Weimar Election Maps II

[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...)

[minionofmidas]

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?)

[Hans-im-Glück]

The city of Plauen was in the election of 32 the NSDAP the strongest party, but SPD and KPD were together much stronger. The rural parts around Plauen there was the Nazi very, very strong.

[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.

[minionofmidas]

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

[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

[minionofmidas]

"AH" is for Amthauptmannschaft. They were renamed Kreise by the nazis, in their general streamlining of german administrative structures. They were also similar in size, a bit on the large side population-wise (though not Oelsnitz, obviously - the Upper Vogtland being one of the least densely populated parts of Saxony.)

[minionofmidas]

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.

[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?

[minionofmidas]

No idea. It does seem odd, doesn't it?

[minionofmidas]

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.

[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.

[minionofmidas]

Your map appears to be wrong around Wetzlar, not showing that it's actually two enclaves, not one.



Anywhere north of the southern bottleneck was ceded to Prussia in 1866, but the boundary of the Wetzlar District was not changed - the area simply became the Biedenkopf district in Wiesbaden RB. (The territory between the two bottlenecks was transferred to Wetzlar district in the fall of 1932 though, at the same time that Wetzlar was transferred to Hessen-Nassau, Rinteln was transferred to Hanover, and Ilfeld was transferred to Saxony Province.)

[Хahar 🤔]

Were Marx and Held both on the ballot in the Palatinate?

[Hash]

Were Marx and Held both on the ballot in the Palatinate?

Judging from the map, I think it's obvious the answer is 'yes'. And I think Marx was also on the ballot in Bavaria.