1919 Prussian state election
26 January 1919
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All 401 seats in the State Assembly 201 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 74.8% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
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State elections were held in the Free State of Prussia on 26 January 1919.[1] The elections were held a week after the elections to the federal National Assembly, and were the first elections of Prussian institutions held using proportional representation and with women's suffrage. The election was also the first truly free and fair Prussian election, as it was the first election held after the abolition of the Prussian three-class franchise, which grouped voters by the amount of taxes paid and gave disproportionate weight to the wealthy.
The State Assembly (Landesversammlung) functioned as both a constituent assembly and legislature. The parties of the Weimar Coalition, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Centre Party, and German Democratic Party (DDP), won a sweeping majority. Together they won 74.8% of the votes cast.[2] SPD politician Paul Hirsch, who had been appointed Minister-President of Prussia in November 1918, continued in office, and was succeeded by Otto Braun in early 1920.
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 6,278,291 | 36.38 | 145 | |
| Centre Party/Christian People's Party[a] | 3,834,953 | 22.22 | 93 | |
| German Democratic Party (DDP) | 2,796,359[b] | 16.20 | 65 | |
| German National People's Party (DNVP) | 1,936,939[c] | 11.22 | 48 | |
| Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD) | 1,280,803 | 7.42 | 24 | |
| German People's Party (DVP) | 981,665[d] | 5.69 | 23 | |
| German-Hanoverian Party (DHP) | 84,975 | 0.49 | 2 | |
| Schleswig-Holstein Farmers and Farmworkers Democracy (SHBLD) | 61,565 | 0.36 | 1 | |
| Christian Social Party | 1.211 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Protestant People's Party | 552 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Social Reform Party | 31 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | [e] | 0.37[e] | – | |
| Total | 17,257,344[e] | 100 | 401 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | [e] | 74.79[e] | – | |
| Gonschior.de[3] | ||||
Results by constituency
| Constituency | SPD | Z | DDP | DNVP | USPD | DVP | DHP | SHBLD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. East Prussia | 45.6 | 11.4 | 17.1 | 14.4 | 3.6 | 7.8 | – | – |
| 2. West Prussia | 28.4 | 15.2 | 26.4 | 25.5 | 4.5 | – | – | – |
| 3. Berlin | 35.1 | 5.5 | 15.3 | 10.4 | 28.2 | 5.5 | – | – |
| 4. Potsdam I | 41.4 | 2.4 | 20.1 | 13.9 | 14.6 | 7.7 | – | – |
| 5. Potsdam II | 35.2 | 4.0 | 20.4 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 10.4 | – | – |
| 6. Frankfurt-Oder | 51.8 | 1.7 | 21.6 | 20.8 | 0.7 | 3.3 | – | – |
| 7. Pomerania | 41.9 | 0.6 | 19.3 | 26.6 | 1.4 | 10.2 | – | – |
| 8. Posen | 15.9 | 9.7 | 19.3 | 39.5 | – | 15.7 | – | – |
| 9. Breslau | 47.0 | 22.2 | 14.6 | 16.1 | 0.1 | – | – | – |
| 10. Oppeln | 29.7 | 49.3 | 5.5 | 7.4 | – | 8.2 | – | – |
| 11. Liegnitz | 50.4 | 9.7 | 25.7 | 14.1 | – | – | – | – |
| 12. Magdeburg | 57.9 | 1.7 | 23.8 | 9.9 | 3.3 | 3.3 | – | – |
| 13. Merseburg-Erfurt | 16.3 | 5.9 | 23.4 | 13.6 | 39.5 | 1.4 | – | – |
| 14. Schleswig-Holstein | 46.2 | 1.0 | 26.7 | 7.7 | 2.8 | 7.1 | – | 8.5 |
| 15. Aurich-Stade-Osnabrück | 31.5 | 18.2 | 18.9 | 4.3 | – | 9.7 | 17.5 | – |
| 16. Hannover-Hildesheim-Lüneburg | 46.8 | [f] | 9.4 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 8.6 | 31.5 | – |
| 17. Münster-Minden-Kreis Schaumburg | 28.0 | 48.0 | 7.7 | 8.1 | 1.8 | 6.2 | – | – |
| 18. Arnsberg | 40.9 | 29.9 | 9.3 | [g] | 4.6 | 15.2 | – | – |
| 19. Hesse-Nassau | 40.2 | 18.9 | 21.6 | 9.6 | 3.5 | 6.2 | – | – |
| 20. Cologne/Aachen | 25.0 | 61.3 | 7.4 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 0.0 | – | – |
| 21. Koblenz/Trier | 21.3 | 60.6 | 14.9 | 3.2 | – | [h] | – | – |
| 22. Düsseldorf 1–5 | 27.2 | 28.9 | 11.2 | 15.4 | 17.3 | [i] | – | – |
| 23. Düsseldorf 6–12 | 27.0 | 51.5 | 6.8 | 6.1 | – | 8.6 | – | – |
| 24. Sigmaringen[j] | – | 99.8 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Note: shaded boxes indicate the party that won the most votes in the constituency.
See also
Notes
- ^ The Centre Party used the name "Christian People's Party" in this election.
- ^ Including 111,663 votes in constituency #21 (Koblenz/Trier) for the list "German Democratic Party and German People's Party".
- ^ Including 131,950 votes in constituency #22 (Düsseldorf 1–5) for the list "German National People's Party, German People's Party and National Association Essen".
- ^ Including 164,687 votes in constituency #18 (Arnsberg) for the list "German People's Party and German National People's Party".
- ^ a b c d e Data is incomplete for Pomerania, Posen, the district of Merseburg and Schmalkalden, and Schleswig-Holstein. Accurate totals therefore cannot be given for registered voters, voter turnout, and valid/invalid votes.
- ^ The Centre Party ran a joint list with the DHP in constituency #16 (Hannover-Hildesheim-Lüneburg). Five DHP members and two Centre members were elected on this list.
- ^ The DNVP ran on a joint list with the DVP in constituency #18 (Arnsberg). Four DVP members and no DNVP members were elected on this list.
- ^ The DVP ran on a joint list with the DDP in constituency #21 (Koblenz/Trier). Two DDP members and no DVP members were elected on this list.
- ^ The DVP ran on a joint list with the DNVP in constituency #22 (Düsseldorf 1–5). Three DNVP members and no DVP members were elected on this list.
- ^ The Centre Party was the only party that fielded a list in constituency #24 (Sigmaringen).
References
- ^ Nohlen, Dieter; Stöver, Philip (2010). Elections in Europe: A data handbook. Baden-Baden: Nomos. p. 762. ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7.
- ^ Nohlen & Stöver 2010, p. 776.
- ^ "Der Freistaat Preußen. Wahl zur Landesversammlung 1919" [The Free State of Prussia. Election to the State Assembly 1919]. gonschior.de (in German). Retrieved 3 December 2025.