Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Jump to content

1972 West German federal election: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m Reverted edit by 176.7.3.126 (talk) to last version by Zzuuzz
Tags: Rollback Reverted
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|none}}
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox election
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1953 West German federal election
| country = West Germany
| country = West Germany
| type = parliamentary
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1969 West German federal election
| previous_election = 1949 West German federal election
| previous_year = 1969
| previous_year = 1949
| outgoing_members = List of members of the 6th Bundestag
| election_date = {{Start date|1972|11|19|df=y}}
| election_date = {{Start date|1953|09|06|df=y}}
| next_election = 1957 West German federal election
| elected_members = List of members of the 7th Bundestag
| next_year = 1957
| next_election = 1976 West German federal election
| outgoing_members = List of members of the 1st Bundestag
| next_year = 1976
| seats_for_election = All 496 seats in the [[Bundestag]]{{efn|As well as the 22 [[:de:Berliner Bundestagsabgeordneter|non-voting delegates for West Berlin]], elected by the West Berlin Legislature.}}
| elected_members = List of members of the 2nd Bundestag
| seats_for_election = All 487 seats in the [[Bundestag]]{{Efn|As well as the 22 [[:de:Berliner Bundestagsabgeordneter|non-voting delegates for West Berlin]], elected by the West Berlin Legislature.}}
| majority_seats = 249
| majority_seats = 244
| registered = 41,446,302 {{increase}} 7.2%
| registered = 33,120,940 {{increase}} 6.1%
| turnout = 37,761,589 (91.1%) {{increase}} 4.4[[percentage point|pp]]
| turnout = 28,479,550 (86.0%) {{increase}} 7.5[[percentage point|pp]]
| image_upright = 1


<!-- KPD -->
| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Bundesarchiv Bild 183-M0130-303, Willy Brandt.jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S99067, Berlin, III. SED-Parteitag (cropped).jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader1 = [[Willy Brandt]]
| candidate1 = [[Max Reimann]]
| party1 = Social Democratic Party of Germany
| party1 = Communist Party of Germany
| last_election1 = 42.7%, 224 seats
| last_election1 = 5.7%, 15 seats
| seats1 = '''230'''{{efn|As well as 12 [[:de:Berliner Bundestagsabgeordneter|non-voting delegates for West Berlin]].}}
| seats1 = 487{{Efn|As well as 11 [[:de:Berliner Bundestagsabgeordneter|non-voting delegates for West Berlin]].}}
| seat_change1 = {{increase}} 6
| seat_change1 = {{increase}} 472
| popular_vote1 = '''17,175,169'''
| popular_vote1 = 28,358,987
| percentage1 = '''45.8%'''
| percentage1 = 99.5%
| swing1 = {{increase}} 3.1pp
| swing1 = {{decrease}} 0.4pp


<!-- SPD -->
| image2 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F038035-0007, Wiesbaden, CDU-Parteitag, Barzel (cropped).jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| image2 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Bundesarchiv Bild 183-21272-0001, Erich Ollenhauer.jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader2 = [[Rainer Barzel]]
| candidate2 = [[Erich Ollenhauer]]
| party2 = CDU/CSU
| party2 = Social Democratic Party of Germany
| last_election2 = 46.1%, 242 seats
| last_election2 = 29.2%, 131 seats
| seats2 = 225{{efn|As well as 9 [[:de:Berliner Bundestagsabgeordneter|non-voting delegates for West Berlin]].}}
| seats2 = 151{{Efn|As well as 11 [[:de:Berliner Bundestagsabgeordneter|non-voting delegates for West Berlin]].}}
| seat_change2 = {{decrease}} 17
| seat_change2 = {{increase}} 20
| popular_vote2 = 16,806,020
| percentage2 = 44.9%
| popular_vote2 = 64,346
| percentage2 = 0.2%
| swing2 = {{decrease}} 1.2pp
| swing2 = {{decrease}} 0.4pp


