1935 Free City of Danzig parliamentary election

none Free City of Danzig 1933 7 April 1935 All 72 members of the Volkstag Nazi Party Albert Forster 43 59.31 38 Soc.-Dem. Arthur Brill 12 16.05 13 Centre Party (Germany) Richard Stachnik de 10 13.41 10 German National People's Party Gerhard Weise 3 4.17 4 Polish List Bronisław Budzyński de 2 3.53 2 no Communists Anton Plenikowski 2 3.37 5 Senate President Arthur Greiser Nazi Party Arthur Greiser Nazi Party The sixth and last elections to the Volkstag, the parliament of the Free City of Danzig, were held on April 7, 1935.Siegler, Hans Georg. Danzig: Chronik eines Jahrtausends. Droste Verlag, 1991. p. 345 Whilst a Volkstag election was not due until 1937, the ruling National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) brought a snap election hoping to acquire a two-thirds majority in the assembly required to modify the constitution of the Free City of Danzig. The NSDAP massively dominated the election campaign, with the state machinery being mobilized to canvass for votes. Opposition parties were harassed and routinely violently attacked, especially in rural areas. In the end the NSDAP failed to achieve the two-thirds majority, and in spite of winning an absolute majority of votes and seats the election was widely seen as a set-back for the party. The opposition parties demanded that the election be declared invalid and petitioned the Danzig courts and the League of Nations demanding fresh elections. Background thumb|The Volkstag building thumb|Albert Forster, the leader of the NSDAP in the Free City of DanzigThe National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) had won a majority of votes and seats in the 1933 Volkstag election. Hermann Rauschning, a former German National People's Party (DNVP) politician who had joined the NSDAP, became the Senate President of the Free City of Danzig. But the relationship between Rauschning and the NSDAP party organization soon turned sour, as Rauschning favoured a line of international détente and adherence to the international treaties governing the Free City whilst the NSDAP party organization called for hard-line approach towards the opposition (demanding measures such as banning the Social Democratic Party, arresting Catholic priests, etc.). A key issue increasing the tensions between Rauschning and the NSDAP gauleiter (party organization leader) Albert Forster was the financing the Great National Socialist Job Creation Program, a program modeled on the anti-unemployment scheme of the German Reich. But whilst in the German Reich the government could fund its unemployment scheme through public debt, the Bank of Danzig could not do the same due to restrictions imposed by the League of Nations mandate. And though the Great National Socialist Job Creation Program had limited impact on unemployment in the Free City of Danzig, it prompted the Free City of Danzig government to introduce budget cuts for other state activities as well as reductions in public sector salaries and pensions. Rauschning was personally instructed by Adolf Hitler to respect the decisions of the party. On November 22, 1934 the NSDAP Volkstag fraction issued a no-cofidence letter to Rauschning, who resigned as Senate President the following day. The Senate Vice President and NSDAP politician Arthur Greiser became the new Senate President.http://www.ifz-muenchen.de/heftarchiv/1966_2_2_sodeikat.pdf Der Nationalsozialismus und die Danziger Opposition Ernst Sodeikat Institut für Zeitgeschichte 1966 139- de With the ousting of the unpopular and moderate Rauschning, Forster was able to strengthen his hold over the party and the Free City of Danzig.Gippert, Wolfgang. Kindheit und Jugend in Danzig 1920 bis 1945: Identitätsbildung im sozialistischen und im konservativen Milieu. Klartext, 2005. pp. 166-168, 268-269 In the wake of the January 13, 1935 Saar plebiscite (in which 91% of the voters had supported reunification with Germany), the NSDAP moved to dissolve to Volkstag and call for fresh elections two years ahead of schedule. Forster and NSDAP were hoping to take advantage of the Saar vote momentum and seeking to gain a two-thirds majority. A two-thirds Volkstag majority was needed under the League of Nations mandate in order to be able change the constitution of the Free City of Danzig.Lewin, Erwin, and Coburger, Marlies. Protokoll der "Brüsseler Konferenz" der KPD 1935: Reden, Diskussion und Beschlüsse, Moskau vom 3.