Weimar Election Maps II

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Intended as a long-running project with occasional updates. There's no need to do maps showing the development of party support because they've been done already. This is for other things, usually at lower levels than state or province.

Anyway. What might be thought of as the standard key or at least standard colours:



The colour blocks will be used for keys showing party or candidate support, the numbers are the standard keys for a percentage lead.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Map shows leading candidate and the first round - in the second, Jarres and Braun withdrew and were replaced by Hindenburg and Marx (who finished third in the first round). Hindenburg won, of course.
I'm not entirely sure how useful this map is for one or two reasons, but it seemed like a good place to start.

Oh, and the government level used is Regierungsbezirk and equivalents. Summary results of the election can be found here: http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/g/germany/president.txt

EDIT: I based this off some dog-eared old photocopies I got my hands on years ago. Anyway, I checked a couple of results against those on the website linked to by Hans below and it turns out that there was a hilarious error in Oldenburg. Which has now been corrected.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The same notes apply to this one. This map is of the runoff, not the first round. Note that Thälmann was also on the ballot and polled strongly in places.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

DNVP winning in places that would, just a few years later, be some of the Nazi's strongest districts anywhere isn't surprising, I guess. Surprised that the SPD could win anywhere in Lower Bavaria, even though 1928 was a good year for them.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

There's a book in the uni library here with, IIRC, quite a lot of electoral data for some random parts of Saxony at a very low level - if I get time, I'll have fun with the photocopier tomorrow...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

and there gives many workers in the glass industry.

Yeah, everything makes sense now. Was there much in the way of industry in Upper Franconia? Protestantism alone presumably isn't the reason for SPD success there as rural Middle Franconia shows.

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lol!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Given the darkness of many districts, black may not be the best background.

Most importantly, it's extremely hard to differentiate Held and Jarres on the map.

I might edit Held a different sort of blue at some point (though because of darkness it still won't be all that easy to tell - it's harder to tell dark shades apart). But he was the BVP candidate and on that map won all but Upper and Middle Franconia in Bavaria and nowhere outside Bavaria.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

1932 Presidential Election - first round, votes per candidate.

My, my, Southwestern Saxony certainly had "interesting" politics back then. Also - I wonder how Duesterberg's vote went in the second round, hmm...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I was only aware of that pattern in Saxony (ie; Leipzig v everywhere else) - interesting.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

NO NO NO, Leipzig, Plauen and the Sächsische Schweiz v everywhere else!!!!

Plauen? Interesting bearing in mind later voting patterns. Does that mean just the town, or does it include the rural district?

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lol

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As in our ghastly royal family, yes, yes, I know that.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

NO NO NO, Leipzig, Plauen and the Sächsische Schweiz v everywhere else!!!!

Plauen? Interesting bearing in mind later voting patterns. Does that mean just the town, or does it include the rural district?

It means the 1871-1918 Reichstag constituency. In Saxony, only some of these closely match local government units.

That's a shame, because there's an important difference

(Plauen the town voted majority Nazi in at least on election in '32, but the KPD was fairly strong as well - taking about 20% or so. Plauen the rural district though...)

[Filuwaúrdjan]

NO NO NO, Leipzig, Plauen and the Sächsische Schweiz v everywhere else!!!!

Plauen? Interesting bearing in mind later voting patterns. Does that mean just the town, or does it include the rural district?

It means the 1871-1918 Reichstag constituency. In Saxony, only some of these closely match local government units.

That's a shame, because there's an important difference

(Plauen the town voted majority Nazi in at least on election in '32, but the KPD was fairly strong as well - taking about 20% or so. Plauen the rural district though...)

It would certainly have been larger than just the town. Not sure if it included all the district or just part of it. (I have this, in handwriting, someplace. I also know where a book is where I could copy it again. But is it worth that?)

Not really.

You posted a map of the old Reichstag constituencies a while ago (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=88097.msg1889515#msg1889515) might that help?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The rural parts around Plauen there was the Nazi very, very strong.

Third highest Nazi vote in Saxony, if the figures on my tea-stained and somewhat battered photocopied sheet are right.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It seems that the constituency may have included Plauen city, Oelsnitz district, and most of Plauen rural district (sans the northeastern portion around Reichenbach).

Oelsnitz district is the second most Nazi AH on the list in front of me. But also 18% KPD. I'll post the full list now, for the sake of it.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The list is of the ten most Nazi district's in Saxony in July 1932 - SPD and KPD figures also included. Goes: NSDAP, SPD, KPD. All are %'s.

1. AH Auerbach, 57.9, 10.6, 19.1 (turnout up on 1928 by 18.7)
2. AH Oelsnitz, 57.5, 12.2, 18.4 ('' ''  19.7)
3. AH Plauen, 56.2, 14.9, 13.9
4. AH Marienberg, 54.4, 20.3, 17.7
5. AH Freiberg, 53.7, 29.0, 9.1
6. Werdau, 53.3, 20.0, 16.1 (turnout over 90%)
7. AH Annaberg, 52.5, 22.3, 15.9
8. Plauen, 50.7, 15.8, 21.5
9. AH Dippoldiswalde, 50.1, 25.0, 11.7
10. Freiberg, 49.7, 28.2, 7.8

[Filuwaúrdjan]

My, my, Southwestern Saxony certainly had "interesting" politics back then. Also - I wonder how Duesterberg's vote went in the second round, hmm...

Somehow I find the Catholic variant of the same theme even more "interesting".

Lower Westerwald, May 1932
Center 46, NSDAP 22, KPD 19, SPD 7
The Commies actually came second in 1930 (and in may 1924) but on 12% of the vote.

As you're bringing it up, something I've wondered for a while... what's the reason for the KPD doing better than the SPD in some Catholic areas?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Okay, I have a theory. It goes like this (and doesn't apply in areas where the SPD had a minority foothold before 1918, such as Upper Bavaria).
There was no reason to vote SPD simply out of traditionalism as there was no SPD tradition.
And the moderate working class/union man/pro-democracy guy, happy with the changes compared to the Kaiserreich but not at all interested in further revolution, yeah well, the Center Party did a pretty good job of keeping him on board - its status as the representation of Catholic Germany depended on it. But not at keeping militant people disappointed with the revolution's scope on board. So they'd be voting Communist.

Makes more sense than any of the other explanations I've read.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Bigger picture.

Brief biographical details for random interest and context...

Karl Jarres, DVP (also nominated by the DNVP). Mayor of Duisburg (no, seriously), Interior Minister in the various Marx governments.

Otto Braun, SPD. Originally from Königsberg. Prime Minister of Prussia for most of the period between 1920 and 1932 when he was (of course) illegally removed from office. Emigrated to Switzerland in 1933.

Wilhelm Marx, Zentrum. Based in Düsseldorf. Twice Chancellor, once Prussian Prime Minister for a couple of months. Defeated in the second round of this election by Hindenburg.

Ernst Thälmann, KPD. From Hamburg. IIRC he wasn't formally the leader of the KPD yet, but became so soon after the election. Arrested by the Nazis in 1933 and kept in solitary confinement without trial until his murder in 1944.

Willy Hellpach, DDP. Originally from Silesia. State President of Baden for parts of 1924 and 1925.

Heinrich Held, BVP. Prime Minister of Bavaria 1924-1933.

Erich Ludendorff, NSDAP. Insane ex-military type, etc.