<!-- FDP -->
| image3 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1989-047-20, Walter Scheel.jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| image3 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-P001512, Franz Blücher 2.jpg|bSize = 125|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 2}}
| leader3 = [[Walter Scheel]]
| candidate3 = [[Franz Blücher]]
| party3 = Free Democratic Party (Germany)
| party3 = Free Democratic Party (Germany)
| last_election3 = 5.8%, 30 seats
| last_election3 = 11.9%, 52 seats
| seats3 = 41{{efn|As well as 1 [[:de:Berliner Bundestagsabgeordneter|non-voting delegates for West Berlin]].}}
| seats3 = 48{{Efn|As well as 5 [[:de:Berliner Bundestagsabgeordneter|non-voting delegates for West Berlin]].}}
| seat_change3 = {{increase}} 11
| seat_change3 = {{decrease}} 4
| popular_vote3 = 3,129,982
| popular_vote3 = 0
| percentage3 = 8.4%
| percentage3 = 0.2%
| swing3 = {{increase}} 2.6pp
| swing3 = {{decrease}} 2.0p


<!-- Map -->
| map_image = Bundestagswahl 1972 - Ergebnisse Wahlkreise.png
| map_image = 1953 German federal election - Results by constituency.svg
| map_alt = Results of the 1972 West German federal election
| map_size = 333px
| map_caption = Results by constituency. <span style="color:gray;">Gray</span> denotes seats won by the<br/>[[CDU/CSU]], and <span style="color:red;">red</span> denotes those won by the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]].
| map_caption = The left side shows the winning party vote in the constituencies, the right side shows the seats won by parties in each of the states. The pie chart over West Berlin shows the partisan composition of its legislature.


<!-- Result -->
| title = [[Cabinet of Germany|Government]]
| title = [[Cabinet of Germany|Government]]
| before_election = [[First Brandt cabinet]]
| before_election = [[First Adenauer cabinet]]
| before_party = [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]–[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]]
| before_party = [[CDU/CSU]]–[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]]–[[German Party (1947)|DP]]
| posttitle = Government after election
| posttitle = Government after election
| after_election = [[Second Brandt cabinet]]
| after_election = [[Second Adenauer cabinet]]
| after_party = [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]–[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]]
| after_party = [[CDU/CSU]]–[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]]–[[All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights|GB/BHE]]–[[German Party (1947)|DP]]
}}
}}{{Politics of Germany}}


[[Federal elections in Germany|Federal elections]] were held in [[West Germany]] on 19 November 1972 to elect the members of the 7th [[Bundestag]]. In the first [[snap election]]s since the resumption of democratic elections in 1949, the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] became the largest party in parliament for the first time since [[1930 German federal election|1930]], winning 230 of the 496 seats. The coalition with the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] was resumed.
[[Elections in Germany#German elections since 1949|Federal elections]] were held in [[West Germany]] on 6 September 1953 to elect the members of the second [[Bundestag]]. The [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU) emerged as the largest party.

The KPD won a landslide victory which led to Kondrad Adenauer consolidating the forces of reaction, eventually leading up to the White Terror. The Communists were well aware that they could not enact their revolutionary programme within the confines of the bourgeois system, fortunately they were well prepared for the ensuing civil war.