-15. Oktober 1935. K.G. Saur, 1997. p. 659Loew, Peter O.. Danzig und seine Vergangenheit 1793–1997: Die Geschichtskultur einer Stadt zwischen Deutschland und Polen. Fibre, 2003. p. 49 In the November 18, 1934 District Assembly (kreistag) elections in the Kreis Danziger Niederung Danziger Niederung de and Landkreis Großes Werder Großes Werder de districts the NSDAP had won 77.18% of the vote - making the goal of a two-thirds Volkstag majority seem probable to Forster. On February 12, 1935 Senate President Greiser sent a letter to the NSDAP Volkstag fraction, requesting the dissolution of the parliament and the holding of fresh elections. On February 21, 1935 the Volkstag voted to dissolve itself - with 41 votes in favour, 12 against and 3 abstentions. On February 26, 1935 the Official Gazette announced that elections would be held on April 7, 1935. As of early 1935 time the Catholic clergy in the Free City of Danzig was effectively split into three factions - Poles, Germans and Bishop Edward O'Rourke. In his Lenten letter, which was issued in the lead-up to the elections, Bishop O'Rourke avoided to directly attack the ruling National Socialists. Rather he warned of the dangers of Bolshevism and Social Democracy, a move that aggravated the divisions in the Danzig clergy and isolated Bishop O'Rourke.Das Bistum Danzig in Lebensbildern: Ordinarien, Weihbischöfe, Generalvikare, apostolische Visitatoren 1922/25 bis 2000. Lit, 2003. p. 16 Campaigning List 1 - National Socialist German Workers Party (Hitler Movement) thumb|NSDAP campaign posterThe National Socialist list was headed by Arthur Greiser (Senate President, Danzig-Oliva), Lothar Rettelsky de (farmer, Zugdam), Wilhelm von Wnuck de (Senator, Danzig) and Johann Gobert (fisherman, Palschau). The NSDAP electoral campaign began on March 16, 1935. Its campaign slogan was 'Fight the Separatists! - Danzig remains National Socialist', borrowing from the discourse used in the Saar plebiscite campaign. Per Gippert (2005) the NSDAP election campaign was carried out "with a tried-and-tested formula: intimidation and terrorizing members of the opposition parties on the one hand, and elaborate and massively orchestrated election propaganda on the other". Most of the election rallies of the opposition were attacked. The Sturmabteilung (SA) could operate with near total impunity from the police and judiciary. Virtually the whole state machinery was mobilized for the NSDAP election campaign, including police, labour service, air defenses, etc. Swastika flags and banners were hung across the city. Some 1,300 electoral meetings were carried out across the Free City of Danzig during the three weeks of campaigning, often held in large meeting halls. The National Socialist press claimed that some 80,000 people had taken part in the main electoral rally at the Albert Forster Stadium. The Danzig radio broadcast massively relayed NSDAP campaign messages during five weeks, whilst not giving any space to opposition voices during the same time period. The NSDAP election campaign was joined by the four most prominent ministers from the German Reich - Hermann Göring, Joseph Goebbels Rudolf Hess and Bernhard Rust. Half a dozen gauleiters (such as the Saar gauleiter Josef Bürckel) and about a dozen of the top propagandists from Germany arrived in Danzig to assist in the campaigning. During the election campaign Senate President Greiser repeatedly attacked the League of Nations High Commissioner Seán Lester, arguing that Lester protected 'the morbid and unshaven opposition parties' and that he was 'interfering in the internal affairs of the Free City'. The former Senate