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1961 West German federal election: Difference between revisions

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| country = West Germany
| country = West Germany
| type = parliamentary
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1957 West German federal election
| previous_election = 1949 West German federal election
| previous_year = 1957
| previous_year = 1949
| election_date = {{Start date|1961|09|17|df=y}}
| election_date = {{Start date|1953|09|06|df=y}}
| next_election = 1965 West German federal election
| next_election = 1957 West German federal election
| next_year = 1965
| next_year = 1957
| outgoing_members = List of members of the 3rd Bundestag
| elected_members = List of members of the 4th Bundestag
| outgoing_members = List of members of the 1st Bundestag
| seats_for_election = All 499 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 = 250
| majority_seats = 244
| registered = 37,440,715 ({{increase}} 5.8%)
| registered = 33,120,940 {{increase}} 6.1%
| turnout = 87.7% ({{decrease}} 0.1[[percentage point|pp]])
| turnout = 28,479,550 (86.0%) {{increase}} 7.5[[percentage point|pp]]


<!-- KPD -->
⚫
| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Audenauer, Bestanddeelnr 912-8736.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}}
| candidate1 = [[Konrad Adenauer]]
| candidate1 = [[Max Reimann]]
| party1 = CDU/CSU
| party1 = Communist Party of Germany
| last_election1 = 50.2%, 270 seats
| last_election1 = 5.7%, 15 seats
| seats1 = '''242'''{{Efn|As well as 9 [[: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 = {{decrease}} 28
| seat_change1 = {{increase}} 472
| popular_vote1 = '''14,298,372'''
| popular_vote1 = 28,358,987
| percentage1 = '''45.3%'''
| percentage1 = 99.5%
| swing1 = {{decrease}} 4.9pp
| swing1 = {{decrease}} 0.4pp


<!-- SPD -->
| image2 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Willy Brandt.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}}
| candidate2 = [[Willy Brandt]]
| candidate2 = [[Erich Ollenhauer]]
| party2 = Social Democratic Party of Germany
| party2 = Social Democratic Party of Germany
| last_election2 = 31.8%, 169 seats
| last_election2 = 29.2%, 131 seats
| seats2 = 190{{Efn|As well as 13 [[: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 = {{increase}} 21
| seat_change2 = {{increase}} 20
| popular_vote2 = 11,427,355
| popular_vote2 = 64,346
| percentage2 = 36.2%
| percentage2 = 0.2%
| swing2 = {{increase}} 4.4pp
| swing2 = {{decrease}} 0.4pp


<!-- FDP -->
⚫
| image3 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Bundesarchiv Bild 183-87989-0060, Erich Mende.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}}
| candidate3 = [[Erich Mende]]
| candidate3 = [[Franz Blücher]]
| party3 = Free Democratic Party (Germany)
| party3 = Free Democratic Party (Germany)
| last_election3 = 7.7%, 41 seats
| last_election3 = 11.9%, 52 seats
| seats3 = 48{{Efn|As well as 5 [[:de:Berliner Bundestagsabgeordneter|non-voting delegates for West Berlin]].}}
| seats3 = 67
| seat_change3 = {{increase}} 26
| seat_change3 = {{decrease}} 4
| popular_vote3 = 4,028,766
| popular_vote3 = 0
| percentage3 = 12.8%
| percentage3 = 0.1%
| swing3 = {{increase}} 5.1pp
| swing3 = {{decrease}} 2.4pp


<!-- GB/BHE -->
⚫
| map_image = 1961 German federal election - Results by constituency.svg
| image4 = <div style="width:115px;"><span style="line-height:150px; vertical-align:center; text-align:center; color:{{party color|All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights}}; font-size:28px;"> '''GB/BHE''' </span></div>
| candidate4 = [[Waldemar Kraft]]
| party4 = All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights
| last_election4 = ''Did not exist''
| seats4 = 27
| seat_change4 = ''New party''
| popular_vote4 = 27,323
| percentage4 = 0.2%
| swing4 = ''New party''

<!-- DP -->
⚫
| image5 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Heinrich Hellwege.jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| candidate5 = [[Heinrich Hellwege]]
| party5 = German Party (1947)
| last_election5 = 4.0%, 17 seats
| seats5 = 15
| seat_change5 = {{decrease}} 2
| popular_vote5 = 0
| percentage5 = 0.1%
| swing5 = {{decrease}} 3.9pp

<!-- Zentrum -->
| image6 = <div style="width:115px;"><span style="line-height:150px; vertical-align:center; text-align:center; color:#0047AB; font-size:28px;"> '''Zentrum''' </span></div>
| candidate6 = [[:de:Johannes Brockmann|Johannes Brockmann]]
| party6 = Centre Party (Germany, 1945)
| color6 = 0047AB
| last_election6 = 3.1%, 10 seats
| seats6 = 3
| seat_change6 = {{decrease}} 7
| popular_vote6 = 0
| percentage6 = 0%
| swing6 = {{decrease}} 2.3pp