==Campaign==
==Campaign==
Federal Chancellor [[Konrad Adenauer]] (who was also CDU leader) campaigned on his policies of [[economic reconstruction]] and growth, moderate conservatism or Christian democracy, and close relations with the United States. During the campaign he attacked the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD) ferociously. His staff had a comfortable coach on a train previously used only by [[Hermann Göring]] and behind that a dining car with sleeping berths for journalists.<ref name=CW>Charles Williams (2000) ''Adenauer: The Father of the New Germany'', p407</ref> The new SPD leader ([[Kurt Schumacher]] had died in 1952) was [[Erich Ollenhauer]], who was more moderate in his policies than Schumacher had been. He did not oppose, in principle, the United States' military presence in Western Europe. He later – in 1957 – supported a military alliance of most European countries, including Germany.<ref>Erling Bjöl, Grimberg's History of the Nations, volume 23: The Rich West, "A Giant Dwarf: West Germany," Helsinki: WSOY, 1985</ref><ref>Dennis L. Bark and David R. Gress, A History of West Germany: Volume 1: 1945–1963: From Shadow to Substance, London, UK: Basil Blackwell, 1989</ref> On 3 September American Secretary of State [[John Foster Dulles]] said that "A defeat for Adenauer would have catastrophic consequences for the prospects for German reunification and the restoration of sovereignty" and that it would "trigger off such confusion in Germany that further delays in German efforts for reunification and freedom would be unavoidable."<ref name=CW/> Adenauer managed to convince clearly more West German voters of his leadership abilities and economic and political success to easily win a second term, although he had to form a coalition government with the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] and the conservative [[German Party (1947)|German Party]] to gain a majority in the Bundestag.
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2014}}
The [[Social-liberal coalition]] of [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]] and [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]] had lost its majority after several Bundestag MPs (like former FDP ministers [[Erich Mende]] and [[Heinz Starke]] or SPD partisan [[Herbert Hupka]]) had left their party and become members of the [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|CDU]]/[[Christian Social Union of Bavaria|CSU]] opposition to protest against Chancellor [[Willy Brandt|Willy Brandt's]] ''Neue [[Ostpolitik]]'', especially against the ''de facto'' recognition of the [[Oder-Neisse line]] by the 1970 [[Treaty of Warsaw (1970)|Treaty of Warsaw]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F038325-0027, Köln, CDU-Bundestagswahlkampf, Barzel.jpg|thumb|right|Barzel in victory pose at a CDU election rally in [[Cologne]]]]
On 27 April 1972 the opposition had tried to have CDU leader [[Rainer Barzel]] elected new chancellor in a [[motion of no confidence]], but Barzel surprisingly missed the majority in the Bundestag by two votes. Rumours that at least one member of CDU/CSU faction had been paid by the East German ''[[Stasi]]'' intelligence service were confirmed by [[Markus Wolf]], former head of the ''[[Hauptverwaltung Aufklärung]]'', in 1997.{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}} Nevertheless, the following budget debates revealed that the government's majority was lost and only the upcoming organisation of the [[1972 Summer Olympics]] in [[Munich]] delayed the arrangement of new elections. On 22 September 1972 Chancellor Brandt deliberately lost a vote of confidence, allowing President [[Gustav Heinemann]] to dissolve the Bundestag the next day.{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}

In the tense campaign, the CDU/CSU attacked Brandt as being too lenient towards Eastern Europe and having the wrong ideas on the economy. SPD and FDP benefited from the enormous personal popularity of the chancellor, laureate of the 1971 [[Nobel Peace Prize]]. He gained the support by numerous celebrities of the West German culture and media scene (e.g. [[Günter Grass]]), expressed by the slogan ''Willy wählen!'' ("Vote for Willy!").{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}

=== Opinion polls ===
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;line-height:14px;"
|- style="height:40px;"
! style="width:160px;" rowspan="2"| Polling firm
! style="width:120px;" rowspan="2"| Fieldwork date
! style="width:35px;" rowspan="2"| Sample<br>size
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;"| [[CDU/CSU|Union]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;"| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;"| [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;"| [[National Democratic Party of Germany|NPD]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" rowspan="2"| Others
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" rowspan="2"| Abstention
! style="width:30px;" rowspan="2"| Lead
|-
! style="background:{{party color|CDU/CSU}};"|
! style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}};"|
! style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}};"|
! style="background:{{party color|National Democratic Party of Germany}};"|
|- style="background:#E9E9E9;"
| 1972 federal election
| data-sort-value="1972-11-19"| 19 Nov 1972
| –
| 44.9
| style="background:#FFCCCC;"| '''45.8'''
| 8.4
| 0.6
| 0.4
| ''8.9''
| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"| 1.9
|-
| [https://doi.org/10.2307/446436 Allensbach]
| data-sort-value="1972-11-07"| 1–7 Nov 1972
| ?
| style="background:#D7D5D7;"|'''46.5'''
| 45.7
| 6.1
| —
| 1.7
| —
| style="background:{{party color|CDU/CSU}};color:#FFFFFF;" data-sort-value="-6"| 0.8
|-
| [https://doi.org/10.2307/446436 Allensbach]
| data-sort-value="1972-10-07"| 1–7 Oct 1972
| ?
| 45.0
| style="background:#FFCCCC;"| '''46.0'''
| 6.0
| —
| 3.0
| —
| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;" data-sort-value="-6"| 1
|-
| [https://www.spiegel.de/politik/zweidrittel-mehrheit-gegen-die-jusos-a-b4bbb349-0002-0001-0000-000043375899 Emnid for SPIEGEL]
| data-sort-value="1972-02-14"| Feb 1971
| N/A
| style="background:#D7D5D7;"|'''39'''
| 33
| 5
| —
| colspan="2"| 23
| style="background:{{party color|CDU/CSU}};color:#FFFFFF;" data-sort-value="-6"| 6
|- style="background:#E9E9E9;"
| 1969 federal election
| data-sort-value="1972-11-19"| 19 Nov 1972
| –
| style="background:#D7D5D7;"| '''46.1'''
| 42.7
| 5.8
| 4.3
| 1.2
| ''13.3''
| style="background:{{party color|CDU/CSU}};color:#FFFFFF;" data-sort-value="-3.4"| 3.4
|}