President Rauschning, who had retired to his estate in Warnau after his resignation, was targeted in the NSDAP election campaign. During a rally in Danzig City, Julius Streicher denounced Rauschning as a "traitor to the people and the country" and accused him of having "sold Danzig to the Jews". The attacks prompted Rauschning to briefly return to the public sphere, by issuing an open letter to Gauleiter Forster and appealing to the voters of the Free City of Danzig not to hand over power to an "unrestricted dictator" and a "policy of adventures". List 2 - Social Democratic The Social Democratic list was headed by Arthur Brill (construction worker, Danzig), Willy Moritz de (employee, Danzig), Gertrud Müller (1893) Gertrud Müller de Gertrud Müller (Politikerin, 1893) (businesswoman, Danzig) and Karl Töpfer de Karl Töpfer (Politiker) (typesetter, Danzig).https://pbc.gda.pl/dlibra/publication/38599 Staatsanzeiger für die Freie Stadt Danzig April 17, 1935 43 195-200 Volktagswahl 1935 The Social Democrats held seven campaign meetings during the electoral campaign, one of them in a large hall. The Social Democrats suffered frequent violent attacks from the SA and police. Tear gas was used to interrupt Social Democratic campaign meetings. In March 1935 Social Democratic party founder in Ladekopp Paul Haag died from wound inflicted during the 1934 District Assembly elections. The Social Democratic newspaper Danziger Volksstimme de was banned twice during the election campaign period. Only seven issues of the newspaper could be published during the election campaign period, which severely hampered the Social Democratic campaign. Social Democratic newspaper vendors were assaulted. The National Socialists organized an intimidation campaign against the residences of prominent Social Democrats, in particular in rural areas, writing the message 'here lives a traitor to the Fatherland' on their houses. The Social Democratic Party reported a some 500 violent attacks in the rural areas during the election campaign.Schenk, Dieter. Danzig 1930-1945: das Ende einer Freien Stadt. Ch. Links Verlag, 2013. pp. 54, 56 Per historian Christopher Pallaske (1999), the pre-electoral violence against the Social Democrats took 'pogrom-like proportions'.Pallaske, Christoph. Die Hitlerjugend der Freien Stadt Danzig: 1926-1939. Waxmann, 1999. p. 154 List 3 - Plenikowski List The Communist Party had been banned in the Free City of Danzig on May 28, 1934. However, ahead of the 1935 elections a 'Committee of Danzig State Citizens of communist World View' was constituted without objections from state authorities.https://www.zaoerv.de/06_1936/6_1936_1_b_62_75_1.pdf Der neue Kurs in der Freien Stadt Danzig Völkerrecht, Berichte und Urkunde 1936 The communists contested the election under the banner 'Plenikowski List'. The list was headed by Anton Plenikowski (teacher, Danzig-Schidlitz), Otto Langnau de (farm worker, Brunau), Paul Serotzki de (dock worker, Danzig-Lauental) and Meta Totzki (housewife, Zoppot). The communists were unable to hold any public election campaign meetings. List 4 - Centre Party The Centre Party list was headed by Dr. Richard Stachnik de (teacher, Danzig), Karl Formell de (publisher, Zoppot), Paul Weiß (teacher, Zoppot) and Albert Posack (police sergeant, Danzig-Oliva). The Centre Party held a handful of public campaign meetings. Similarly to the Social Democrats, the Centre Party public campaign meetings were attacked. Danziger Volks-Zeitung, a newspaper close to the Centre Party, suffered confiscations multiple times during the election campaign period. On March 25, 1935 Danziger Volks-Zeitung was reprimanded for publishing reports about disruptions of the Centre Party electoral campaign meetings. List 5 - Weise List The German National People's Party (DNVP) contested the election under the banner 'Weise List'. The list was headed by Gerhard Weise (lawyer, Zoppot), Carl Steinbrück de (merchant, Danzig-Langfuhr), Rudolf Gamm pl (farmer, Ridelswalde) and Kurt Blavier de (Senator, Danzig). By 1935 the DNVP