Weimar political parties

In the fourteen years the Weimar Republic was in existence, some forty parties were represented in the Reichstag. This fragmentation of political power was in part due to the use of a peculiar proportional representation electoral system that encouraged regional or small special interest parties^[1] and in part due to the many challenges facing the nascent German democracy in this period.

After the Nazi seizure of power, they used the provisions of the Reichstag Fire Decree to effectively eliminate their chief adversaries, first the Communists (March 1933) and then the Social Democrats (22 June 1933) through arrests, confiscation of assets and removal from office. Other parties were pressured into disbanding on their own or were swept away by the "Law Against the Formation of Parties" (14 July 1933) which declared the Nazi Party to be Germany's only legal political party.^[2]

Weimar political parties

	Abbr.	Categorization	Stance	Description
Social Democratic Party of Germany Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands	SPD	Centre-left	Pro-Weimar Republic	(between 1917 and 1922 also called Mehrheitssozialdemokratische Partei (MSPD) – Majority Social Democrats). Founded in 1875, it was one of the earliest Marxist-influenced parties in the world. A member of the Weimar Coalition, the SPD supported the parliamentary system of democracy and extensive social programs in the economy. For most of the Weimar Republic's existence until 1932, the SPD was the largest single party in the Reichstag and it participated in several coalition governments. Its party newspaper was the Vorwärts.
National Socialist German Workers' Party Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei	NSDAP	Far-right	Anti-Weimar Republic	National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party). This was a far-right political party in Germany that was active between 1920 and 1945, and that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers' Party (Deutsche Arbeiterpartei; DAP), existed from 1919 to 1920. The Nazi Party emerged from the German nationalist, racist and populist Freikorps paramilitary culture, which fought against the communist uprisings in post-World War I Germany. It supported the ideas of Führerprinzip, Volksgemeinschaft, Pan-Germanism, Lebensraum and the "Aryan Master Race". The party incorporated fervent antisemitism, anti-communism, anti-capitalism, scientific racism, and the use of eugenics into its creed. Headed by Adolf Hitler from 1921, the party became the largest in the Reichstag by July 1932. Its main newspaper was the Völkischer Beobachter.
Communist Party of Germany Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands	KPD	Far-left	Anti-Weimar Republic	Communist Party of Germany. Formed at the very end of 1918 out of a number of left-wing groups, including the left-wing of the USPD and the Spartacus League. It was a Marxist-Leninist party that advocated revolution by the proletariat and the creation of a communist regime according to the example of the Soviet Union. It was the main far-left party for the majority of the Weimar period. The party's major paper was the Die Rote Fahne (The Red Flag). Between 1920 and 1922 known as the United Communist Party of Germany (Vereinigte Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, VKPD)
Centre Party Zentrumspartei		Centre-right	Pro-Weimar Republic	It was the continuation of the pre-Weimar Catholic party of the same name. A member of the Weimar Coalition, the Centre Party was the third-largest party in the Reichstag for most of the Weimar Republic and participated in all governments until 1932. Their party newspaper was Germania.
German National People's Party Deutschnationale Volkspartei	DNVP	Right-wing to far-right	Anti-Weimar Republic	It presented itself as a volksgemeinschaft or non-class party. It included remnants from the German Conservative Party, the Free Conservative Party, the Völkische movement, the Christian Social movement, and the Pan-German Association. It established two labor unions; one for the blue-collar worker (the DNAB) and one for the white-collar worker (DNAgB), which had been politically unimportant. The DNVP was the main authoritarian right party of Weimar Germany but moved to the radical right after coming under the control of press baron Alfred Hugenberg in 1928. It organized the National Opposition in 1929, together with leaders of Der Stahlhelm, Hjalmar Schacht, the president of the Reichsbank, and the Nazi Party, to oppose Chancellor Hermann Müller's Grand Coalition. It joined in coalition with Hitler's government in January 1933.
