Württemberg Landtag elections in the Weimar Republic
German state elections 1919–1932
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Landtag elections in the Free People's State of Württemberg (German: Freie Volksstaat Württemberg) during the Weimar Republic were held on five occasions between 1919 and 1932. The percentage of the vote won and the number of seats allocated to each party are presented in the table below.[1][2] The table is an important indicator of the swings in political opinion in this part of Germany between the German Empire and Nazi Germany, a period when parliamentary democracy came to have real political meaning in Germany.[3]
On 31 March 1933, the sitting Landtag was dissolved by the Nazi-controlled central government and reconstituted to reflect the distribution of seats in the national Reichstag. The Landtag subsequently was formally abolished as a result of the "Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich" of 30 January 1934 which replaced the German federal system with a unitary state.[4] Württemberg is now a part of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.
| Party / Date | SPD | DDP | Centre | DNVP / WBP[a] | WBB[b] | USPD | WBWB[c] | DVP | KPD | VSB[d] | CSVD | NSDAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 January 1919 | 34.4 % 52 seats |
25.0 % 38 seats |
20.8 % 31 seats |
7.4 % 11 seats |
5.8 % 10 seats |
3.1 % 4 seats |
2.7 % 4 seats |
- | - | - | - | - |
| 6 June 1920 | 16.1 % 17 seats |
14.7 % 15 seats |
22.5 % 23 seats |
9.3 % 10 seats |
17.7 % 18 seats |
13.3 % 14 seats |
- | 3.4 % 4 seats |
- | - | - | - |
| 4 May 1924 |
16.0 % 13 seats |
10.6 % 9 seats |
20.9 % 17 seats |
10.4 % 8 seats |
- | - | 20.2 % 17 seats |
4.6 % 3 seats |
11.7 % 10 seats |
4.0 % 3 seats |
- | - |
| 20 May 1928 | 23.8 % 22 seats |
10.1 % 8 seats |
19.6 % 17 seats |
5.7 % 4 seats |
- | - | 18.1 % 16 seats |
5.2 % 4 seats |
7.4 % 6 seats |
- | 3.9 % 3 seats |
- |
| 24 April 1932 | 16.6 % 14 seats |
4.8 % 4 seats |
20.5 % 17 seats |
4.3 % 3 seats |
- | - | 10.7 % 9 seats |
- | 9.4 % 7 seats |
- | 4.2 % 3 seats |
26.4 % 23 seats |
- The Württembergische Bürgerpartei (Württemberg Citizens' Party) was the state branch of the German National People's Party (DNVP).
- Württembergischer Bauernbund (Württemberg Agrarian League)
- Württembergischer Bauern- und Weingärtnerbund (Württemberg Small Farmers' and Winegrowers' League)
- Völkisch-sozialer Block (Völkisch-Social Bloc), an electoral alliance of parties of the extreme right and members the Nazi Party, which was banned following Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch of 1923
1919
The election was held on 12 January 1919 to elect the 150 members of the Württemberg state constituent assembly.[5]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 452,699 | 34.4 | 52 |
| German Democratic Party (DDP) | 328,689 | 25.0 | 38 |
| Centre Party | 273,200 | 20.8 | 31 |
| Württemberg Citizens' Party (WBP) | 97,840 | 7.4 | 11 |
| Württemberg Agrarian League (WBB) | 76,098 | 5.8 | 10 |
| Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD) | 40,634 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Württemberg Small Farmers' and Winegrowers' League (WBWB) | 35,285 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Others | 9,789 | 0.7 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 2,817 | – | – |
| Total | 1,317,051 | 100 | 150 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,449,216 | 90.9 | – |
1920
The election was held on 6 June 1920 to elect the 101 members of the Landtag of the Free People's State of Württemberg.[5]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre Party | 247,113 | 22.5 | 23 | –8 |
| Württemberg Small Farmers' and Winegrowers' League (WKWB) | 193,671 | 17.7 | 18 | New |
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 176,009 | 16.1 | 17 | –35 |
| German Democratic Party (DDP) | 161,595 | 14.7 | 15 | –23 |
| Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD) | 145,233 | 13.2 | 14 | +10 |
