1919 German federal election

Federal elections were held in Germany on 19 January 1919, although members of the standing army in the east did not vote until 2 February. The elections were the first of the new Weimar Republic, which had been established after World War I and the Revolution of 1918–19, and the first with women's suffrage. The previous constituencies, which heavily overrepresented rural areas, were scrapped, and the elections held using a form of proportional representation. The voting age was also lowered from 25 to 20. Austrian citizens living in Germany were allowed to vote, with German citizens living in Austria being allowed to vote in the February 1919 Constitutional Assembly elections.

1919 German federal election

19 January 1919 (1919-01-19)
All 423 seats in the Weimar National Assembly 212 seats needed for a majority
Registered	36,779,888 ( 154.7%)
Turnout	83.0% ( 1.9pp)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Friedrich Ebert & Philipp Scheidemann Adolf Gröber Friedrich von Payer Party SPD CVP DDP Seats won 165 91 75 Popular vote 11,516,852 5,980,259 5,643,506 Percentage 37.9% 19.7% 18.6%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner Hugo Haase Rudolf Heinze Party DNVP USPD DVP Seats won 44 22 19 Popular vote 3,121,541 2,319,235 1,345,712 Percentage 10.3% 7.6% 4.4%
Government before election Council of the People's Deputies SPD–USPD Government after election Scheidemann cabinet SPD–DDP–Z

From its inaugural session on 6 February, the National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) functioned as both a constituent assembly and unicameral legislature. The supporting parties of the "Weimar Coalition" (SPD, Zentrum and DDP) together won 76.2% of the votes cast; on 13 February, provisional president Friedrich Ebert appointed Philipp Scheidemann, of the SPD, as Minister-President. The office was later renamed Chancellor when the Weimar Constitution came into force in August 1919. The Scheidemann cabinet replaced the revolutionary Rat der Volksbeauftragten (Council of the People's Deputies). Voter turnout was 83.0%.

Electoral system

The 423 seats of the National Constituent Assembly were set to be elected in 38 multi-member constituencies of between six and 17 seats using party-list proportional representation. Two seats were reserved for representatives of standing troops in the east of the country. Apparentment was also in effect, allowing parties to form coalitions in constituencies, using one common list (although a party could only win seats if it put forward candidates in those constituencies). The voting age was set at 20.

Campaign

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) supported Germany's involvement in World War I. Anti-war members of the party formed the Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD). The Council of the People's Deputies was initially made up of members of both parties, but the USPD left following the usage of the Freikorps to suppress the Spartacist uprising.

The Communist Party boycotted the election.

Results

The SPD saw their share of the vote increased compared to the previous election despite the presence of the USPD. The SPD formed a coalition with the Catholic Centre Party and German Democratic Party.

One constituency established by the Electoral Regulations, Elsass–Lothringen, was unable to hold its elections due to having been annexed by France in the aftermath of World War I, and in another, Posen, amidst the Greater Poland uprising, Poles boycotted the vote.

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Social Democratic Party	11,509,048	37.86	163
	Christian People's Party	5,980,216	19.67	91
	German Democratic Party	5,641,825	18.56	75
	German National People's Party	3,121,479	10.27	44
	Independent Social Democratic Party	2,317,290	7.62	22
	German People's Party	1,345,638	4.43	19
	Bavarian Peasants' League	275,125	0.91	4
	German-Hanoverian Party	77,226	0.25	1
	Schleswig-Holstein Farmers and Farmworkers Democracy	57,913	0.19	1
	Brunswick State Electoral Association	56,858	0.19	1
	Mecklenburg Village League	10,891	0.04	0
	German Peace Party	3,503	0.01	0
	German Officials', Employees' and Middle Class Party	1,438	0.00	0
	Christian Social Party	664	0.00	0
	Middle Class Party	640	0.00	0
	German Social Aristocracy	279	0.00	0
	Democratic Middle Class Party	208	0.00	0
	Social Reform Party	45	0.00	0
Total		30,400,286	100.00	421
Valid votes		30,400,286	99.59
Invalid/blank votes		124,562	0.41
Total votes		30,524,848	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		36,766,500	83.02
Source: Gonschior.de

Representatives of standing troops in the East

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Social Democratic Party	7,804	60.04	2
	Independent Social Democratic Party	1,945	14.96	0
	German Democratic Party	1,681	12.93	0
	Non-partisan lists	1,389	10.69	0
	German People's Party	74	0.57	0
	German National People's Party	62	0.48	0
	Christian People's Party	43	0.33	0
Total		12,998	100.00	2
Valid votes		12,998	97.09
Invalid/blank votes		390	2.91
Total votes		13,388	100.00
Source: Nohlen & Stöver, Gonschior.de

Works cited

• Childers, Thomas (1983). The Nazi Voter: The Social Foundations of Fascism in Germany, 1919-1933. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0807815705.