Local elections in Hesse 1948
The local elections in Hesse in 1948 took place on April 25, 1948 and were the second democratic local elections after the end of the Nazi dictatorship .
background
While the first local elections were held in 1946 in the immediate post-war period, the political situation was now slightly stabilized. The new constitution of the state of Hesse , which gave political life a framework, had been in force for 15 months . Nevertheless, the election took place under assessment conditions. A large number of people were still excluded from the right to vote due to their involvement in the Nazi injustice. Economically, the country was on the verge of currency reform . The introduction of the social market economy had not yet taken place, the further development of economic policy was highly controversial in party politics. In terms of German politics, the election was overshadowed by the establishment of a socialist dictatorship in the Soviet occupation zone . The beginning of the Cold War experienced its first climax with the Berlin blockade a few weeks after the election. In Hesse, the main topics were the integration of the displaced and the reconstruction after the destruction of the war. The state elections in Hesse in 1946 resulted in a grand coalition of the SPD and CDU.
Election result
The local parliaments and the district councils / city councils of the independent cities were elected. The result was the following (in a thousand votes or%):
| Eligible voters | Not eligible to vote for political reasons | Votes cast | voter turnout | Invalid votes | Valid votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal elections 1948 | 2737.3 | 59.5 | 2222.5 | 81.2 | 187.3 | 2035.2 |
| Municipal elections 1946 | 2032.8 | 167.2 | 1666.7 | 82 | 87.6 | 1579.1 |
| change | 704.5 | -107.7 | 555.8 | -0.8 | 99.7 | 456.1 |
| District elections 1948 | 1941.1 | 111.6 | 1638.8 | 84.4 | 132.7 | 1506.1 |
| District elections 1946 | 1442.2 | 31.5 | 1091.1 | 75.7 | 56.6 | 1034.5 |
| change | 498.9 | 80.1 | 547.7 | 8.7 | 76.1 | 471.6 |
| SPD | FDP | CDU | KPD | NDP / DRP | Workers' Party | Evangelical People's Service | German block | center | Others | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal elections 1948 | 668.8 | 261.8 | 466 | 142.4 | 33.2 | 7.2 | 4.3 | 6.4 | 1.4 | 436.9 |
| Municipal elections 1946 | 687.6 | 76 | 506 | 117.6 | 0.6 | 14th | 184.1 | |||
| Municipal elections 1948 (%) | 32.9 | 12.9 | 22.9 | 7th | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 21.5 |
| Municipal elections 1946 (%) | 43.5 | 4.8 | 32 | 7.4 | 0 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.7 |
| Change (%) | -10.6 | 8.1 | -9.1 | -0.4 | 1.6 | -0.5 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 9.8 |
| District elections 1948 | 546.7 | 325.6 | 464.1 | 106.5 | 40.3 | 2.1 | 8.9 | 1.9 | 10 | |
| District elections 1946 | 455.7 | 64.5 | 392.8 | 86.3 | 7.7 | 1.1 | 5.6 | 13.5 | ||
| District elections 1948 (%) | 36.3 | 21.6 | 30.8 | 7.1 | 2.7 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.7 |
| District elections 1946 (%) | 44.1 | 6.2 | 38 | 8.3 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 |
| Change (%) | -7.8 | 15.4 | -7.2 | -1.2 | 2 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | -0.6 |
For the results in selected Hessian cities see:
The winner of the election was the FDP, which was able to distinguish itself as the largest opposition party. The KPD was almost able to maintain its result; KPD voters only reacted to developments in the Soviet Zone with the state elections in Hesse in 1950 .
literature
- Statistical handbook for the state of Hesse 1953, p. 102.
