Election to the Constituent Assembly in Danzig in 1920
The election for the Constituent Assembly in Gdansk on May 16, 1920 was the first election in the future Free City of Gdansk . Because the constituent assembly declared itself to be the first People's Day after the Constitution of the Free City of Danzig was passed , the People's Day MPs for the first electoral period (1920–1923) were also determined with it.
initial situation
After the defeat in World War I , the German Reich lost large parts of the country. Danzig was separated from the Reich as a "Free City" against the will of the German Danzigers, who would have preferred to stay with the Reich and against the will of the Polish minority, who would have preferred to join Poland and without a vote.
In the Treaty of Versailles was laid down in Article 103: "The Constitution of the Free City of Danzig is in agreement with a High Commissioner of the League of Nations drafted by duly appointed representatives of the Free City of Danzig. The constitution is guaranteed by the League of Nations ”.
After a subcommittee had been preparing the constitution in September 1919 , a constituent assembly had to be elected in 1920 .
The election for the constituent German National Assembly in Danzig on January 19, 1919 gave a picture of the mood.
| Result in the district and urban district of Gdansk. | be right | |
| at all | vH | |
| Eligible voters | ||
| Voters | ||
| voter turnout | ||
| invalid votes | ||
| valid votes | 144,577 | |
| from that: | ||
| Social Democratic Party | 55,677 | 38.51 |
| German Democratic Party | 34,375 | 23.78 |
| Christian People's Party | 23,516 | 16.27 |
| German National People's Party | 22,168 | 15.33 |
| Independent social democratic party | 8,841 | 6.12 |
The local elections on December 14, 1919, however, showed a different picture. They led to a significant strengthening of the DNVP with the losses of the Social Democrats and the DDP and better affected the mood of the population in the election for the Constituent Assembly.
The parties that stood for election largely corresponded to those in the Reich. The list of the German National People's Party with 50 candidates was headed by General Superintendent Wilhelm Reinhard . With 77 candidates, the DDP had the longest list under top candidate Alfred Schmiljan . The center put up 30 candidates; The list leader was the wine merchant Karl Fuchs . A specialty in Gdansk was the Free Economic Association . Lawyer Rudolph Keruth headed the list, who represented liberal positions, but strived for a corporate social order.
On the side of the left, the Social Democratic Party of the Free City of Gdansk, headed by district judge Hans Zint , who had nominated 60 candidates and the 30 candidates of the USPD headed by Johannes Mau , stood up.
In addition to the parties of the German-speaking majority, there was also a list of the small Polish minority. List leader of this list of 28 candidates was Dr. Franz Kubacz , who should also lead the Polish parliamentary group after the election.
Election results
| May 16, 1920, election to the constitution. Assembly | be right | Seats | ||
| at all | vH | overh | vH | |
| Eligible voters | 219.149 | 66.28 | ||
| Voters | 153,488 | |||
| voter turnout | 70.04 | |||
| invalid votes | 254 | 0.17 | ||
| valid votes | 153.234 | 99.83 | 120 | |
| from that: | ||||
| German National Party | 43.206 | 28.20 | 34 | 28.33 |
| Independent social democratic party | 26,734 | 17.45 | 21st | 17.50 |
| Social Democratic Party of the Free City of Gdansk | 24,409 | 15.93 | 19th | 15.83 |
| Center Party | 21,262 | 13.88 | 17th | 14.17 |
| Free economic association | 14,878 | 9.71 | 12 | 10.00 |
| German Democratic Party | 13,424 | 8.76 | 10 | 8.33 |
| Polish party | 9,321 | 6.08 | 7th | 5.83 |
For the elected representatives, see the list of members of the 1st Danzig People's Day .
consequences
In the constituent assembly there was a broad bourgeois majority. The constitution of the Free City of Danzig was shaped by this majority.
After the proclamation of the Free City of Danzig on November 15, 1920, the Constituent Assembly elected the first Senate of the Free City of Danzig on December 6, 1920 . A bourgeois coalition of DNVP, Center DDP and the liberal Free Economic Association had formed. The Social Democrats were in opposition. At the head of Senate Sahm I was Heinrich Sahm , the former mayor, who received 68 of 120 votes. 4 German national, 4 center members and 5 liberal politicians were elected as honorary senators.
Individual evidence
- ^ Text of the Versailles Peace Treaty
- ↑ StatVJDR 1920, issue 4, p. 278
- ↑ Wolfgang Ramonat: The League of Nations and the Free City of Danzig 1920-1934, 1979, ISBN 3-7648-1115-3 , pp 42-44
- ↑ StatDan 1929, p. 56ff.