had lost most of its electoral appeal but still had its core party organization largely intact. List 6 - Pietsch Group (Freie Frontkämpfer) Freie Frontkämpfer ('Free Front Fighters') was a small party set up to advocate for interests of ex-servicemen, who had refused to join the National Socialist fold.Matull, Wilhelm. Ostdeutschlands Arbeiterbewegung: Abriss ihrer Geschichte, Leistung und Opfer. Holzner Verlag, 1973. pp. 442-443Official Journal. League of Nations, June 1935. p. 822 Its leader Gustav Pietsch was a sea captain, who had moved to Danzig in 1918.Studia Maritima, vol. XXVI https://wnus.usz.edu.pl/sm/file/article/download/9364.pdf Jaroslaw Drozd 2013 GDYNIA TO NEVE-YAM: THE JEWISH FISHERMAN’S COURSES WITHIN THE BAYS OF GDAŃSK AND PUCK IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD Pietsch had been active in the Frontkämpferbund veterans' union, which was linked to the DNVP. However, Pietsch was expelled from Frontkämpferbund in 1933 for his opposition to fascism. The list of the Pietsch group had 15 candidates was headed by Pietsch himself, Reinhard Weigl (merchant employee, Zoppot), Bruno Mischke (customs operations assistant, Danizg-Glettkau) and Friedrich Gehring (mechanic, Danzig). Its press organ Feldgrauer Alarm was banned on March 12, 1935 for a period of five months. List 7 - Polish List In the 1933 elections, the Polish vote had been split between two lists. Ahead of the 1935 election a meeting was held at the offices of the General Commissariat of the Polish Republic in the Free City of Danzig pl Komisariat Generalny Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w Wolnym Mieście Gdańsku on March 4, 1935, chaired by M. Klott, to form a single Polish candidate list and setting up a Polish Electoral Committee, with the purpose of creating a single Polish socio-political organization in the Free City of Gdansk after the elections. The Polish Electoral Committee formed on March 4, 1935 was chaired by Tadeusz Wejchert, and included Anton Lendzion de and Franciszek Sędzicki pl from the Polish Community in the Free City of Danzig de Polnische Gemeinde in der Freien Stadt Danzig and Bolesław Paszota and Dr. Aleksander Schiller from the Union of Poles of the Free City of Danzig pl Związek Polaków w Wolnym Mieście Gdańsku. But board of the Polish Community rejected the March 4, 1935 arrangement, which prompted a negative reaction from the Zjednoczenie Zawodowe Polskie Union of Polish Trade Unions of the Free City of Danzig pl Zjednoczenie Zawodowe Polskie. Over the following days, parleys and negotiations took place, with high-ranking officials Warsaw mediating between the different Polish minority groups in Danzig. On March 6, 1935 the Union of Polish Trade Unions adopted a resolution calling for "a single electoral list and the further pacification of relations in the harmonious coexistence of Poles in Danzig". The Union of Polish Trade Unions threatened to break away from the Polish Community, and the chairman of the Polish Community Roman Ogryczak pl threatened to resign. On March 8, 1935 the Union of Trade Unions formally apologized to the Union of Poles High Committee for Child Care and Commission for Community Centres Leonia Papée pl for previous criticisms against the management of nurseries and community centres, as a conciliatory move. Eventually the different Danzig organization agreed on a single electoral list. However, differences persisted regarding the choice of candidates - the Union of Poles presented a draft list headed by Bronisław Budzyński de, Roman Ogryczak, Reverend Bernard Wiecki pl and Ignacy Kurzyński pl. On the other hand, the Polish Community draft list was headed by Lendzion, Budzyński, B. Wesołowski and Reverend Wiecki. Klott, mediating between the two organizations, proposed the first slot on the candidate should be a person accepted by both sides and the second slot being awarded to a nominee of the Polish Community. The compromise solution was a list headed by Budzyński, Lendzion, Reverend Wiecki and B. Wesołowski, followed by other