German election, 1933
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The 9th German federal election of the Weimar Republic was held on March 5, 1933, and was significant in that it was the last election to be held in Germany before World War II. Due to the success of the Nazi Party in the poll, its leader, and Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler was able to pass the Enabling Act, which effectively gave him the power of a dictator.
The election took place shortly after the Reichstag fire, in which the German parliament was set alight, allegedly by a Dutch Communist, Marinus van der Lubbe. This event had the joint effect of lowering the popularity of the KPD, and enabling Hitler to persuade President Hindenburg to pass the Reichstag Fire Decree. This emergency law removed many civil liberties and allowed the arrest of the leaders of the KPD shortly before the election, further deriding the Communists and consolidating the position of the Nazis. Hence, the fire is widely believed to have had a major effect on the outcome of the election.
However, despite achieving a much better result than in the November 1932 election, the Nazis did not do as well as Hitler had hoped, polling 43.9%, rather than the 50+% that he had expected. Therefore, he was forced to maintain his coalition with the Nationalist DNVP to control a majority. In addition to this, Hitler needed a two-thirds majority to pass the Enabling Act (a law which allowed him to pass laws without consulting the Reichstag), which he gained by persuading the Centre Party to vote with him. The bill was passed on March 23 and though it was only meant to be effective for four years, it was formally prolonged twice. The powers gained from the bill allowed the KPD and SPD to be outlawed, and firmly established Germany as a dictatorship.
| Party | Vote percentage (change) | Total Seats (change) | Seat percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP - Nazi Party) | 43.9% | +10.8% | 288 | +92 | 44.5% |
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 18.3% | -2.1% | 120 | -1 | 18.5% |
| Communist Party of Germany (KPD) | 12.3% | -4.6% | 81 | -19 | 12.5% |
| Centre Party (Catholic) | 11.2% | -0.7% | 74 | +4 | 11.4% |
| DNVP (Conservatives) | 8.0% | -0.3% | 52 | 0 | 8.0% |
| Bavarian People's Party (BVP) | 2.7% | -0.4% | 18 | -2 | 2.8% |
| German Democratic Party (DDP) | 0.9% | -0.1% | 5 | +3 | 0.8% |
| All Others | 2.7% | 9 | -14 | 1.5% | |
| Totals | 100.0% | 647 | +63 | 100.0% | |
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German Reichstag and Bundestag elections
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