1929 Baden state election

The 1929 Baden state election was held on 27 October 1929 to elect the 88 members of the Landtag of the Republic of Baden.[2]

1929 Baden state election

← 1925 27 October 1929 (1929-10-27)

All 88 seats in the Landtag
45 seats needed for a majority
Registered1,537,962
Turnout61.4%[1]
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Centre SPD DVP
Last election 36.8%, 28 seats 20.8%, 16 seats 9.5%, 7 seats
Seats won 34 18 7
Seat change Increase 6 Increase 2 Steady
Popular vote 341,754 187,087 74,340
Percentage 36.7% 20.1% 8.0%
Swing Decrease 0.1pp Decrease 0.7pp Decrease 1.5pp

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Party NSDAP DDP KPD
Last election 1.2%, 0 seats 8.7%, 6 seats 6.1%, 4 seats
Seats won 6 6 5
Seat change Increase 6 Steady Increase 1
Popular vote 65,121 62,344 55,143
Percentage 7.0% 6.7% 5.9%
Swing Increase 5.8pp Decrease 2.0pp Decrease 0.2pp

Government before election

Josef Schmitt
ZSPD

Government after election

Josef Schmitt
ZSPD

Campaign

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The Rechtsblock coalition formed by the German National People's Party (DNVP) and Agricultural League broke apart in 1928. Many of the Agricultural League members joined the Nazi Party.[3][4] The Nazis launched their election campaign in March 1929.[5]

The Nazis won six seats in the election and Walter Köhler was selected to serve as their delegation chairman.[6] This granted the party members that could not be arrested due to parliamentary immunity.[7] The Nazi's best Amtsbezirke performance was in Kehl with 32%.[8] 42.2% of the new votes for the Nazis came from Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Pforzheim, and Weinheim.[9] The Bezirk Tauberbischofsheim, which was 81.8% Catholic,[8] gave 70.3% of its vote to the Centre.[10]

Results

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Party Votes % Seats +/–
Centre Party 341,754 36.7 34 +6
Social Democratic Party of Germany 187,087 20.1 18 +2
German People's Party 74,340 8.0 7 0
Nazi Party 65,121 7.0 6 +6
German Democratic Party 62,344 6.7 6 0
Communist Party of Germany 55,143 5.9 5 +1
Reich Party of the German Middle Class 35,605 3.8 3 0
Evangelischer Volksdienst 35,317 3.8 3 New
German National People's Party 34,079 3.7 3 –5
Badische Bauernpartei 28,267 3.0 3 New
Reich Party for Civil Rights and Deflation 6,680 0.7 0 New
Christlich-Soziale Reichspartei 5,086 0.5 0 New
Left Communists 1,530 0.2 0 New
Invalid/blank votes 11,888
Total 944,241 100 88 +16
Registered voters/turnout 1,537,962 61.4
Source: Elections in Germany[2]

Aftermath

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This was the last democratic election in Baden before the Nazi seizure of power.[11] The SDP and Centre coalition government dissolved on 30 November 1932, due to disagreements over a concordat between the Catholic Church and Baden. The Centre and DVP attempted to form a coalition with the Nazis without dissolving the landtag, but the Nazis rejected it and wanted new elections. A Centre and DVP minority government was formed on 10 January 1933.[12]

Robert Heinrich Wagner was appointed Reichkomissar of Baden on 9 March 1933, replacing the position of president. A new landtag consisting of 30 Nazis, 17 Centre, 8 SPD, and 2 DNVP convened once on 9 June 1933 to give the executive legislative powers. Wagner appointed Köhler as president on 6 May.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Faris 1975, p. 147.
  2. ^ a b Schröder, Valentin. "Landtagswahlen Republik Baden". Wahlen in Deutschland. Archived from the original on 2005-02-22. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  3. ^ Grill 1983, p. 26.
  4. ^ Grill 1983, p. 139-141.
  5. ^ Grill 1983, p. 171.
  6. ^ Grill 1983, p. 174.
  7. ^ Grill 1983, p. 178.
  8. ^ a b Faris 1975, p. 148.
  9. ^ Grill 1983, p. 175.
  10. ^ Faris 1975, p. 145.
  11. ^ Exner 2016, p. 297.
  12. ^ Grill 1983, p. 240-242.
  13. ^ Exner 2016, p. 299.

Works cited

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