personalities from the Union of Poles, Polish Community and the Union of Polish Trade Unions.Stępniak, Henryk. Ludność polska w Wolnym Mieście Gdańsku, 1920-1939. Wydawn. Diecezji Gdańskiej "Stella Maris", 1991. pp. 243-245 All in all, there was 60 candidates on the list. On March 10, 1935 the Polish Electoral Committee held a campaign rally at the Messehalle on Ulica Wałowa (Gdańsk) Wallgasse pl Ulica Wałowa w Gdańsku. Some 5,000 people filled the hall. The meeting was chaired by Wejchert, and speakers included Budzyński, Lendzion and Wiecki. The meeting concluded with singing of Boże, coś Polskę.https://www.gdansk.pl/historia-gdanska/historie-gdanskie/glosujcie-na-liste-numer-7,a,113052 Głosujcie na listę numer 7 gdansk.pl Zbigniew Gach 2026-04-18 2023-02-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20230213105235/https://www.gdansk.pl/historia-gdanska/historie-gdanskie/glosujcie-na-liste-numer-7,a,113052 bot: unknown On March 31, 1935 a demonstration was held in Danzig, with banners carrying slogans like "Down with Election Terror", "No Progress in Danzig without Harmony with Poland" and "Poles vote for List 7". The following day the Polish-language newspaper Gazeta Gdańska de was banned for allegedly disrupting relations between the Free City of Danzig, Poland and the League of Nations. Results Overall election result List 1 - National Socialist German Workers Party (Hitler Movement) 139423 43 +5 List 2- Social Democratic 37729 12 –1 List 4 - Centre 31522 10 0 List 5 - Weise List 9805 3 –1 List 7 - Polish List 8294 2 0 List 3 - Plenikowski List 7916 2 -3 List 6 - Pietsch Group (Freie Frontkämpfer) 373 0 New 1770 0 250735 League of Nations,Official Journal, June 1935. League of Nations, 1935. p. 825 Morrow & Sieveking,Morrow, Ian Fitzherbert Despard, and Sieveking, Louise Marie. The Peace Settlement in the German Polish Borderlands: A Study of Conditions To-day in the Pre-war Prussian Provinces of East and West Prussia. Oxford University Press, H. Milford, 1936. p. 476 Danziger Statistische Mitteilungen,Ergebnisse der Wahl zum Volkstag der Freien Stadt Danzig am 7. April 1935 , Danziger Statistische Mitteilungen: Zeitschrift für Verwaltung Wirtschaft u. Landeskunde der Freien Stadt Danzig, Issue 1, May 20, 1935 p. 3 NeumeyerNeumeyer, Heinz. Westpreussen: Geschichte und Schicksal. Universitas, 1993. p. 434 By district + Results of the 1935 Free City of Danzig parliamentary election by district Party Danzig City Zoppot City Kreis Danziger Höhe Danziger Höhe de Kreis Danziger Niederung Danziger Niederung de Landkreis Großes Werder Großes Werder de Votes % Votes +/- % +/- Votes % Votes +/- % +/- Votes % Votes +/- % +/- Votes % Votes +/- % +/- Votes % Votes +/- % +/-List 1 - National SocialistComparison with the 1933 election includes the 1,698 votes for the Young German Movement. 84,770 53.04% +21,110 +5.47 8,019 53.95% 1,752 +5.97 12,703 68.97% +68 +21.61 12,918 81.63% +1,641 +16.46 21,013 80.43% +5,819 +16.24List 2- Social Democratic 31,516 19.72% +5,223 +0.07 1,404 9.45% +356 +1.42 1,611 8.75% -2,949 -8.34 1,561 9.86% -1,338 -6.89 1,637 6.27% -1,666 -7.69List 4 - Centre 23,524 14.72% 3,769 -0.04 3,093 20.81% 154 -1.69 2,498 13.56% -2,576 -5.46 384 2.43% -403 -2.12 2,023 7.73% -761 -4.02List 5 - Weise ListComparison with the 1933 votes for the Kampffront Schwarz-Weiß-Rot de and the Danzig German Houseowners Party 7,406 4.63% -2,823 -3.01 1,152 7.75% -353 -3.77 413 2.24% -933 -2.80 421 2.66% -353 -1.81 413 1.58% -304 -1.45List 7 - Polish ListComparison with the 1933 votes for the two Polish lists contesting that election 6,313 3.95% +1,529 +0.38 779 5.24% +222 +0.98 901 4.89% -256 +0.56 28 0.18% -41 -0.22 272 1.04% +101 +0.32List 3- Plenikowski ListComparison with the 1933 votes for the Communist Party of Germany 6,076 3.80% -3,033 -3.00 380 2.56% -366 -3.15 273 1.48% -1,635 -5.67 475 3.00% -1,025 -5.67 712 2.73% -791 -3.62List 6 - Pietsch Group 222 0.14% 36 0.24% 19 0.10% 39 0.25% 57 0.22% Total number of valid votes 159,827 14,863 18,418 15,826 26,127 Invalid votes 1,194 107 130 