<!-- Map -->
⚫
| map_image = 1953 German federal election - Results by constituency.svg
| map_size = 333px
| map_size = 333px
| map_caption = Results by constituency (left) and seats by state (right). The pie chart over West Berlin shows the composition of its legislature.
| 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 = [[Third Adenauer cabinet]]
| before_election = [[First Adenauer cabinet]]
| before_party = [[CDU/CSU]]
| before_party = [[CDU/CSU]]–[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]]–[[German Party (1947)|DP]]
| posttitle = Government after election
| posttitle = Government after election
| after_election = [[Fourth Adenauer cabinet]]
| after_election = [[Second Adenauer cabinet]]
| after_party = [[CDU/CSU]]–[[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}}

[[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.
[[Federal elections in Germany|Federal elections]] were held in [[West Germany]] on 17 September 1961 to elect the members of the fourth [[Bundestag]]. The [[CDU/CSU]] remained the largest faction, winning 242 of the 499 seats. However, the loss of its majority and the [[German Party (1947)|All-German Party]] losing all its seats led to the CDU having to negotiate a coalition with the long-term junior coalition partner, the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]], leading to a demand for long-term chancellor Konrad Adenauer to leave office in 1963, halfway through his term.


==Campaign==
==Campaign==
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! 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|Social Democratic Party of Germany}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Christian Social Union in Bavaria}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Christian Social Unon in Bavaria}};" |
|-
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Baden-Württemberg]]
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Baden-Württemberg]]

Revision as of 05:10, 12 September 2024

1961 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% 0.1%
Swing Decrease 0.4pp Decrease 0.4pp Decrease 2.4pp
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
GB/BHE
Heinrich Hellwege.jpg
Zentrum
Candidate Waldemar Kraft Heinrich Hellwege Johannes Brockmann
Party GB/BHE DP Centre
Last election Did not exist 4.0%, 17 seats 3.1%, 10 seats
Seats won 27 15 3
Seat change New party Decrease 2 Decrease 7
Popular vote 27,323 0 0
Percentage 0.2% 0.1% 0%
Swing New party Decrease 3.9pp Decrease 2.3pp
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

Election posters

For the first time, the SPD announced a Chancellor candidate who was not chairman of the party: Willy Brandt, the Governing Mayor of West Berlin. After the building of the Berlin Wall, he gained more and more sympathy, while chancellor Konrad Adenauer was criticised for not showing enough support for the people of West Berlin. Adenauer had to save the absolute majority of CDU and CSU, but, considering his age and his long term as chancellor, there were big doubts if he should lead the country in a fourth term.

Results

PartyParty-listConstituencySeats
Votes%SeatsVotes%SeatsElectedWest BerlinTotal+/–
Social Democratic Party11,427,35536.229911,672,05736.479119013203+22
Christian Democratic Union11,283,90135.767811,622,99536.321141929201−21
Free Democratic Party4,028,76612.77673,866,26912.08067067+24
Christian Social Union3,014,4719.5583,104,7429.704250050−5
All-German Party870,7562.760859,2902.680000−17
German Peace Union [de]609,9181.930587,4881.8400000
Deutsche Reichspartei262,9770.830242,6490.7600000
German Community [de]27,3080.09021,0830.0700000
South Schleswig Voters' Association25,4490.08024,9510.0800000
Electoral Group for a Neutral Germany7780.000000New
Independents and voter groups2,1640.0100000
Total31,550,901100.0025232,004,466100.0024749922521+2
Valid votes31,550,90196.0532,004,46697.43
Invalid/blank votes1,298,7233.95845,1582.57
Total votes32,849,624100.0032,849,624100.00
Registered voters/turnout37,440,71587.7437,440,71587.74
Source: Bundeswahlleiter

Results by state

Constituency seats

State Total
seats 		Seats won
CDU SPD CSU
Baden-Württemberg 33 27 6
Bavaria 47 5 42
Bremen 3 3
Hamburg 8 8
Hesse 22 3 19
Lower Saxony 34 15 19
North Rhine-Westphalia 66 41 25
Rhineland-Palatinate 15 10 5
Saarland 5 5
Schleswig-Holstein 14 13 1
Total 247 114 91 42

List seats

State Total
seats 		Seats won
SPD CDU FDP CSU
Baden-Württemberg 33 16 5 12
Bavaria 39 23 8 8
Bremen 2 1 1
Hamburg 10 1 6 3
Hesse 23 2 14 7
Lower Saxony 26 6 11 9
North Rhine-Westphalia 89 35 35 19
Rhineland-Palatinate 16 6 6 4
Saarland 4 3 1
Schleswig-Holstein 10 7 3
Total 252 99 78 67 8

Aftermath

The absolute majority was lost by the conservative union due to the gains of the liberal FDP under Erich Mende. From 1961 on, the Union, SPD and FDP established an electoral "triopoly" in the Bundestag that would last until 1983.

Konrad Adenauer remained Chancellor, building a coalition between the CDU/CSU-FDP. In 1962 he had to announce a fifth cabinet: The FDP had temporarily left the coalition after the secretary of defense, Franz Josef Strauß (CSU), had ordered the arrest of five journalists for publishing a memo detailing alleged weaknesses in the German armed forces (known as the Spiegel scandal). In 1963 Adenauer finally retired; Ludwig Erhard took over his position as head of the coalition government.

Further reading

  • Barnes, Samuel H.; Grace, Frank; Pollock, James K.; Sperlich, Peter W. (1962). "The German Party System and the 1961 Federal Election". American Political Science Review. 56 (4): 899–914. doi:10.2307/1952792. JSTOR 1952792.

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1961 Germany Bundestagswahl.
  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

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