| Württemberg Citizens' Party (WBP) | 102,319 | 9.3 | 10 | –1 |
| German People's Party (DVP) | 37,199 | 3.4 | 4 | New |
| Communist Party (KPD) | 33,147 | 3.0 | 0 | New |
| Invalid/blank votes | 41,090 | – | – | – |
| Total | 1,137,376 | 100 | 101 | –49 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,475,196 | 77.1 | – | – |
1924
The election was held on 4 May 1924 to elect the 80 members of the Landtag of the Free People's State of Württemberg.[5]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre Party | 248,748 | 20.9 | 17 | –6 |
| Württemberg Small Farmers' and Winegrowers' League (WBWB) | 240,453 | 20.2 | 17 | New |
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 190,285 | 16.0 | 13 | –4 |
| Communist Party (KPD) | 138,683 | 11.7 | 10 | +10 |
| German Democratic Party (DDP) | 125,545 | 10.6 | 9 | –6 |
| Patriotic-Nationalist Right-Wing Bloc[a] | 124,207 | 10.4 | 8 | New |
| German People's Party (DDP) | 55,096 | 4.6 | 3 | –1 |
| Völkisch-Social Bloc (VSB) | 47,301 | 4.0 | 3 | New |
| Others | 19,439 | 1.6 | 0 | – |
| Invalid/blank votes | 11,947 | – | – | – |
| Total | 1,201,704 | 100 | 80 | –21 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,533,236 | 78.4 | – | – |
- The Patriotic-Nationalist Right-Wing Bloc (Vaterländisch-völkischer Rechtsblock) was the name of the combined DNVP-WBP in the 1924 election.
1928
The election was held on 20 May 1928 to elect the 80 members of the Landtag of the Free People's State of Württemberg.[5]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 267,077 | 23.8 | 22 | +9 |
| Centre Party | 219,846 | 19.6 | 17 | 0 |
| Württemberg Small Farmers' and Winegrowers' League (WBWB) | 202,481 | 18.1 | 16 | –1 |
| German Democratic Party (DDP) | 113,196 | 10.1 | 8 | –1 |
| Communist Party (KPD) | 82,525 | 7.4 | 6 | –4 |
| German National People's Party (DNVP) | 64,131 | 5.7 | 4 | New |
| German People's Party (DDP) | 57,758 | 5.2 | 4 | +1 |
| Christian Social People's Service (CSVD) | 43,440 | 3.9 | 3 | New |
| Reich Party for Civil Rights and Deflation (VRP) | 37,098 | 3.3 | 0 | New |
| Nazi Party (NSDAP) | 20,342 | 1.8 | 0 | New |
| Reich Party of the German Middle Class (WP) | 12,226 | 1.1 | 0 | New |
| Others | 973 | 0.1 | 0 | – |
| Invalid/blank votes | 30,811 | – | – | – |
| Total | 1,151,904 | 100 | 80 | 0 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,653,216 | 69.7 | – | – |
On 6 June 1929, the Württemberg state court declared the provisions of the electoral law on seat distribution unconstitutional and seats were redistributed as follows:[5]
| Party | Seats |
|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party | 21 |
| Centre Party | 16 |
| Württemberg Small Farmers' and Winegrowers' League | 15 |
| German Democratic Party | 8 |
| Communist Party | 6 |
| German National People's Party | 4 |
| German People's Party | 4 |
| Christian Social People's Service | 3 |
| Reich Party for Civil Rights and Deflation | 2 |
| Nazi Party | 1 |
1932
The election was held on 24 April 1932 to elect the 80 members of the Landtag of the Free People's State of Württemberg.[5]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nazi Party (NSDAP) | 328,320 | 26.4 | 23 | +22 |
| Centre Party | 254,680 | 20.5 | 17 | 0 |
| Social Democratic Party(SPD) | 206,574 | 16.6 | 14 | –8 |
| Württemberg Small Farmers' and Winegrowers' League (WBWB) | 133,545 | 10.7 | 9 | –7 |
| Communist Party (KPD) | 116,652 | 9.4 | 7 | –4 |
| German Democratic Party (DDP) | 59,677 | 4.8 | 4 | –4 |
| German National People's Party (DNVP) | 53,415 | 4.3 | 3 | –1 |
| Christian Social People's Service (CSVD) | 52,355 | 4.2 | 3 | 0 |
| German People's Party (DVP) | 19,312 | 1.6 | 0 | –4 |
| Reich Party for Civil Rights and Deflation (VRP) | 16,344 | 1.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Others | 3,902 | 0.3 | 0 | New |
| Invalid/blank votes | 5,365 | – | – | – |
| Total | 1,250,141 | 100 | 80 | 0 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,775,154 | 70.4 | – | – |