121 218 Eligble voters 171,655 15,590 19,398 16,782 27,310 Turnout (%) 93.81% 96.02% 95.62% 95.02% 96.47% Number of electoral precincts 189 8 87 61 102 NotesSources: Danziger Statistische Mitteilungen, Danziger Allgemeine Zeitung,Danziger Allgemeine Zeitung May 29, 1933 1-2 https://pbc.gda.pl/dlibra/publication/34296 Nationalsozialistische Mehrheit im Danziger Volkstag Gazeta Gdańska,https://pbc.gda.pl/dlibra/publication/18804 Wolne Miasto Gdańsk Gazeta Gdańska May 31, 1933 7 Danziger Volks-Zeitung Result in Danzig-Schidlitz Schidlitz was traditionally a red working-class suburb, which retained some rural characterists. Whilst the Social Democrats had obtained 18.8% of the vote in the Danzig City suburbs and 15% in outlying areas, they managed to obtain 25.3% of the vote in Danzig-Schidlitz. + 1935 Free City of Danzig parliamentary election in Danzig-SchidlitzListVotes%List 1 - National Socialist German Workers Party (Hitler Movement)4,58443.01%List 2 - Social Democrat2,69525.29%List 4 - Centre2,08919.60%List 3 - Plenikowski List6155.77%List 7 - Polish List3353.14%List 5 - Weise List3293.09%List 6 - Pietsch Group (Freie Frontkämpfer)110.10% Result in Stutthof In Stutthof, a small Protestant community in the Danziger Niederung district, the NSDAP list got 90.1% of the votes, the Social Democrats 4.6%, the Communists 2.8% and the German National list 1.8%.Zimmermann, Rüdiger. Friedrich Rohde (1895-1970): Danziger Volkstagsabgeordneter, Fischer und Sozialist. 2020. pp. 47, 50 Elected deputies PartyDeputiesList 1 - National Socialist German Workers Party (Hitler Movement)Arthur GreiserLothar Rettelsky deWilhelm von Wnuck deJohann GobertWilhelm Huth deOtto Ehrlichmann deAdalbert Boeck deGustav NispelGeorg ThimmWilly KrampitzNorbert Appaly deEugen ManteuffelOtto Andres deGustav SukatusKarl BraunWalter MaaßWaldemar WilhelmPaul Batzer deOtto HeßGustav Fieguth deHerbert BuschErich Willers deGerhard SchoriesPaul NicklasDavid PatzkeGerd von BoetticherMax LangePaul HarderKurt KapellerMax Bertling deCarl-Anton Schaefer Karl Schäfer ru Шефер, Карл АнтонKarl BartschHans Kuhn (politician, 1898) Hans Kuhn de Hans Kuhn (Politiker, 1898)Edwin KamrowskiGustav KowalkeAlbert ToliusJohn RabeHeinrich WaschkeAdalbert HeldtErwin Johst deJohann LeufgenPaul KindelEdmund Beyl deList 2 - Social DemocraticArthur BrillWilly Moritz deGertrud Müller (1893) Gertrud Müller de Gertrud Müller (Politikerin, 1893)Karl Töpfer de Karl Töpfer (Politiker)Eduard Schmidt de Eduard Schmidt (Politiker)Fritz Weber (politician, born 1894) Fritz Weber de Fritz Weber (Politiker, 1894)Wilhelm Godau deErich BrostJohannes Kruppke deHans Wichmann (politician) Hans Wichmann de Hans Wichmann (Politiker)Johannes Knaust deJohannes Mau plList 3 - Plenikowski ListAnton PlenikowskiOtto Langnau deList 4 - CentreRichard Stachnik deKarl Formell dePaul WeißAlbert PosackFranz Potrykus deBruno KurowskiJohannes Höhn deFranz Klein (politician, born 1884) Franz Klein de Franz Klein (Politiker, 1884)Alfons SchmichJohannes GüntherList 5 - Weise ListGerhard WeiseCarl Steinbrück deRudolf Gamm plList 7 - Polish ListBronisław Budzyński deAnton Lendzion de Aftermath Reactions Prior to the election, the NSDAP had been very confident that to polls would deliver a resounding victory and a stable two-thirds Volkstag majority. For example, three days before the election Göring stated that "[t]he battle is already won before it has begun!". Greiser had stated to foreign diplomats that NSDAP would win 90% of the votes.Epstein, Catherine. Model Nazi: Arthur Greiser and the Occupation of Western Poland. OUP Oxford, 2012. pp. 78-79, 87, 91-92 But whilst the NSDAP increased its share of votes and seats, the party had not achieved the desired two-thirds majority. The NSDAP Gauleiter Forster was supposed to make the first announcement on of the preliminary results on radio on the night between April 7 and 8, 1935, but whilst live on air he went silent when seeing the numbers in front of him. A planned SA/SS victory parade was abruptly cancelled. Per Ernst Sodeikat (1966), the 1935 