Elections in nazi Germany.

[john2]

I know there were some elections to the Reichstag but what about the local level? I know all the parties were banned. Were there sham elections or did Hitler simply appoint people?

[ManfredV]

They didn't have local or "Länder"elections. Of course, Hitler didn't appoint all members of local councillors. Too much work for him...
Gauleiter, "Reichsstatthalter" and local NSDAP rulers controlled and appointed. "Gemeinde- and Stadträte" and "Landtagsabgeordnete" didn't have much to say. In NSDAP system several people fought for power and influence on local, regional and "Länder" level. Gauleiter vs Reichstatthalter vs Ministerpräsident...
So no one could get to much power. THey had to follow Hitler's orders (or of his inner circle)

[Helly Angel]

Here is the result of the NSDAP within the electoral processes by the Reichstag until 1933.

https://www.axishistory.com/axis-nation ... -reichstag

With the Enabling Law that granted full powers to the Reich government of March 1933, to legislate, the Law against the emergence of new Political Parties of July of that same year, the NSDAP remained as the only party in the entire Reich.

Finally, with the Guarantor Law of the unity of the Party and the State of December 1933, a tool with which the NSDAP became one with the Government, generating a National Socialist State, there was no need to hold more elections, neither regional nor Reichstag. The NS State was consolidated and democracy died.

The last parliamentary elections were in November 1933, resulting in the NSDAP being the absolute winner (but no one could compete) with a little more than 661 delegates.

There were electoral processes in 1936, consisting of a single question: if they agreed to annex the Rhineland and left a representation of 22 people whom they called "guests", who could not belong to political parties but were independent.

In April 1938, there was the last election where a Reichstag was "chosen" with representation of 814 leaders of the NSDAP, the presence of the "guests" was maintained and it was asked if they agreed with the Annexation of Austria.

The next parliamentary election would be in 1949.

[historygeek2021]

From Wikipedia (no source cited):

The federal election in March 1933 was the last all-German election prior to World War II that was competitive. From then on, while elections were still held, voters were presented with a single list comprising Nazis and "guests" of the party. These "guests", however, fully supported Hitler in any event. Elections during this time were not secret; voters were often threatened with severe reprisals if they failed to vote or dared to vote no. Under the circumstances, the Nazi list carried with well over 90 percent of the vote each time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag ... zi_Germany

[john2]

Yes I was aware there were federal elections but the article said nothing about the local level. Thanks everyone for your help!

[Helly Angel]

The works of Richard Evans and Ian Kershaw are the best for analyzing the development of the Regime. Another study, although older, about the regime without touching Hitler, is that of Alan Bullock.

I am reading Volker Ulrich and I think it is very well written - it is a German version - but it covers the establishment of totalitarianism very well. Finally, I recommend "Not Only Hitler" by Robert Gelatelly, a superb study on the dictatorship as such.

[George L Gregory]

Finally, I recommend "Not Only Hitler" by Robert Gelatelly, a superb study on the dictatorship as such.

I can’t find that book.

Do you have a link?

Cheers.

[Helly Angel]

Finally, I recommend "Not Only Hitler" by Robert Gelatelly, a superb study on the dictatorship as such.

I can’t find that book.

Do you have a link?

Cheers.

So sorry George, my mistake, this is the correct info of the book:

https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Robert-Gell ... 260&sr=1-1

[George L Gregory]

Finally, I recommend "Not Only Hitler" by Robert Gelatelly, a superb study on the dictatorship as such.

I can’t find that book.

Do you have a link?

Cheers.

So sorry George, my mistake, this is the correct info of the book:

https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Robert-Gell ... 260&sr=1-1

Thanks for the correction.

I am actually going to be reading that book after I’ve finished reading Edward B. Westermann’s Hitler's Police Battalions: Enforcing Racial War in the East.

I enjoy Gellarely’s works. I own and I have read every book he has ever published apart from his recent book, but I shall have read that by the end of next month.