German People's Party Deutsche Volkspartei	DVP	Before 1929: Centre to centre-right After 1929: Centre-right to right-wing		Formed in 1918 from the pre-Weimar National Liberals, it was a center-right party supporting right-liberalism. Its platform stressed Christian family values, secular education, lower tariffs, opposition to welfare spending and agrarian subsidies, and hostility to socialism. Gustav Stresemann was its chairman and it participated in all governments until 1931. After Stresseann's death, the party turned further to the right.
German Democratic Party Deutsche Demokratische Partei	DDP	Centre to centre-left	Pro-Weimar Republic	Formed in 1918 as the successor to the Progressive People's Party, the DDP was a center-left party that supported social liberalism. A member of the Weimar Coalition, it was one of the main liberal parties and participated in several coalition governments.
Old Social Democratic Party of Germany Alte Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands	ASPD	Centre-left		Old Social Democratic Party of Germany. A regional party based in Saxony that split from the SPD in 1926. It never gained a mass following and disbanded in 1932.
Communist Workers' Party of Germany Kommunistische Arbeiter-Partei Deutschlands	KAPD	Far-left	Anti-Weimar Republic	Communist Workers' Party of Germany. An ultra-leftist party that split from the KPD in April 1920. They rejected participation in the Reichstag and called for immediate revolutionary action. Immediately after its formation the party endured a series of splinters and lost much of the little influence it had.
Communist Party of Germany (Opposition) Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (Opposition)	KPO	Left-wing		Split from the KPD in 1928, representing the "Right Opposition" of the Bukharinists against the Stalinist "Center" and the Trotskyist "Left Opposition". It never intended to be a real political party, but to influence the KPD.
Socialist Workers' Party of Germany Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands	SAPD	Left-wing		A left-wing faction that split from the SPD in 1931. Parts of the USPD and dissenters from the KPD and the KPO joined it, but it remained small. Its political positions were near to those of the USPD, wavering between the SPD and the KPD.
Socialist League Sozialistischer Bund		Left-wing		A splinter party that formed from the USPD in 1922 and merged into the SAPD in 1931.
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands	USPD	Left-wing	Anti-Weimar Republic	This was formed by an anti-war faction that split from the SPD in 1917. It was a Marxist party that sought change through parliament and social progressive programs. The left-wing majority of the party joined the Communist Party in December 1920, while the remainder reunited with the MSPD in September 1922. A splinter element (Sozialistischer Bund) continued as an independent party, never attaining any real electoral success and finally merging with the SAPD in 1931.
German Farmers' Party Deutsche Bauernpartei	DBP	Centre		An agrarian party founded in 1928 to advocate for the economic interests of small farmers and peasants.
German State Party Deutsche Staatspartei	DStP	Centre	Pro-Weimar Republic	German State Party. Formed in 1930 by a merger of the DDP and the Volksnationale Reichsvereinigung (VNRV) (People's National Reich Association), the political wing of the Young German Order. The VNRV Reichstag delegates soon seceded from the party, leaving it essentially the DDP under a new name.
Hanseatic People's League Hanseatischer Volksbund	HVB	Right-wing		A regional party founded in Lübeck in 1926, supported by the middle classes opposed to Marxism and social democracy. It was allied with the DVP.
Schleswig-Holstein Farmers and Farmworkers Democracy Schleswig-Holsteinische Bauern- und Landarbeiterdemokratie	SHBLD	Centre		A regional agrarian party active in Schleswig-Holstein between 1919 and 1924. It was a moderate party that leaned towards liberalism, and co-operated with the DVP.
People's National Reich Association Volksnationale Reichsvereinigung		Centre	Pro-Weimar Republic	This was the political wing of the Young German Order and it briefly merged with the DDP in 1930 to form the DStP.
Bavarian People's Party Bayerische Volkspartei	BVP	Centre-right	Pro-Weimar Republic	A Catholic and conservative party, in 1918 it split off from the Centre Party to pursue a more conservative and particularist Bavarian course.
Brunswick Lower Saxon Party [de] Braunschweigisch-Niedersächsische Partei	BNP	Right-wing		This was a small regional party active in the Free State of Brunswick. It was conservative, monarchist and anti-republican. It formed an electoral alliance with the DVP and the DNVP.