==Results==
==Results==
[[Voter turnout]] was 91.1%, the highest ever since 1949. In 1970 the [[voting age]] had been lowered from 21 to 18.

{{Election results
{{Election results
|firstround=Party-list|secondround=Constituency|seattype1=Elected|seattype2=[[:de:Berliner Bundestagsabgeordneter|West Berlin]]|seattype3=Total|seattype4=+/–
|firstround=Party-list|secondround=Constituency|seattype1=Elected|seattype2=[[:de:Berliner Bundestagsabgeordneter|West Berlin]]|seattype3=Total|seattype4=+/–
|image=[[File:Bundestag 1972.svg]]
|image=[[File:1953 German federal election - composition chart.svg]]
|party1=[[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]|votes1=17175169|seats1=78|votes1_2=18228239|seats1_2=152|st1t1=230|st2t1=12|st3t1=242|st4t1=+5
|party1=[[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]]|votes1=10016594|seats1=61|votes1_2=9577659|seats1_2=130|st1t1=191|st2t1=6|st3t1=197|st4t1=+80
|party2=[[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]]|votes2=13190837|seats2=112|votes2_2=13304813|seats2_2=65|st1t2=177|st2t2=9|st3t2=186|st4t2=–15
|party2=[[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]|votes2=7944943|seats2=106|votes2_2=8131257|seats2_2=45|st1t2=151|st2t2=11|st3t2=162|st4t2=+26
|party3=[[Christian Social Union in Bavaria|Christian Social Union]]|votes3=3615183|seats3=17|votes3_2=3620625|seats3_2=31|st1t3=48|st2t3=0|st3t3=48|st4t3=–1
|party3=[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]]|votes3=2629163|seats3=34|votes3_2=2967566|seats3_2=14|st1t3=48|st2t3=5|st3t3=53|st4t3=0
|party4=[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]]|votes4=3129982|seats4=41|votes4_2=1790513|seats4_2=0|st1t4=41|st2t4=1|st3t4=42|st4t4=+11
|party4=[[Christian Social Union in Bavaria|Christian Social Union]]|votes4=2427387|seats4=10|votes4_2=2450286|seats4_2=42|st1t4=52|st2t4=0|st3t4=52|st4t4=+28
|party5=[[National Democratic Party of Germany|National Democratic Party]]|votes5=207465|seats5=0|votes5_2=194389|seats5_2=0|st1t5=0|st2t5=0|st3t5=0|st4t5=0
|party5=[[All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights]]|votes5=1616953|seats5=27|votes5_2=1613215|seats5_2=0|st1t5=27|st2t5=0|st3t5=27|st4t5=New
|party6=[[German Communist Party]]|votes6=113891|seats6=0|votes6_2=146258|seats6_2=0|st1t6=0|st2t6=0|st3t6=0|st4t6=New
|party6=[[German Party (1947)|German Party]]|votes6=896128|seats6=5|votes6_2=1073031|seats6_2=10|st1t6=15|st2t6=0|st3t6=15|st4t6=−2
|party7=[[:de:Europäische Föderalistische Partei (historisch)|European Federalist Party]]|votes7=24057|seats7=0|votes7_2=7581|seats7_2=0|st1t7=0|st2t7=0|st3t7=0|st4t7=0|color7=#2D5CD0
