German federal election, 1912

German federal election, 1912

12 January 1912 (1912-01-12)
All 397 seats in the Reichstag 199 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	84.9%
First party Second party Third party   Party SPD Centre NLP Last election 43 seats 105 seats 54 seats Seats won 110 91 45 Seat change 67 14 9 Popular vote 4,250,400 1,996,800 1,662,700 Percentage 34.8% 16.4% 13.6% Swing 5.8% 3.0% 0.9%   Fourth party Fifth party   Party FVP KP Last election 49 seats 60 seats Seats won 42 43 Seat change 7 17 Popular vote 1,497,000 1,126,300 Percentage 12.3% 9.2% Swing 1.4% 0.2%
Results of the 1912 Reichstag election.

Federal elections were held in Germany on 12 January 1912. Although the Social Democratic Party (SPD) had received the most votes in every election since 1890, they had never won the most seats, and in the 1907 elections they had won fewer than half the seats of the Centre Party despite receiving over a million more votes. However, this election saw the party win more than double the number of votes of the second-placed Centre Party and become the largest party, winning 110 of the 397 seats.

The party breakdown in the newly elected Reichstag made possible a majority coalition of groups hostile or ambivalent to the ruling elites of the German Empire – the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, and the left-liberal Progressives between them commanded a majority. The effects of this possibility would be seen with the vote of no confidence in the government of Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg over the Saverne Affair in 1913 and the Reichstag Peace Resolution of 1917. Nonetheless, the Centre and the Progressives were unwilling to act consistently in opposition, leaving the government largely free to do as it wished.

Some historians, such as Fritz Fischer have theorized that the First World War was partially a result of the strategy of the conservative Prussian Junkers to deal with this result. In an attempt to increase support for conservative parties and policies, to distract the population from the SPD they hoped to drum up patriotism in an external conflict with Russia or another east European state such as Serbia. Other authors, such as Niall Ferguson, feel that German conservatives were ambivalent about a war, worrying that losing a war would have disastrous consequences, and even a successful war might alienate the population if it were lengthy or difficult.

Elected in this election to represent Metz for the SPD Georges Weill defected to France at the start of World War I.

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Social Democratic Party	4,250,400	34.8	110	+67
Centre Party	1,996,800	16.4	91	−14
National Liberal Party	1,662,700	13.6	45	−9
Progressive People's Party	1,497,000	12.3	42	−7
German Conservative Party	1,126,300	9.2	43	−17
Polish Party	441,600	3.6	18	−2
German Reich Party	367,200	3.0	14	−10
Economic Union	304,600	2.5	10	+5
Alsace-Lorraine Party	162,000	1.3	9	+2
German-Hanoverian Party	84,600	0.8	5	+4
German Reform Party	51,900	0.4	3	New
Danish Party	17,000	0.1	1	0
German Agrarian League	245,100	2.0	2	−6
Bavarian Peasants' League			2	+1
Others			2	−1
Invalid/blank votes	53,100	–	–	–
Total	12,260,600	100	397	0
Registered voters/turnout	13,352,900	84.9	–	–
Source: Nohlen & Stöver, DGDB

^a Figures for votes are rounded.

Popular Vote
SPD			34.82%
Zentrum			16.81%
NLP			13.62%
FVP			12.26%
DKP			8.57%
Poles			3.62%
DRP			3.01%
Other			7.29%

Reichstag seats
SPD			27.71%
Zentrum			22.92%
NLP			11.34%
DKP			10.83%
FVP			10.58%
Poles			4.53%
DRP			3.53%
Other			8.56%