered new elections for May 20, 1928 at.
Electioneering
The Left parties questioned the fight against the construction of the battleship A in the center of their election campaign. Ernst Thalmann, the chairman of the Communist Party, presented the ship, the popular demand for free school meals counter. The old coalition had the cost of 5 million marks previously rejected. SPD and KPD made use of crowd-pulling slogan: "Children feeding instead of armored cruiser. "
The SPD had left since the convention in Kiel from 1927 no doubt as to their willingness to government takeover, also to prevent a new law cabinet. She was inwardly much more closed than in 1924. Saxony The dispute was in 1926 after exclusion of Max Heldt and his followers, who had come together in the Old Social Democratic Party, ended. The party left by Paul Levi refused an alliance with bourgeois parties in principle from, but held back by public utterances.
The DDP agreed with the criticism of the Panzerkreuzerbau as senseless prestige project and called for a grand coalition. The center was talking with coalition statements against it back. The party had not forgotten the collapse of the Left parties in the Catholic working class during the vote for Prince dispossession 1926. In a center-left coalition, they also saw no way to enforce their denominational education law. The DVP sat in the election campaign on the popularity of Gustav Stresemann. " What you go to the other - you choose how Gustav Stresemann ," was one of their slogans. For Stresemann was clear that there was no reasonable alternative to a grand coalition. Especially in Bavaria, he was sharply attacked by the NSDAP. The DNVP, Alfred Hugenberg increasingly gained influence in the policy of understanding Stresemann attacked sharp. The DNVP was trying to win back disaffected voters through their radicalism or keep. On the extreme right, the Nazi Party had consolidated. Adolf Hitler had potential opponent, the brothers Otto and Gregor Strasser turned largely on the political Bamberger leadership conference 1926.
In social and economic terms, the election took place at the height of the economic stabilization of the Weimar Republic. The market was positive and the unemployment figures were lower than in previous years. Only in parts of the agriculture of the fall in pork prices in 1927 heralded the beginning of a global agricultural crisis.
Result
The election ended with the defeat of the parties to the previous biirgerblock. Were particularly high in relation to the election of December 1924, the losses of the DNVP. The party fell from 20.5 % to 14.2 % back. The center lost slightly from 13.6 % to 12.1 %. The DVP was held to 10.1 %, only 8.7%. In addition to the coalition parties, the DDP lost. Had she still reached 6.3% in 1924, there were now only 4.9%.
The actual winner of the election was the SPD. The party there, nearly 1.3 million votes should win succeeded. Their share rose from 26% to 29.8 %. The KPD increased slightly from 9% to 10.6%. It was also possible various small interest parties such as the economic party votes win. These parties had come together to 5.5% in December 1924, now there were 11.1%.
Importance
The result meant the weakening of the DNVP in particular, that the republic loyal parties of the former Weimar coalition together with 46.8 % achieved her after the election to the National Assembly 1919 best result. Same time, a weakening of the established bourgeois parties showed. This could not benefit from the defeat of the DNVP, but suffered losses themselves. Many bourgeois voters of the center parties as well as the DNVP turned instead to the interested parties. Thus, a trend continued, which had already been recognized in 1924. Although the NSDAP with 2.6% to imperial level a small splinter party, she could benefit from the crisis in agriculture, especially in rural areas of northern Germany. In some communities in Holstein about the party came to 36.8 %.
Of considerable importance was the fact that the voter turnout was the lowest in the Reichstag elections of the Weimar Republic with 75.6 %. After all, 10 million eligible voters had not participated. They would have acted in many of the non-voters to young and first time voters. They formed a political not bound potential voters from which would only become apparent in the future, what preferences would have it.
Government formation
A continuation of the previous socialist coalition was out of the question as to the result. The only realistic constellation was a large coalition of the SPD to the DVP. The leadership of the victorious SPD came to. This itself was also willing to take on the responsibility of government, in contrast to several previous occasions. The contract for the formation of a government was Hermann Müller. The coalition negotiations proved to be extremely difficult. In particular, Gustav Stresemann, it is thanks to them that it finally came to an agreement. The Cabinet Müller II finally consisted of representatives of the SPD, the BVP, DDP, the center and the DVP. Especially in domestic policy was lacking from the beginning of matches.