Christian-National Peasants' and Farmers' Party Christlich-Nationale Bauern- und Landvolkpartei	CNBL	Right-wing		Christian National Peasants' and Farmers' Party. This was a conservative agrarian party that broke off from the German National People's Party (DNVP) in 1928. It contested the 1930 and 1932 Reichstag elections under the name Deutsches Landvolk (German Rural Folk).
Christian Social People's Service Christlich-Sozialer Volksdienst	CSVD	Centre-right to right-wing		A conservative Protestant party formed at the end of 1929, it was mainly supported by the middle class and Christian trade unionists. It supported state welfare, trade unions and workers participation in management; it opposed atheism, liberalism and Marxism. Also known as Christlich-sozialer Volksdienst (Evangelische Bewegung).
Christian People's Party Christliche Volkspartei	CVP	Right-wing	Pro-Weimar Republic	A short-lived Catholic party based in the Rhineland.^[3]
German-Hanoverian Party Deutsch-Hannoversche Partei	DHP	Centre-left		Also known as the Guelph Party. A regional party in Prussia's Province of Hanover that unsuccessfully advocated for a Free State of Hanover. Formerly conservative and centre-right, the party moved to the left in the 1920s.
German Workers' Party Deutsche Arbeiterpartei	DAP	Far-right	Anti-Weimar Republic	This was formed in 1919 by Anton Drexler, with Gottfried Feder, Dietrich Eckart and Karl Harrer, and derived in part from the Thule Society, the cover organization of the occult ariosophist Germanenorden. This party added the adjective "National Socialist" in its name and became the "National Socialist German Workers' Party" (NSDAP) in 1920.
German Reform Party Deutsche Reformpartei	DRP	Far-right		(splinter party)
German Social Party Deutschsoziale Partei	DSP	Far-right	Anti-Weimar Republic	A far-right antisemitic and Völkisch political party, active from 1921 to 1929.
German-Socialist Party Deutschsozialistische Partei	DSP	Far-right	Anti-Weimar Republic	A far-right, nationalist party heavily influenced by the antisemitic Thule Society. It was headed by Julius Streicher, and it was also highly organized, despite having a rather small size. In a controversial move, it dissolved itself in 1922 and many of its members entered the (then very new) Nazi Party.
German Völkisch Freedom Party Deutschvölkische Freiheitspartei	DVFP	Far-right	Anti-Weimar Republic	The party of General Ludendorff. It campaigned for an authoritarian regime that would be very nationalistic and promoted socioeconomic questions. It also sought to close the stock exchanges and nationalize the banks. In May 1924, it obtained 6.4% of the vote in alliance with NSDAP, but fell to 3% in the next election, in December 1924.
German Völkisch Empire Party Deutschvölkische Reichspartei	DVRP	Far-right	Anti-Weimar Republic
Greater German Workers' Party Großdeutsche Arbeiterpartei	GDAP	Right-wing	Anti-Weimar Republic
Greater German People's Community Großdeutsche Volksgemeinschaft	GVG	Far-right	Anti-Weimar Republic	A Nazi front organization established in January 1924 when the Nazi Party was outlawed. Centered in Bavaria, it was led by Alfred Rosenberg until July when he was ousted by Julius Streicher. Opposed to electoral politics, it was not represented in the Reichstag. It dissolved in March 1925 and was reabsorbed by the Nazi Party.
Conservative People's Party Konservative Volkspartei	KVP	Right-wing	Pro-Weimar Republic	It split off from the DNVP in 1930, following that party's turn to the far-right under Alfred Hugenberg.
National Socialist Freedom Party Nationalsozialistische Freiheitspartei	NSFP	Far-right	Anti-Weimar Republic	A Nazi front organization established in April 1924 when the Nazi Party was outlawed and Hitler was jailed. The remaining Nazis formed it as a legal means of carrying on the party and its ideology. As the National Socialist Freedom movement (NSFB), it ran as a combined list with the DVFP in the 1924 Reichstag elections and disbanded shortly after the Nazi Party was re-established in February 1925.
Economic Party Reichspartei des deutschen Mittelstandes	WP	Right-wing		A conservative pro-business party, founded in 1920 as the Economic Party of the German Middle Class. It commonly was referred to as the Wirtschaftspartei (WP). It supported a reduction in government economic involvement, a freer hand for business, and lower taxes. It was particularly opposed to revaluation, which it considered an attack on the rights of property owners.
People's Justice Party Volksrechtpartei	VRP	Right-wing		Officially called the Reich Party for Civil Rights and Deflation. Formed in 1926, the party was conservative in outlook and represented itself as the defender of savers, calling for the creation of as broad a middle class as possible. It sought to represent those worst hit by the hyperinflation of the early 1920s.

