November 1932 German federal election

German federal election, November 1932

6 November 1932
All 584 seats in the Reichstag 293 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	80.58%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Adolf Hitler Otto Wels Ernst Thälmann Party NSDAP SPD KPD Leader since 28 July 1921 1919 October 1925 Last election 230 seats, 37.27% 133 seats, 21.58% 89 seats, 14.32% Seats won 196 121 100 Seat change 34 12 11 Popular vote 11,737,395 7,251,690 5,980,614 Percentage 33.09% 20.43% 16.86% Swing 4.18% 1.15% 2.54%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Ludwig Kaas Alfred Hugenberg Heinrich Held Party Centre DNVP BVP Leader since September 1928 1928 27 June 1924 Last election 75 seats, 12.44% 37 seats, 5.91% 22 seats, 3.23% Seats won 70 52 20 Seat change 5 15 2 Popular vote 4,230,545 3,792,563 1,206,247 Percentage 11.93% 8.34% 3.09% Swing 0.51% 2.43% 0.14%
Chancellor before election Franz von Papen Nonpartisan Elected Chancellor None (Schleicher appointed shortly afterward)

Federal elections were held in Germany on 6 November 1932. They saw a significant drop in votes for the Nazi Party and increases for the Communists and the national conservative DNVP. It was the last free and fair all-German election before the Nazi seizure of power on 30 January 1933, as the following elections of March 1933 were already accompanied by massive suppression, especially against Communist and Social Democratic politicians. The next free election was not held until August 1949 in West Germany; the next free all-German elections took place in December 1990 after reunification.

The results of the November 1932 election were a great disappointment for the Nazis. Although they emerged once more as the largest party by far, they had fewer seats than before, and failed to form a government coalition in the Reichstag parliament. So far Chancellor Franz von Papen, a former member of the Catholic Centre Party, had governed without parliamentary support relying on legislative decrees promulgated by Reich President Paul von Hindenburg according to Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution. However, on 12 September 1932 Papen had to ask Hindenburg to dissolve the parliament in order to preempt a motion of no confidence tabled by the Communist Party, which was expected to pass (since the Nazis were expected to vote in favour, as they also desired new elections). Thus, the election of November 1932 was held following this dissolution of parliament in September. The DNVP, which had backed Papen, gained 15 seats as a result.

After the election, Chancellor Papen urged Hindenburg to continue to govern by emergency decrees. Nevertheless, on 3 December he was superseded by his Defence Minister Kurt von Schleicher who in talks with the left wing of the Nazi Party led by Gregor Strasser tried to build up a Third Position (Querfront) strategy. These plans failed when in turn Hitler disempowered Strasser and approached Papen for coalition talks. Papen obtained Hindenburg's consent to form the Hitler Cabinet on 30 January 1933.

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
National Socialist German Workers Party	11,737,021	33.09	196	–34
Social Democratic Party of Germany	7,247,901	20.43	121	–12
Communist Party of Germany	5,980,239	16.86	100	+11
Centre Party	4,230,545	11.93	70	–5
German National People's Party	2,959,053	8.34	51	+14
Bavarian People's Party	1,094,597	3.09	20	–2
German People's Party	660,889	1.86	11	+4
Christian Social People's Service	403,666	1.14	5	+2
German State Party	336,447	0.95	2	–2
German Farmers' Party	149,026	0.42	3	+1
Agricultural League	105,220	0.30	2	0
Reich Party of the German Middle Class	110,309	0.31	1	–1
German-Hanoverian Party	63,966	0.18	1	+1
Radical Middle Class	60,246	0.17	0	0
Thuringian Agricultural League	60,062	0.17	1	New
Christian-National Peasants' and Farmers' Party	46,382	0.13	0	–1
People's Justice Party	46,202	0.13	0	–1
Socialist Workers' Party of Germany	45,201	0.13	0	0
Poland List	32,988	0.09	0	0
For Hindenberg and Pope	27,752	0.08	0	New
Kleinrentner, Inflationsgeschädigte und Vorkriegsgeldbesitzer	15,727	0.04	0	0
Free Economy Party of Germany	11,002	0.03	0	0
Schicksalsgemeinschaft deutscher Erwerbslosen, Kleinhandel und Gewerbe	9,250	0.03	0	New
Social Republican Party of Germany	8,395	0.02	0	New
Handwerker, Handel- und Gewerbetreibende	5,189	0.01	0	0
Radical Democratic Party	3,789	0.01	0	New
Kampfgemeinschaft der Arbeiter und Bauern	3,308	0.01	0	0
National Social Party of the Middle Class	3,052	0.01	0	New
Enteigneter Mittelstand	2,737	0.01	0	0
National Freedom Party of Germany	1,810	0.01	0	0
Schleswig Home	1,694	0.00	0	0
Greater Germany People's Party	1,311	0.00	0	0
Interessengemeinschaft der Kleinrentner und Inflationsgeschädigten	1,086	0.00	0	0
Nationalist Party	588	0.00	0	New
People's Socialists	518	0.00	0	New
Haus- und Landwirtepartei	461	0.00	0	New
National Communist Party of Germany	381	0.00	0	New
German Social Monarchist Party	355	0.00	0	0
German Reform Party	352	0.00	0	0
German Workers Party	308	0.00	0	0
Unitarianist Union of Germany	290	0.00	0	0
Greater German Middle Class Party for Middle Class Dictatorship	286	0.00	0	New
Gerechtigkeits-Bewegung-Meißner	280	0.00	0	New
German National Citizen Bloc	192	0.00	0	New
Party for the Unemployed for Work and Bread	140	0.00	0	0
National German Catholic Reich Party	137	0.00	0	New
German Socialist Struggle Movement	101	0.00	0	0
German Reich against Interest Rate Movement	97	0.00	0	New
Freiheitsbewegung Schwarz-Weiß-Rot	92	0.00	0	New
Middle Class Party	85	0.00	0	New
Kampfbund der Lohn- und Gehaltsabgebauten	63	0.00	0	New
Invalid/blank votes	287,471	–	–	–
Total	35,758,259	100	584	–24
Registered voters/turnout	44,374,085	80.58	–	–
Source: Gonschior.de

Popular Vote NSDAP   33.09% SPD   20.43% KPD   16.86% Zentrum   11.93% DNVP   8.34% BVP   3.09% DVP   1.86% CSVD   1.14% DStP   0.95% Other   2.31%

Reichstag seats NSDAP   33.56% SPD   20.72% KPD   17.12% Zentrum   11.99% DNVP   8.73% BVP   3.42% DVP   1.88% CSVD   0.86% DStP   0.34% Other   1.37%