1887 German federal election

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All 397 seats in theReichstag 199 seats needed for a majority
Registered	9,769,654 4.12%
Turnout	7,570,710 (77.49%) 16.94pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Rudolf von Bennigsen Ludwig Windthorst Otto von Helldorff Party NLP Centre DKP Leader since 1867 26 May 1874 7 June 1876 Last election 17.44%, 50 seats 22.52%, 99 seats 15.16%, 78 seats Seats won 98 98 80 Seat change 48 1 2 Popular vote 1,651,288 1,501,774 1,147,200 Percentage 21.90% 19.91% 15.21% Swing 4.46pp 2.61pp 0.05pp   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Polen Leader Viktor I, Duke of Ratibor Rudolf Virchow Party DRP DFP Polish Party Leader since 5 March 1884 Last election 6.85%, 28 seats 17.28%, 66 seats 3.71%, 16 seats Seats won 41 32 13 Seat change 13 34 3 Popular vote 736,389 951,861 227,835 Percentage 9.77% 12.62% 3.02% Swing 2.92pp 4.66pp 0.69pp
Map of results (by constituencies)
President of theReichstag before election Wilhelm von Wedell-Piesdorf DKP President of the Reichstag after election Wilhelm von Wedell-Piesdorf DKP

A federal election for the seventhReichstag of theGerman Empire was held on 21 February 1887.^[1] It was an early election called after ChancellorOtto von Bismarck requested the dissolution of theReichstag elected in October 1884 because it had refused to accept his seven-year military budget. He thought that a newly elected Reichstag would be more likely to pass the bill, and his hopes proved well-founded. The parties that supported him – theGerman Conservative Party, theGerman Reich Party and theNational Liberals – gained 53 seats, enough to give them a 55% majority in the new Reichstag. It quickly passed the military budget.

The 1887 election was the second during theGerman Empire to be held early (thefirst was in 1878). On 14 January 1887, at the request of ChancellorOtto von Bismarck, EmperorWilhelm I dissolved theReichstag elected in October 1884, ten months before its three-year term was due to expire. Bismarck took the step because the Reichstag, which lacked a clear majority bloc of any like-minded parties, had refused to pass his proposed seven-year military budget. In response to France's accelerated program for military training under Minister of WarGeorges Boulanger, it contained a 10 percent increase in the strength of the army. TheCentre Party andGerman Free-minded Party, together with theNational Liberal Party,German Conservative Party andGerman Reich Party, supported the increase in strength. The Centre and Free-minded parties, however, refused to accept the budget's seven-year term and insisted that it be limited to three years. Bismarck spoke twice in front of the Reichstag, supported the second time by 87-year-old Chief of the General StaffHelmuth von Moltke, without being able to sway the vote in his favor. He then abruptly presented an order to dissolve the Reichstag which the Emperor had already signed. Bismarck's hope was that a new Reichstag would be more favorable towards his plans.^[2][3]

The campaign naturally centered around the military budget and whether the Reichstag or the emperor and the Reich government should be making the key decisions about the military. The German Conservative Party, German Reich Party and National Liberals formed a cartel In order to have as many pro-Bismarck candidates elected as possible. They sponsored joint candidates and made provisions for handling potential runoff elections.^[4] The National Liberal Party's appeal to the electorate stressed the need for a strong army to protect peace and security. It saw the lack of unity in the Reichstag as a grave threat to the still young nation:^[5]

We make this appeal to all Germans ... whose hearts are concerned about the future of the Fatherland, who respect the security and independence of the newly established German Reich more than the ruthless assertion of factional programs, and who see in the struggle over the legal foundations of our German army ... a grave danger for a prosperous and progressive development within the country. ... We are confident that the German people will once again victoriously reject all temptations and enticements to relapse into the old disunity and internal strife under which we suffered and perished for centuries.

The election was held under general, equal, direct and secret suffrage. All German males over the age of 25 years were able to vote except for active members of the military and recipients of poor relief. The restrictions on the military were meant to keep it from becoming politicized, while men on relief were considered to be open to political manipulation. The constitutional guarantee of a secret vote was not safeguarded at the time, since ballot boxes and polling booths were not introduced until 1903.^[6]

If no candidate in a district won an absolute majority of the votes, a runoff election was held between the first and second place finishers. It was possible for a replacement candidate to be introduced in a runoff.^[7]

The election was a clear victory for Bismarck. The three cartel parties picked up 53 additional seats for a total of 219 out of 397, giving them a 55% majority. The National Liberal Party jumped to first place in terms of votes won but was tied with the second place Centre Party in number of seats; both had 98. The German Free-minded Party and Social Democratic Party of Germany suffered the greatest losses of seats (34 and 13 respectively).

On 11 March 1887, just a few weeks after the election, the Reichstag approved Bismarck's military budget with the seven-year period he wanted.^[4]

• Federal elections in Germany
• 1887 elections in Germany
• Elections in the German Empire
• February 1887

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