Free City of Danzig election "became the first major defeat suffered by National Socialism in the German-speaking world". The Polish historian Marek Andrzejewski (historian) Marek Andrzejewski pl Marek Andrzejewski (historyk) (1994) argued that "[a] significant defeat was inflicted by the opposition on the NSDAP in elections of April 7, 1935, which, despite electoral terror and fraud, failed to achieve the desired two-thirds majority." Andrzejewski argues that failing to grasp the difference between the rural and urban vote might have led Forster to misinterpret the popularity of the NSDAP around the time of the November 1934 local elections. The Social Democrats, Centre and Polish List had managed to keep most of its voter base intact. The front-page of the Centre-linked newspaper Danziger Volks-Zeitung boasted that "[t]he NSDAP failed to achieve its goal – despite radical propaganda, 40% of voters rejected the NSDAP – the Centre Party and Social Democrats maintained their position – the NSDAP suffered a narrow defeat despite a simple majority – constitutional amendments are not possible – in Danzig City and Zoppot, the NSDAP only secured a slim majority – strengthening of the opposition".Danziger Volks-Zeitung Danzigs Bevölkerung sprich: Ein riesiger Aufwand nutzlos ist vertan April 9, 1935 https://pbc.gda.pl/dlibra/publication/34901 2 In the international press the election result was framed as a set-back for the ruling National Socialists, with headlines such as 'Hitler foiled in Danzig election' (News Chronicle, April 8, 1935). The New York Times ran an editorial titled 'The Nazi Defeat'.New York Times April 8, 1935 The Nazi Defeat https://www.nytimes.com/1935/04/08/archives/the-nazi-defeat.html The Jewish Telegraphic Agency bulletin after the election wrote "The Jewish population of Danzig today welcomed the results of yesterday's parliamentary elections as removing for the first time the threat that the Jews of Danzig would be placed in the same position as the Jews of Germany."Jewish Telegraphic Agency https://www.jta.org/archive/danzig-jews-relieved-at-vote-result April 9, 1935 Danzig Jews Relieved at Vote Result Lodzer Volkszeitung, the organ of the German Socialist Labour Party of Poland (DSAP), highlighted that the in Danzig City proper the gap between the ruling National Socialist and opposition was not that significant, and emphasized that Social Democrats had gained 5,000 votes and Centre Party another gained 2,500 votes in the city.Lodzer Volkszeitung Nach der Danziger Wahl 2 April 10, 1935 https://bc.wbp.lodz.pl/Content/108816/LodzerVolkszeitung1935nr099_z.pdf In the aftermath of the polls the National Socialist press outlets struggled to identify plausible explanations for the failure to achieve the two-thirds majority, one argument raised was that the NSDAP had managed to gain 30,000 additional voters in spite of the incumbent National Socialist government having taken unpopular measures.Rundschau über Politik, Wirtschaft und Arbeiterbewegung, Vol. 4. Feltrinelli Reprint, 1967. p. 861 Reportedly, the regional SS leader Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski argued that voters had reacted negatively to corrupt practices and arrogance of NSDAP leaders, and that Greiser's divorce and SA leader Max Linsmayer de's slander campaign against Greiser had damaged the confidence in the party. Court case and revised election result The newly elected Volkstag held its first meeting on April 30, 1935.Fosse, Marit, and Fox, John. Sean Lester: The Guardian of a Small Flickering Light. