German election, July 1932

The 7th German federal election of July 1932, under the Weimar Republic, saw the Nazis become the biggest party in the Reichstag, although without a majority of the seats.

The July 1932 snap election took place after Nazi legislators boycotted the Reichstag.__TOC__

Overview

The July 31 elections of 1932 in Germany are arguably some of the most pivotal in history. In the July 31 election the Nazi party gained great strength by winning a large number of seats in the Reichstag (Congress) and became the largest political party in Germany. These elections, like all of history, are a product of previous events. Therefore, in order to understand the July 31, 1932 German elections the preceding months and years must first be examined.

Background

In the nineteen twenties and thirties the world was in the midst of the Great Depression and Germany was no different. Between 1929 and 1932 unemployment went from eight and a half percent to nearly thirty percent. [http://www.holocaustchronicle.org/StaticPages/50.html The Holocaust Chronicle PROLOGUE: Roots of the Holocaust] . 2002.] In the same period industrial production inside Germany dropped roughly forty two percent. This was the economic backdrop that allowed the Nazi party to double its membership between 1928 and 1930. In this period the Weimar Republic (the pre-Nazi government) was increasingly weakened and more power was exponentially bestowed upon the offices of the President and the Chancellor. The economic crisis and the failures of the Weimar Republic conspired to allow the Nazi party to rise to power.

1932 March & April Presidential Elections

The July, 1932 elections could be said to have begun as early as February of that year. February is the month that Adolf Hitler became a German citizen in order to run for the presidency in the March election. Of the four candidates in that election Hitler managed to place second behind the incumbent President Hindenburg. The election system in place required a candidate to win a majority of the vote and due to Hindenburg's failure to do so a runoff election was held one month later. The resulting April election saw Hindenburg successfully elected. The average German citizen had already lost much confidence in the government and two presidential elections in two months only added to frustration. Flaws in the Weimar Republic's system such as its presidential election process added to the Nazi Party’s goal of becoming the only party in Germany.

Two Chancellors and four elections

After Adolf Hitler’s loss in the presidential election the successful domination of the Nazi party seemed far less likely to some. However, those at the seat of German power still feared a Nazi controlled Germany. It was these fears that lead German Chancellor Bruening to order President Hindenberg to ban the Nazi SA and SS wings of the party only four days after the runoff election of mid-April 1932.Trotsky, Leon. pdf| [http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/works/pdf/germany.pdf The Rise of Hitler and Destruction of the German Left] . 12 February 2008.] . This ban was intended to further injure the Nazi party. Chancellor Bruening would come to realize his decision to ban the SA and SS would have the opposite of the desired effect. Instead of injuring the Nazi party the ban solidified its core. The Nazi party continued its rise to power despite the efforts of Chancellor Bruening. At the end of May 1932 due to continuing political upheaval President Hindenberg demanded the resignation of Chancellor Bruening. The flaws of the Weimar Republic again became obvious to the German people due to Bruenings resignation. Between March thirteenth and May thirty-first of 1932 Germany had two presidential elections and a forced resignation of the chancellor. The failure of the government inspired a near total lack of confidence in the government and left people seeking other alternatives. The Nazi party was banking on this lack of confidence to come to power.

President Hindenberg further lost the peoples trust at the start of June when he appointed Franz Von Papen to the chancellorship.Hornberger, [http://www.fff.org/freedom/fd0403a.asp Jacob G. How Hitler became a Dictator] . 2004.] Von Papen was a hugely unpopular choice for the chancellorship among most of the major factions at the time (including his own). Many saw Von Papen as a puppet of President Hindenberg. Von Papen increased the perceived governmental instability when only three days after his appointment he dissolved the Reichstag and called for new elections. These new Reichstag elections would be the third in five months. At this point in five months the German people had seen two presidential elections, two Chancellors, two Reichstag elections and they were about to see a third. It is unlikely that there has ever been any body of citizens that could live through so much political turmoil without losing confidence in the government.

In other words, Hindenberg won the election and Hitler got about 40% of the vote. Then Hindenberg appointed Hitler Chancellor. Hitler continued to gain power until he was unstoppable.

July 31 1932

With the July 31st Reichstag elections approaching the Nazi party wanted to rally in order to gain new strength in the legislature. Chancellor Von Papen aided the Nazi party in gathering strength in mid July. The Chancellor saw fit to remove the ban on the Nazi SA and SS wings of the party. This act made what was essentially a Nazi army, that some claim may have had four hundred-thousand members, a legal entity. Three days later with police escort the Nazis planned a march through a working class section of the city of Hamburg. This was a largely communist section and as communists and Nazis were very much enemies violence was all but guaranteed. At the end of the march nineteen were dead and as many as two hundred-eighty five were injured. Three days after the Hamburg violence Chancellor Von Papen claimed the government could no longer maintain order within the country. As a result Von Papen had the strongest political party, the Social Democrats, deposed. Von Papen then appointed himself as the Reich commissioner. This occurred only eleven days before the new Reichstag elections. All of the preceding events culminated on July 31, 1932 with the election of the new Reichstag. The Nazi party had a major victory by winning two hundred-thirty of six hundred-eight seats. The Nazis had become the largest political party in Germany. As a result Hitler demanded to be made chancellor. He was denied and the Nazis would have to wait until January 1933 to complete their domination of Germany.

Conclusion

The failures of the Weimar Republic and the short sightedness of its executives inspired a lack of confidence from the people. Under the command of Adolf Hitler the Nazi party exploited the flaws of the republic in order to come to total power. July 31, 1932 was one of the most important dates in the solidification of Nazi power.Fact|date=April 2008 Nazi control of the Reichstag was a culminating moment in the death of the Weimar Republic.

Footnotes