looking for info on Dec. 1932 local German elections

[rob in cal]

Hello everyone out there.  This is a great site.  I'm wondering if anyone has any information on the detailed results of the local elections held in Germany in December 1932.  I know they were held in Thuringia and maybe elsewhere and showed a decline in the Nazi vote from the Nov. 32 Reichstag vote, but I've never found out how much of a decline, and which other parties benefited.  I've found the results of other post Nov. Reichstag elections held before Hitler became chancellor, the Lubeck and Lippe state elections, but have never found results from these local elections of December, which were viewed at the time as further proof of a Nazi decline.

[minionofmidas]

Hi.
Never heard of these elections...

googling brought up (note: not sure if you speak German. I'm ready to translate if needed.)


"Am 4. Dezember verlor sie bei den Kommunalwahlen in Thüringen im Verhältnis zur Reichstagswahl vom November fast 25 Prozent, zu der vom Juli fast 40 Prozent ihrer Wählerstimmen."
but also
"Die Kommunalwahlen in Thüringen am 4.Dezember 1932 brachten der NSDAP wieder einen gewaltigen Zuwachs." (this presumably in comparison with the previous round of local elections.)

Ooh, a hard figure: "In Thüringen sank ihr Stimmenanteil von 43,9 Prozent im Juli 1932 auf 37,8 Prozent im November; bei den Kommunalwahlen am 4. Dezember waren es landesweit nur noch unter 35 Prozent."
This is just after a general claim that the the november reverses came mostly where the NSDAP was already in power locally.


And here's a partial result, from Hildburghausen district in southern Thuringia:
"Trotz der Wahl Hindenburgs 1925 als Nachfolger des Reichspräsidenten Friedrich Ebert blieb die SPD bei den Wahlen 1925 im Kreis Hildburghausen stärkste Partei. Die Wahlen zum V. Thüringer Landtag am 8.12.1929 ergaben jedoch ein anderes Bild und signalisierten den politischen Klimawechsel zugunsten radikaler Positionen. Bekam die NSDAP 1925 nur 1176 Stimmen, so waren es am 4.12.1932 schon 12839 Stimmen. Schon bei den Wahlen zum VI. Thüringer Landtag im Juli 1932 musste die SPD erhebliche Einbußen hinnehmen. Die Hitlerpartei konnte im Landkreis Hildburghausen mit 55,2% sogar die absolute Mehrheit erringen und erreichte damit eine Spitzenposition in Thüringen."

[rob in cal]

 Thanks for finding that Ga Bu.  It seems that there just isn't much out there showing a detailed breakdown of the vote.  I've been interested in these results because one of the reasons Hindenburg appointed Hitler was fear that a collapse in the Nazi vote would lead to an increase in support for leftist parties.  I can't remember the source for this, but it stuck in my memory.  I've always felt that a collapse in the Nazi vote would have benefitted the parties who were hurt by their rise in the first place, such as the Peoples Party, the Democrats  renamed the StaatsPartei by 1932,  the Nationalists, and the small and regional parties such as the Industry Party (Wirtschaft Partei).  Thus, I'd like to see who in Thuringia did better in the December 32 Thuringia elections than they did in the July and November Reichstag votes in Thuringia. 

[Hash]

Local as in local council elections (in which case, I've never heard about those), or Landtag elections in Thuringia (they held Landtag elections in 1932, IIRC)?

[rob in cal]

Yes, the December 4 1932 elections were for local councils, not the landtag.

[Dan the Roman]

Ironically, the Nazis were already on the way down in July. They had gotten over 50% in Oldenburg and Hesse in June, and dropped into the 40s in July in both states. There is a legitimate argument that Hindenburg was right that Brunning's continued tenure in office was aiding the Nazis, and that Papen's scorched earth strategy was working. Of course we will never know because Schleicher lost his nerve in December, and Papen turned Frankenstein.

[minionofmidas]

Thanks for finding that Ga Bu.  It seems that there just isn't much out there showing a detailed breakdown of the vote.  I've been interested in these results because one of the reasons Hindenburg appointed Hitler was fear that a collapse in the Nazi vote would lead to an increase in support for leftist parties.  I can't remember the source for this, but it stuck in my memory.  I've always felt that a collapse in the Nazi vote would have benefitted the parties who were hurt by their rise in the first place, such as the Peoples Party, the Democrats  renamed the StaatsPartei by 1932,  the Nationalists, and the small and regional parties such as the Industry Party (Wirtschaft Partei).  Thus, I'd like to see who in Thuringia did better in the December 32 Thuringia elections than they did in the July and November Reichstag votes in Thuringia. 

Ah, interesting question.
Of course the socialist parties combined did better in November than in July - still worse than in 20, 28 or 30 though (Nevermind 1919.) - but longterm trends are far harder to judge. What would have happened had the Nazis floundered and never come to power? It's one of the more interesting (and less unlikely, actually) Alternative History timelines out there.

[rob in cal]

GaBu, it is indeed a reasonable alternative timeline, the Nazis not coming to power.  I think the key figure in all of this was Hindenburg, and we know that by January 33 he had only a year and a half to live.  Now, assuming Hindenburg dies in office without having appointed Hitler chancellor we'd have a real showdown in the new election for President which might have been decisive for Germany's future, say Hitler vs. a moderate Centrist in the runoff (like in 1925 when Hindenburg narrowly defeated Centrum candidate Marx to win his first term.).