“Reichstagswahl Wahlkreis Hessen-Nassau” – Ballot paper for the elections to the Reichstag (the German Parliament) in the electoral district of Hessen-Nassau, Germany, in the elections held on March 5, 1933 – the last elections of the Weimar Republic before the Nazis rose to power. The ballot before us lists all the parties that ran – the name of the party, selected candidates from each party, and the number assigned to each party as marked at the ballot box.
Listed as no. 2 on the ballot is the Nazi party: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei – NSDAP Hitlerbewegung – the Nazi Party, Hitler Movement – Sprenger, Weigel, Seidler, Linder.
Listed as no. 3 is the Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD) – the Communist Party of Germany (Münzenberg, Bartel, Franziska Reifler, Schumann).
On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg as part of a coalition government; however, the Nazis did not yet have absolute power. The new government sought to strengthen its position through elections. On February 27, 1933 – six days before the elections – the parliament building (Reichstag) was set on fire. The Nazis blamed the Communists for the arson and used the event to spread fear and eliminate civil rights. Hitler persuaded the president to sign an emergency decree – “Decree for the Protection of the People and the State” – which enabled arrests without trial, suppression of the press, and persecution of political opponents. Thousands of Communists and Socialists were arrested; newspapers were banned; an atmosphere of terror reigned at the polls. In the “elections” held on March 5, the Nazi Party won 43.9% of the vote – its highest achievement to that point, but still not an absolute majority. Together with their nationalist partners (DNVP), they managed to secure a parliamentary majority. Less than a month later, Hitler led the passage of the Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz) – granting him full dictatorial powers.
41×14 cm. Light stains. Good condition.