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016. p. 106 Following the elections all of the opposition parties, except the Polish List, filed a lawsuit alleging various irregularities such as illegal manipulations, threats of dismissals for public employees refusing to support the NSDAP, that the secrecy of the ballot had not been respected and that non-citizens had been brought in by bus and train to vote. On November 14, 1935 Walter von Hagens de, as presiding judge of the First Civil Senate of the Danzig High Court, issued a compromise ruling - on one hand acknowledging that there had been "irregularities" and "widespread fraud and violence" in the Volkstag election process, but on the other hand rejecting calls for new elections.Gageby, Douglas. The Last Secretary General: Sean Lester and the League of Nations. Town House and Country House, 1999. p. 85Lichtenstein, Erwin. Die Juden der Freien Stadt Danzig unter der Herrschaft des Nationalsozialismus. Mohr, 1973. pp. 43-44 The election was declared invalid in 18 electoral precincts.Reich und Länder, Vol. 10. W. Kohlhammer, 1936. p. 156 Based on the court ruling, one seat was transferred from NSDAP to the Social Democrats. The revised electoral results, based on the court ruling, were as follows; List 1 - National Socialist German Workers Party (Hitler Movement) 128619 42 -1 List 2- Social Democratic 37804 13 +1 List 4 - Centre 31576 10 0 List 5 - Weise List 9822 3 0 List 7 - Polish List 8311 2 0 List 3- Plenikowski List 7935 2 0 List 6 - Pietsch Group (Freie Frontkämpfer) 375 0 0 Reich und Länder, Staatsanzeiger für die Freie Stadt Danzighttps://www.freecitysourcebook.com/uploads/2/6/1/2/26123343/nr_183.pdf Staatsanzeiger für die Freie Stadt Danzig December 31, 1935 183 761-765 Volktagswahl 1935 The reduction of the National Socialist vote tally provoked a furious reaction in the Senate. The opposition was also disappointed, and now petitioned the League of Nations demanding new elections to be held. Moreover, a separate lawsuit filed by Plenikowski against the ban on the Communist Party had been rejected by the court.In Vergessenheit gerante Traditionen?, in Jahrbuch für Forschungen zur Geschichte der Arbeiterbewegung. NDZGmbH, 2005. p. 160 On December 5, 1935 a meeting of the Election Committee conducted a recalculation of the seat distribution of the Volktag on the basis of the November 14 court ruling. In the adjusted list of elected Volkstag members issued by the Election Committee, the NSDAP had removed six of its deputies previous announced elected - Senate President Arthur Greiser, Lothar Rettelsky, Wilhelm von Wnuck, Wilhelm Huth de, Adalbert Boeck de and the Bank of Danzig president Carl-Anton Schaefer Karl Schäfer ru Шефер, Карл Антон were no longer listed as Volkstag deputies. The five new NSDAP Volkstag members were now Erich Schelm, Erich Temp pl, Franz Schramm, Karl Gall and Herbert Schulz. The seat that was now transferred from NSDAP to the Social Democrats was taken by Meta Malikowski de, house-wife from Danzig. Local elections In parallel to the Volkstag election, there were also a District Assembly (kreistag) election in Kreis Danziger Höhe Danziger Höhe de and a city council election in Zoppot.Gazeta Gdańska Wynik wyborów do rady miejskiej w Sopotach https://pbc.gda.pl/dlibra/publication/19861 10 April 9, 1935 81Gazeta Gdańska Do sejmiku powiatu Gdańskie Wyżyny wchodzi znowu jeden Polak https://pbc.gda.pl/dlibra/publication/19861 10 April 9, 1935 81 There were also municipal elections in Danziger Höhe, in which Polish lists obtained a total of 15 seats (an increase from 5 in previous elections).Gazeta Gdańska Wynik wyborów do rad gminnych https://pbc.gda.pl/dlibra/publication/19861 10 April 9, 1935 81 Danziger Höhe District Assembly + 1935 election to the Danziger Höhe District AssemblyListVotes%SeatsNational Socialists11,90268.85%15Social Democrats1,5739.10%2Neumann List (Communist)2601.50%0Centre2,40613.92% 3Penner List3251.88%0Polish list8214.75%1Invalid votes160 Danziger Volks-Zeitung Kreistagswahl in Höhenkreis April 9, 1935 https://pbc.gda.pl/dlibra/publication/34901 2 Zoppot City Council + 1935 election to the Zoppot City CouncilListVotes%SeatsNational Socialists6,87650.91%158Social Democrats1,3309.85%3±0Communists3672.72%02Centre2,94721.82%71Liste Weber-Weise1,2589.31%27Polish List7285.39%1±0Invalid votes109 Danziger Volks-Zeitung Die Zoppoter stadtverordnetenwahl April 9, 1935 https://pbc.gda.pl/dlibra/publication/34901 2 References Category:Elections in the Free City of Danzig Danzig