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All 661 seats in theReichstag 331 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 45,178,701 ( 1.1%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 95.3% (6.6pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Parliamentary elections were held inGermany on 12 November 1933. They were the first since theNazi Party seized complete power with the enactment of theEnabling Act in March. All opposition parties had been banned by theLaw Against the Formation of Parties (14 July 1933), and voters were presented with a single list containing Nazis and 22 non-party "guests" (Gäste) of the Nazi Party. These "guests", who included the likes ofAlfred Hugenberg, still fully supported the regime ofAdolf Hitler in any event.[1]
This election set the tone for all further elections and referendums held in the Nazi era. Official results showed 92 percent of the voters approved the Nazi list, on a turnout of 96 percent. The vote was held in far-from secret circumstances; many voters feared that anyone who voted "no" would be detected and punished for doing so. In some communities, voters were threatened with reprisals if they dared to vote no, or even if they simply failed to vote at all.[2] Nonetheless, 3.3 million voters submitted invalid ballots.
By November 1933 the Nazi government had already established aconcentration camp system, although camp inmates retained the right to vote. In several camps the Nazi list was endorsed by a large majority of voters andThe Guardian reported that meant an amnesty was considered likely.[3]
The elections were held on the same day as a separatereferendum on Hitler's decision to pull Germany out of the League of Nations, which passed with similar numbers. The new Reichstag, exclusively composed of NSDAP members and sympathisers, convened on 12 December to elect a Presidium headed by President of the ReichstagHermann Göring.
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| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nazi Party and guests | 39,655,224 | 92.11 | 661 | |
| Against | 3,398,249 | 7.89 | – | |
| Invalid/blank votes | – | |||
| Total votes | 43,053,473 | 100.00 | 661 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 45,178,701 | 95.30 | – | |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||||
The election liquidated what was left of Weimar democracy and reduced the Reichstag to a mere stage for Hitler's speeches. It only met sporadically until the end ofWorld War II, held no debates and enacted only a few laws, while theReichsrat was abolished in February 1934 by theLaw on the Abolition of theReichsrat.
In August 1934, Hindenburg died, and Hitler seized the president's powers for himself in accordance witha law passed the previous day, an action confirmed via areferendum later that month, removing the last obstacle that prevented Hitler from obtaining absolute power and establish atotalitarian state.
