FALL 2004 ** HISTORY 238: GERMANY FROM UNIFICATION TO REUNIFICATION ** Mr. Patch

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THE GERMAN EMPIRE (1871-1918):

MAP, CONSTITUTION, AND REICHSTAG ELECTION RETURNS

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IMPERIAL CONSTITUTION, 1871-1918

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REICHSTAG ELECTIONS 1871-1912

Each party's vote is expressed first as a percentage of the national vote cast in the first round of elections, and then as a percentage of Reichstag seats finally won after the second round. The SPD's share of seats was held down by the tendency of all other parties to ally against it in the second round. Parties with an urban constituency also suffered an ever larger disadvantage, because the election districts were never redrawn despite large-scale migration from the countryside to industrial cities. "Secessionist" refers to the Polish nationalists, Danes, pro-French Alsatians, and Hanoverian "Guelphs".

Year SPD Left Libs Nat'l Libs Center Free Cons German Cons Secessionist
1871 3/0.5 8/12 29/32 17/15 8/9 13/14 6/6
1874 7/2 9/12 30/39 28/23 7/8 7/6 10/8
1877 9/3 8/9 30/36 25/23 8/10 10/10 10/8
1878 8/2 7/7 26/27 23/24 14/14 13/15 9/10
1881 6/3 13/15 23/23 23/25 8/7 16/13 9/11
1884 10/6 18/17 18/13 23/25 7/7 15/20 8/11
1887 10/3 13/8 22/25 20/25 10/10 15/20 8/8
1890 20/9 16/17 16/11 19/27 7/5 12/18 6/9
1893 23/11 12/9 13/13 19/24 6/7 14/18 6/9
1898 27/14 10/10 13/12 19/26 5/6 11/14 6/8
1903 32/20 8/8 14/13 20/25 4/5 10/14 6/8
1907 29/11 10/11 15/14 19/27 4/6 9/15 6/7
1912 35/28 12/11 14/11 16/23 3/4 9/11 6/8

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Last updated October 12, 2004