Other political organizations

Besides the larger parties, there were also a multitude of smaller groups and parties that were either affiliated with the electoral coalitions of larger parties or were organizationally independent and participated with their own lists either throughout the entire Republic or only in individual constituencies.^[4]

Party	Abbr.	Categorization	Stance	Description
General German Civil Servants Association Allgemeiner Deutscher Beamtenbund	AGB	Left-wing		A civil servants' league started by the SPD.
German Agrarian League Bund der Landwirte	BdL			The Agrarian League was an agricultural advocacy group that opposed free trade, industrialization, and liberalism. It merged with the Deutscher Landbund in 1921 to form the Reichslandbund.
Peasants' Association Bauernverein				Peasant association located in Schleswig-Holstein. Without religious ties, it initially supported a liberal economic and political policy.
Peasants' Associations Bauernvereine		Centre		Farmers' associations associated with the Center Party, that were located in the Catholic west and south.
Bavarian Peasants' League Bayerischer Bauernbund	BBB			Operated throughout Germany but especially in its stronghold of Bavaria. It had democratic, anticlerical leanings and subscribed to a narrow Bavarian particularism. It supported the BVP and the DNVP, and in 1928 helped found the DBP. Also BBB.
Brunswick State Electoral Association Braunschweigischer Landeswahlverband	BLWV	Right-wing	Anti-Weimar Republic	This was a regional electoral alliance of conservative bourgeois parties, consisting of the Deutsche Volkspartei (DVP), the Deutschnationale Volkspartei (DNVP) and the Welf–oriented Braunschweigisch-Niedersächsische Partei (BNP), or Brunswick Lower–Saxon Party. It was active between 1918 and 1922 in the Free State of Brunswick.
Christian-Federalist Imperial Electoral List Christlich-föderalistische Reichswahlliste		Centre	Pro-Weimar Republic	Combined list of the Bavarian People's Party (BVP), the Christliche Volkspartei (CVP) and a Hessian party.^[3]
Christian People's Party Christliche Volkspartei	CVP	Centre	Pro-Weimar Republic	Combined list of the Bavarian People's Party (BVP) and the Center Party.
Spartacus League Spartakusbund		Left-wing	Anti-Weimar Republic	Originally formed in 1914 by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, it joined the USPD in 1917. During the November Revolution, it reformed but shortly joined the KPD when it was founded on 1 January 1919.
Workers' Party for the Working and Creating People Arbeiterpartei für das arbeitende und schaffende Volk	AASV	Left-wing		^[5]
Workers' and Peasants' Party of Germany, Christian-Radical People's Front Arbeiter- und Bauernpartei Deutschlands, Christlich-Radikale Volksfront	ABDCV	Left-wing		Associated with the KPD.^[6]
League of the Unemployed of Berlin Bund der Erwerbslosen Berlins	BEB	Left-wing		Associated with the KPD.^[6]
Christian-Social Empire Party Christlich-Soziale Reichspartei	CSRP	Left-wing		^[5]
German Employee Party Deutsche Arbeitnehmerpartei	Darpa	Left-wing		Associated with the Christian Social People's Service (Evangelical Movement) Also DAnP.
German Socialist Combat Movement Deutsche Sozialistische Kampfbewegung	DSKB	Left-wing		^[5]
Combat Community of Workers' and Peasants' Kampfgemeinschaft der Arbeiter und Bauern	KAB	Left-wing		^[5]
Left Communists Linke Kommunisten	LK	Left-wing
Middle Class Party (Unitarians) Mittelstandspartei (Unitaristen)	MP (U)	Left-wing		Associated with the KPD.
National-Communist-Party of Germany Nationale-Kommunistische-Partei Deutschlands	NKPD	Left-wing		^[5]
Party of the Unemployed for Work and Bread Partei der Erwerbslosen für Arbeit und Brot	PEAB	Left-wing		Associated with the KPD^[6] and/or NSDAP.^[7]
Radical-Democratic Party Radikaldemokratische Partei	RDP	Left-wing		^[5]
Republican Party of Germany Republikanische Partei Deutschlands	RPD	Left-wing		^[5]
Socialist Combat Community Sozialistische Kampfgemeinschaft	SKG	Left-wing		^[5]
Social-Republican Party (Hörsing-Movement for Employment) Sozial-Republikanische Partei (Hörsing-Bewegung für Arbeitsbeschaffung)	SRPD	Left-wing		^[5]
Unitarian Movement of Germany Unitaristen Union Deutschlands	UUD	Left-wing		^[5]
People's Socialists Volkssozialisten	VSoz	Left-wing		^[5]
National Association of Deserters Reichsbund der Deserteure		Left-wing		Led by Karl Liebknecht and formed before the breakup from the Independent Socialists.
The Steel Helmet, League of Front-Line Soldiers Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten		Right-wing	Anti-Weimar Republic	Founded in December 1918 by Franz Seldte, this was the First World War veteran's organisation. Officially above party politics, it was conservative, nationalistic and monarchist. After 1929, it took on an anti-republican and anti-democratic character. Its goals were the overthrow of the Republic in favor of a dictatorship and a revanchist program. In 1931, it joined the DNVP and the NSDAP to form the Harzburg Front.
German Nationalist Protection and Defiance Federation Deutschvölkischer Schutz- und Trutzbund		Right-wing	Anti-Weimar Republic	This was the largest and the most active anti-Semitic federation in Germany. Founded in 1919, it was anti-democratic and advocated violence. After the murder of Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau in 1922, it was banned in most states of the Reich and disbanded by 1924.