|party7=[[Communist Party of Germany|Communist Party]]|votes7=607860|seats7=0|votes7_2=611317|seats7_2=0|st1t7=0|st2t7=0|st3t7=0|st4t7=−15
|party8=[[:de:Humanwirtschaftspartei|Free Social Union]]|votes8=3166|seats8=0|votes8_2=1864|seats8_2=0|st1t8=0|st2t8=0|st3t8=0|st4t8=0|color8=#15A1DD
|party8=[[Bavaria Party]]|votes8=465641|seats8=0|votes8_2=399070|seats8_2=0|st1t8=0|st2t8=0|st3t8=0|st4t8=−17
|party9=[[Independent politician|Independents]] and voter groups|votes9_2=9497|seats9_2=0|st1t9=0|st2t9=0|st3t9=0|st4t9=0
|party9=[[All-German People's Party]]|votes9=318475|seats9=0|votes9_2=286465|seats9_2=0|st1t9=0|st2t9=0|st3t9=0|st4t9=New
|party10=[[Deutsche Reichspartei]]|votes10=295739|seats10=0|votes10_2=204725|seats10_2=0|st1t10=0|st2t10=0|st3t10=0|st4t10=−5
|invalid=301839|invalid2=457810
|party11=[[Centre Party (Germany, 1945)|Centre Party]]|votes11=217078|seats11=2|votes11_2=55835|seats11_2=1|st1t11=3|st2t11=0|st3t11=3|st4t11=−7|color11=#0047AB
|total_st4t=0
|party12=[[:de:Dachverband der Nationalen Sammlung|Dachverband der Nationalen Sammlung]]|votes12=70726|seats12=0|votes12_2=78356|seats12_2=0|st1t12=0|st2t12=0|st3t12=0|st4t12=New
|electorate=41446302|electorate2=41446302
|party13=[[South Schleswig Voters' Association]]|votes13=44585|seats13=0|votes13_2=44339|seats13_2=0|st1t13=0|st2t13=0|st3t13=0|st4t13=−1
|source=[https://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/en/bundestagswahlen/1972.html Bundeswahlleiter]
|party14=[[Schleswig-Holstein Farmers and Farmworkers Democracy]]|votes14_2=6269|seats14_2=0|st1t14=0|st2t14=0|st3t14=0|st4t14=New
|party15=[[:de:Vaterländische Union (Deutschland)|Patriotic Union]]|votes15_2=2531|seats15_2=0|st1t15=0|st2t15=0|st3t15=0|st4t15=New
|party16=[[:de:Partei der guten Deutschen|Party of the Good Germans]]|votes16_2=654|seats16_2=0|st1t16=0|st2t16=0|st3t16=0|st4t16=New
|party17=[[Independent politician|Independents]] and voter groups||votes17_2=17185|seats17_2=0|st1t17=0|st2t17=0|st3t17=0|st4t17=−3
|total_st4t=+99
|invalid=928278|invalid2=959790
|total_sc=+85
|electorate=33120940|electorate2=33120940
|source=[https://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/en/bundestagswahlen/1953.html Bundeswahlleiter]
}}
}}

The SPD celebrated their best result ever, representing the largest faction in the German parliament for the first time since the [[1930 German federal election|1930 Reichstag elections]]. It enabled the party to nominate [[Annemarie Renger]] for [[President of the Bundestag]]; she was the first Social Democrat and also the first woman to hold this office.


