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Prussian Landtag elections in the Weimar Republic

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Prussia in the Weimar Republic shown in light blue.
Chart of election results.

The Free State of Prussia held a series of democratic parliamentary elections to its Landtag between 1919 and 1933.[1] As the largest German state by population and territory, Prussia played a pivotal role in shaping national politics during the Weimar era.

The democratic system in Prussia was more stable than in other parts of Germany due to the consistent parliamentary majorities held by the Weimar Coalition (SPD, Centre Party, and DDP), which governed throughout the 1920s. From 1919 through 1928, all elections gave a plurality to the SPD.

In 1932 and 1933, the NSDAP (Nazi Party) won pluralities, generally in line with the rest of Germany.[2][3] The Landtag was formally abolished following the "Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich" of 30 January 1934, which replaced the German federal system with unitary state.[4]

Electoral system

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Elections to the Prussian Landtag were based on proportional representation. A single nationwide constituency was used, with party lists and no electoral threshold (until 1933). The elections were held under universal suffrage.

Abolition

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In July 1932, Chancellor Franz von Papen carried out the "Preußenschlag" (1932 Prussian coup d'état), using emergency powers to depose the Prussian government. Following the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, all state parliaments were dissolved as part of the Nazi regime's systematic destruction of federal democracy in Germany.

Prussia was effectively abolished as a political entity in 1934, and dissolved in 1947 by the Allied Control Council.

Election results

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Year 1919 1921 1924 1928 1932 1933
Party % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats
SPD 36.4 145 25.9 109 24.9 114 29.0 137 21.2 94 16.6 80
Zentrum 22.3 94 17.9 76 17.6 81 15.2 71 15.3 67 14.1 68
DDP/DStP 16.2 65 5.9 26 5.9 27 4.4 21 1.5 2 0.7 3
DNVP 11.2 48 18.0 76 23.7 109 17.4 82 6.9 31 8.9 43
USPD 7.4 24 6.4 27        
DVP 5.7 23 14.0 59 9.8 45 8.5 40 1.5 7 1.0 3
DHP 0.5 2 2.4 11 1.4 6 1.0 4 0.3 1 0.2 2
SHBLD 0.4 1          
KPD   7.5 31 9.6 44 11.9 56 12.3 57 13.2 63
WP   1.2 4 2.4 11 4.5 21    
Polen   0.4 2 0.4 2      
NSFP     2.5 11      
NSDAP       1.8 6 36.3 162 43.2 211
CNBL       1.5 8    
VRP       1.2 2    
DVFP       1.1 2    
CSVD         1.2 2 0.9 3
Total seats 402 421 450 450 423 476

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Landtagswahlen Freistaat Preußen 1919–1933".
  2. ^ Orlow, Dietrich (2009). Weimar Prussia, 1918-1925: The Unlikely Rock of Democracy. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 19. ISBN 9780822984962.
  3. ^ Craig, Gordon A. (1984). The End of Prussia. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 9780299097349.
  4. ^ Wells, Roger H. (April 1936). "The Liquidation of the German Länder". The American Political Science Review. 30 (2). American Political Science Association: 351–352. doi:10.2307/1947263. JSTOR 1947263. S2CID 147621323.
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