Harzburg Front Harzburger Front		Right-wing	Anti-Weimar Republic	A right-wing, anti-democratic political alliance of the NSDAP, DNVP, Der Stahlhelm, the Agricultural League and the Pan-German League. It was formed in 1931 to present a unified right-wing opposition to the Weimar government.
Combat League of Revolutionary National Socialists Kampfgemeinschaft Revolutionärer Nationalsozialisten	KGRNS	Right-wing	Anti-Weimar Republic	Commonly known as the Black Front. An opposition group formed by Otto Strasser in 1930 after he resigned from the Nazi Party to continue what he saw as the Party's original anti-capitalist stance.
Rural People's Movement Landvolkbewegung		Right-wing		A farmers' movement, mainly in Schleswig-Holstein, formed in the aftermath of January 1928 demonstrations against trade and tax policies.
Agricultural League Reichslandbund		Right-wing	Anti-Weimar Republic	Also known as National Rural League. It was formed in 1921 through the merger of the two large Protestant right-wing agricultural associations, the Bund der Landwirte (BdL) and the Deutscher Landbund, in order to more effectively assert agricultural interests against the forces of labor and big business. It strove to maintain as much influence as possible for large Junker landowners from east of the Elbe, who were heavily represented among its leadership. Opposed to the Republic, it first was allied with the DNVP and later the Nazi Party.
Völkisch-Social Bloc Völkisch-Sozialer Block		Right-wing		This was a right-wing electoral alliance of völkisch, anti-Semitic and anti-republican groups formed in 1924 during the period that the Nazi Party was outlawed, and was closely aligned with its ideology. It was particularly strong in Bavaria and Thuringia. It disbanded in March 1925, following the reestablishment of the Nazi Party.
German Social Monarchist Party Deutsche Soziale Monarchisten-Partei	DSMP	Right-wing		Associated with the DNVP.
Expropriated middle class Enteigneter Mittelstand	entM	Right-wing		Associated with the DNVP.
German Empire-Againist-Interest-Movement Deutsche Reichs-Gegen-Zins-Bewegung	RGZP	Right-wing		Associated with the NSDAP.
Imperial Party of German National Catholics Reichspartei Nationaler Deutscher Katholiken		Right-wing		Associated with the NSDAP.
German National Citizen-Bloc Deutscher nationaler Bürger-Block	DnBB			Associated with the German People's Party.
Liberal National-Social German Middle Class Movement Freiheitliche National-Soziale Deutsche Mittelstandsbewegung	FNSM			Associated with the National-Social Party of the Centre (Nationalsoziale Partei der Mitte) and Greater German People's Party (Großdeutsche Volkspartei (Liste Schmalix))
Freedom Movement Black-White-Red Freiheitsbewegung Schwarz-Weiß-Rot (Reichsbund der Baltikum-, Oberschlesien-, Grenzschutz- und Freikorpskämpfer)	FSWR			Associated with the DNVP.
Freiwirtschaftsbund Freiwirtschaftsbund	Fwb			Associated with the Freiwirtschaftliche Partei Deutschlands (Partei für krisenfreie Volkswirtschaft).
Greater German Middle Class Party for the dictatorship of the Middle Class Großdeutsche Mittelstandspartei für Mittelstandsdiktatur	GMP
Craftsmen, traders and business people Handwerker, Handel- und Gewerbetreibende	HHG			Associated with the DNVP.
Houseworkers and Farmers' Party Haus- und Landwirtepartei	HLP			Associated with the DNVP.
Interest group for small pensioners and those affected by inflation Interessengemeinschaft der Kleinrentner und Inflationsgeschädigten	IKI
Nationalist Party Nationalistische Partei	NatP
Combat League of those affected by lower wages and salaries Kampfbund der Lohn- und Gehaltsabgebauten	KbL			Associated with the Bavarian People's Party.
Small pensioners, those affected by inflation and those with pre-war money Kleinrentner, Inflationsgeschädigte und Vorkriegsgeldbesitzer	KIV			Associated with the DNVP.
Land League Landbund	Ldbu			Associated with the Thuringian Landbund and the DNVP.
Land League Landbund	Ldbu			Associated with the Württ. Bauern- und Weingärtnerbund (Landbund).
Justice-Movement-Meißner Gerechtigkeits-Bewegung-Meißner	Meiß
National Freedom Party Nationale Freiheitspartei	NFP			Associated with the German State Party.
Radical Middle Class Radikaler Mittelstand	RadM			Associated with the DNVP.
Socialist Workers' Party of Poland Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei Polen	SAP
Polish Party Polnische Partei	Polen			Also known as Polish People's Party (Polnische Volkspartei). Associated with the National Minorities Germany (Nationale Minderheiten Deutschlands)
For Hindenburg and Papen (Nationalist Combat Movement) Für Hindenburg und Papen (Nationalistische Kampfbewegung)	HuP			Associated with the DNVP.
Greater German List Schmalix Großdeutsche Liste Schmalix	Schm			Associated with the National-Social Party of the Centre (Nationalsoziale Partei der Mitte) and Greater German People's Party (Großdeutsche Volkspartei (Liste Schmalix))
Community of fate for the German unemployed (Unemployed Front) Schicksalsgemeinschaft deutscher Erwerbslosen (Erwerbslosenfront)	Sgem			Associated with the CSVD.
Schleswig Association Schleswigscher Verein	SlV
German Peasants' Party (National-Republican) Deutsche Bauernpartei (National-Republikanische)	DB(NR)
Green Front Grüne Front				An umbrella group which consisted of the Reichslandbund (RLB), the Deutsche Bauernshaft (formerly Bauernbund), the Association of Christian-German Peasant Unions, and the German Agricultural Council. It too heavily promoted the Junkers interest and drove out many farmers.
German Agricultural Council Deutsche Landwirtschafsrat
Federation of German Retail Business