===Results by state===
===Results by state===
Line 170: Line 104:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 0.9em;"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 0.9em;"
! rowspan="3" |State
! rowspan="3" |State
! rowspan="3" |Total<br>seats
! rowspan="3" |Total<br />seats
! colspan="3" |Seats won
! colspan="6" |Seats won
|-
|-
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Christian Social Union in Bavaria|CSU]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Christian Social Union in Bavaria|CSU]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[German Party (1947)|DP]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Centre Party (Germany)|DZP]]
|-
|-
! style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Christian Social Union in Bavaria}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Christian Social Union in Bavaria}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|German Party (1947)}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Centre Party (Germany, 1945)}};" |
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Baden-Württemberg]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Baden-Württemberg]]
!36
!33
|12
|29
|24
|2
|
|2
|
|
|
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Bavaria]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Bavaria]]
!44
!47
|13
|
|3
|42
|2
|
|
|
|31
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Bremen]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Bremen]]
!3
!3
|
|3
|3
|
|
|
|
|
|
Line 201: Line 150:
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Hamburg]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Hamburg]]
!8
!8
|8
|3
|1
|
|
|2
|2
|
|
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Hesse]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Hesse]]
!22
!22
|20
|7
|2
|10
|
|5
|
|
|
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Lower Saxony]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Lower Saxony]]
!30
!34
|23
|13
|7
|11
|
|2
|8
|
|
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[North Rhine-Westphalia]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[North Rhine-Westphalia]]
!73
!66
|52
|51
|21
|13
|
|
|-
|1
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Rhineland-Palatinate]]
!16
|9
|7
|
|
|1
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Saarland]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Rhineland-Palatinate]]
!5
!15
|3
|13
|2
|2
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Schleswig-Holstein]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Schleswig-Holstein]]
!11
!14
|9
|14
|2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|- class="sortbottom"
|- class="sortbottom"
! style="text-align: left;" |Total
! style="text-align: left;" |Total
!248
!242
!152
!130
!65
!59
!31
!42
!14
!10
!1
|}
|}
{{politics of Germany}}


==== List seats ====
==== List seats ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 0.9em;"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 0.9em;"
! rowspan="3" |State
! rowspan="3" |State
! rowspan="3" |Total<br>seats
! rowspan="3" |Total<br />seats
! colspan="4" |Seats won
! colspan="7" |Seats won
|-
|-
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights|GB/<br />BHE]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Christian Social Union in Bavaria|CSU]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Christian Social Union in Bavaria|CSU]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[German Party (1947)|DP]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |[[Centre Party (Germany)|DZP]]
|-
|-
! style="background:{{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Christian Social Union in Bavaria}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Christian Social Union in Bavaria}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|German Party (1947)}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Centre Party (Germany, 1945)}};" |
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Baden-Württemberg]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Baden-Württemberg]]
!36
!34
|12
|14
|16
|9
|8
|7
|3
|
|1
|
|
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Bavaria]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Bavaria]]
!42
!44
|22
|
|4
|8
|10
|
|
|
|20
|5
|17
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Bremen]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Bremen]]
!1
!3
|1
|
|
|2
|
|
|
|
|1
|
|
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Hamburg]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Hamburg]]
!8
!10
|5
|6
|1
|4
|2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Hesse]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Hesse]]
!25
!22
|17
|6
|8
|4
|3
|3
|5
|
|1
|
|
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Lower Saxony]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Lower Saxony]]
!32
!32
|20
|10
|12
|3
|7
|7
|5
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[North Rhine-Westphalia]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[North Rhine-Westphalia]]
!75
!72
|40
|34
|23
|21
|12
|11
|3
|
|
|1
|2
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Rhineland-Palatinate]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Rhineland-Palatinate]]
!15
!16
|8
|7
|5
|5
|2
|4
|
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Saarland]]
!3
|2
|1
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Schleswig-Holstein]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Schleswig-Holstein]]
!11
!12
|7
|7
|2
|
|2
|1
|3
|
|1
|
|
|- class="sortbottom"
|- class="sortbottom"
! style="text-align: left;" |Total
! style="text-align: left;" |Total
!248
!245
!112
!106
!78
!61
!41
!34
!17
!27
!10
!5
!2
|}
|}


== Post-election ==
== Aftermath ==
[[Konrad Adenauer]] remained [[Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic)|Chancellor]], governing in a broad coalition (two-thirds majority) with most of the minor parties except for the SPD and Centre Party.
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F038347-0030, Bonn, Willy Brandt, Walter Scheel nach Wahlsieg.jpg|thumb|right|Election night: Brandt and Scheel declare victory at 10:20pm]]
On 14 December 1972 the Bundestag MPs of the social-liberal coalition re-elected Willy Brandt chancellor. His [[Cabinet Brandt II]] returned to government the next day, again with FDP chairman [[Walter Scheel]] as vice-chancellor and foreign minister. Defeated Rainer Barzel resigned as CDU chairman on 9 May 1973; he was succeeded by [[Helmut Kohl]].

On 7 May 1974, Brandt would resign in the course of the [[Guillaume Affair]], after one of his personal aides had been unmasked as a ''Stasi'' agent. The coalition continued under his party fellow [[Helmut Schmidt]], while Brandt remained SPD chairman until 1987.

==Further reading==
*{{Cite journal |last=Baker |first=Kendall L. |last2=Norpoth |first2=Helmut |year=1981 |title=Candidates on Television: The 1972 Electoral Debates in West Germany |journal=[[Public Opinion Quarterly]] |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=329–345 |doi= 10.1086/268668|jstor=2748609 }}


==Notes==
==Notes==
{{Commons category}}
{{notelist}}
{{notelist}}


==References==
==References==
{{Commons category}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/en/bundestagswahlen/1972.html The Federal Returning Officer]
* [http://psephos.adam-carr.net Psephos]


{{German federal elections}}
{{German federal elections}}


[[Category:Federal elections in Germany]]
[[Category:Federal elections in Germany]]
[[Category:1972 elections in Germany]]
[[Category:1953 elections in Germany]]
[[Category:1972 in West Germany]]
[[Category:Konrad Adenauer]]
[[Category:November 1972 events in Europe]]
[[Category:1953 in West Germany]]
[[Category:September 1953 events in Europe]]

Revision as of 09:24, 11 September 2024

1953 West German federal election
← 1949 6 September 1953 (1953-09-06) 1957 →
All 487 seats in the Bundestag[a]
244 seats needed for a majority
Registered33,120,940 Increase 6.1%
Turnout28,479,550 (86.0%) Increase 7.5pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S99067, Berlin, III. SED-Parteitag (cropped).jpg
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-21272-0001, Erich Ollenhauer.jpg
Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-P001512, Franz Blücher 2.jpg
Candidate Max Reimann Erich Ollenhauer Franz Blücher
Party KPD SPD FDP
Last election 5.7%, 15 seats 29.2%, 131 seats 11.9%, 52 seats
Seats won 487[b] 151[c] 48[d]
Seat change Increase 472 Increase 20 Decrease 4
Popular vote 28,358,987 64,346 0
Percentage 99.5% 0.2% 0.2%
Swing Decrease 0.4pp Decrease 0.4pp Decrease 2.0p
The left side shows the winning party vote in the constituencies, the right side shows the seats won by parties in each of the states. The pie chart over West Berlin shows the partisan composition of its legislature.
Government before election

First Adenauer cabinet
CDU/CSU–FDP–DP

Government after election

Second Adenauer cabinet
CDU/CSU–FDP–GB/BHE–DP

Federal elections were held in West Germany on 6 September 1953 to elect the members of the second Bundestag. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) emerged as the largest party.

The KPD won a landslide victory which led to Kondrad Adenauer consolidating the forces of reaction, eventually leading up to the White Terror. The Communists were well aware that they could not enact their revolutionary programme within the confines of the bourgeois system, fortunately they were well prepared for the ensuing civil war.

Campaign

Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (who was also CDU leader) campaigned on his policies of economic reconstruction and growth, moderate conservatism or Christian democracy, and close relations with the United States. During the campaign he attacked the Social Democratic Party (SPD) ferociously. His staff had a comfortable coach on a train previously used only by Hermann Göring and behind that a dining car with sleeping berths for journalists.[1] The new SPD leader (Kurt Schumacher had died in 1952) was Erich Ollenhauer, who was more moderate in his policies than Schumacher had been. He did not oppose, in principle, the United States' military presence in Western Europe. He later – in 1957 – supported a military alliance of most European countries, including Germany.[2][3] On 3 September American Secretary of State John Foster Dulles said that "A defeat for Adenauer would have catastrophic consequences for the prospects for German reunification and the restoration of sovereignty" and that it would "trigger off such confusion in Germany that further delays in German efforts for reunification and freedom would be unavoidable."[1] Adenauer managed to convince clearly more West German voters of his leadership abilities and economic and political success to easily win a second term, although he had to form a coalition government with the Free Democratic Party and the conservative German Party to gain a majority in the Bundestag.