Unions

Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (ADGB)
Allgemeiner freier Angestelltenbund (AfA) white-collar employee union affiliated with the SPD-dominated free trade unions. (Pro-Weimar Republic)
Deutscher Landarbeiterverband (German Agricultural Workers' Union) SPD-organized. (Pro-Weimar Republic)
Deutschnationaler Handlungsgehilfenverband (DHV) (National Association of Clerical Employees) — the conservative white-collar worker union. The DHV leadership did not fully support the NSDAP because it didn't recognize the independence of unions. (Against the government)
Freie Arbeiter-Union Deutschlands (FAUD) — an anarcho-syndicalist trade union that participated in the revolution in Germany and continued to be involved in the German labor movement in the early 1920s.
Gesamtverband Deutscher Beamtengewerkschaften (GDB) was a conservative civil service union.
Gewerkschaftsbund der Angestellten (GdA) was a Hirsch-Duncker union.
Gewerkschaftsbund deutscher Angestelltenverbände (Gedag) was a conservative white-collar union.
Reichsbund Deutscher Angestellten-Berufsverbände was a conservative white-collar union.
Vereinigung der chrislichen-deutschen Bauernvereine (Association of Christian-German Peasant Unions)
Zentralverband der Angestellten (ZdA), an association of white-collar unions started by the SPD. (Pro-Weimar Republic)