Results

PartyParty-listConstituencySeats
Votes%SeatsVotes%SeatsElectedWest BerlinTotal+/–
Christian Democratic Union10,016,59436.36619,577,65934.801301916197+80
Social Democratic Party7,944,94328.841068,131,25729.554515111162+26
Free Democratic Party2,629,1639.54342,967,56610.7814485530
Christian Social Union2,427,3878.81102,450,2868.904252052+28
All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights1,616,9535.87271,613,2155.86027027New
German Party896,1283.2551,073,0313.901015015−2
Communist Party607,8602.210611,3172.220000−15
Bavaria Party465,6411.690399,0701.450000−17
All-German People's Party318,4751.160286,4651.040000New
Deutsche Reichspartei295,7391.070204,7250.740000−5
Centre Party217,0780.79255,8350.201303−7
Dachverband der Nationalen Sammlung70,7260.26078,3560.280000New
South Schleswig Voters' Association44,5850.16044,3390.160000−1
Schleswig-Holstein Farmers and Farmworkers Democracy6,2690.020000New
Patriotic Union2,5310.010000New
Party of the Good Germans6540.000000New
Independents and voter groups17,1850.060000−3
Total27,551,272100.0024527,519,760100.0024248722509+99
Valid votes27,551,27296.7427,519,76096.63
Invalid/blank votes928,2783.26959,7903.37
Total votes28,479,550100.0028,479,550100.00
Registered voters/turnout33,120,94085.9933,120,94085.99
Source: Bundeswahlleiter

Results by state

Constituency seats

State Total
seats 		Seats won
CDU SPD CSU FDP DP DZP
Baden-Württemberg 33 29 2 2
Bavaria 47 3 42 2
Bremen 3 3
Hamburg 8 3 1 2 2
Hesse 22 7 10 5
Lower Saxony 34 13 11 2 8
North Rhine-Westphalia 66 51 13 1 1
Rhineland-Palatinate 15 13 2
Schleswig-Holstein 14 14
Total 242 130 59 42 14 10 1
This article is part of a series on the
Politics of
Germany
Constitution (Basic Law)
Head of State
Executive
Legislature
Judiciary
  • Federal courts
Subdivisions
Elections
  • Presidential elections
  • Parliamentary election
  • European elections
State and local politics
  • State Politics
Foreign relations

  • Foreign relations by country
  • International Relations
Political ideologies

List seats

State Total
seats 		Seats won
SPD CDU FDP GB/
BHE 		CSU DP DZP
Baden-Württemberg 34 14 9 7 3 1
Bavaria 44 22 4 8 10
Bremen 3 2 1
Hamburg 10 6 4
Hesse 22 6 8 4 3 1
Lower Saxony 32 10 12 3 7
North Rhine-Westphalia 72 34 21 11 3 1 2
Rhineland-Palatinate 16 7 5 4
Schleswig-Holstein 12 7 1 3 1
Total 245 106 61 34 27 10 5 2

Aftermath

Konrad Adenauer remained Chancellor, governing in a broad coalition (two-thirds majority) with most of the minor parties except for the SPD and Centre Party.

Notes

  1. ^ As well as the 22 non-voting delegates for West Berlin, elected by the West Berlin Legislature.
  2. ^ As well as 11 non-voting delegates for West Berlin.
  3. ^ As well as 11 non-voting delegates for West Berlin.
  4. ^ As well as 5 non-voting delegates for West Berlin.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1972 Germany Bundestagswahl.
  1. ^ a b Charles Williams (2000) Adenauer: The Father of the New Germany, p407
  2. ^ Erling Bjöl, Grimberg's History of the Nations, volume 23: The Rich West, "A Giant Dwarf: West Germany," Helsinki: WSOY, 1985
  3. ^ Dennis L. Bark and David R. Gress, A History of West Germany: Volume 1: 1945–1963: From Shadow to Substance, London, UK: Basil Blackwell, 1989
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1972_West_German_federal_election&oldid=1245151878"