Other Organizations

Alldeutscher Verband — Pan-German League. A nationalist and colonialist organization whose goal was to nurture, protect and expand German nationality as a unifying force. (Against the government)
Deutsches Handwerk. German crafts organization headed by Zeleny. Zeleny advocated positions that would improve conditions for the old middle class. It would later back the NSDAP.
Katholische Burschenvereine. Catholic youth associations that the Catholic Church started in southern Germany to provide Catholic youth with numerous activities.
Tatkreis movement
Völkisch movement (Against the government)

Secret societies

Bund Wiking — Viking League. A paramilitary organization founded in Munich in 1923 by members of the banned Organisation Consul as a successor group. Its stated aim was the establishment of a military dictatorship and modification of the Treaty of Versailles by armed means, including provocations intended to incite workers into violence and provide the pretext for a coup.
Organisation Consul (OC) — An ultra-nationalist and anti-Semitic terrorist organization that operated from 1920 to 1922. It was formed by Hermann Ehrhardt and several members of his Freikorps brigade. It was responsible for political assassinations, including former Minister of Finance Matthias Erzberger and Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau, that had the goal of destroying the Republic and replacing it with a right-wing dictatorship. The group was banned by the German government in 1922.
Schwarze Reichswehr — Black Reichswehr. Extra-legal paramilitary formations promoted by the German Reichswehr to circumvent manpower restrictions imposed by the Versailles Treaty. Black Reichswehr members were responsible for several Feme murders. Active 1921 to 1923.

Reichstag election results

All vote numbers in thousands.

Regional= Total for regional parties not listed individually
Rightist= Total for right-wing parties not listed individually
Splinter= Total for splinter parties not listed individually or among regional or rightist

6 June 1920
includes by-elections in Schleswig-Holstein and East Prussia (20 February 1921)
and Upper Silesia (19 November 1922)
Eligible 35,920 
Turnout 28,196 
% voting 78.4
(Party, Votes, Seats)
KPD 590 4
USPD 5,047 83
SPD 6,104 103
Centre 3,910 64
BVP 1,173 21
DDP 2,334 39
WP 219 4
DVP 3,919 65
DNVP 4,249 71 
Regional 709 5 
Splinter 161 0
Total 28,415 459

4 May 1924
Eligible 38,375 
Turnout 29,282
% voting 76.3
(Party, Votes, Seats)
KPD 3,693 45
USPD 235 0
SPD 6,009 100
Centre 3,914 65
BVP 947 16
DDP 1,655 28
WP 530 10
DVP 2,728 45
DNVP 5,697 95
NSFP 1,918 32
Regional 608 5
Rightist 666 10
Splinter 682 4
Total 29,282 455

7 December 1924
Eligible 33,987
Turnout 30,290
% voting 77.7
(Party, Votes, Seats)
KPD 2,709 45
USPD 99 0
SPD 7,881 131
Centre 4,092 69
BVP 1,134 19
DDP 1,920 32
WP 639 17
DVP 3,049 51
DNVP 6,206 103
NSFB 907 14
Regional 708 4
Rightist 545 8
Splinter 401 0
Total 30,290 493

20 May 1928 
Eligible 41,224 
Turnout 30,754 
% voting 74.6 
(Party, Votes, Seats)
KPD 3,265 54
SPD 9,153 153
Centre 3,712 61
BVP 946 17
DDP 1,479 25
WP 1,388 23
DVP 2,680 45
DNVP 4,382 73
NSDAP 810 12
Regional 956 3
Rightist 1,025 23
Splinter 958 2
Total 30,754 491

14 September 1930
Eligible 42,958
Turnout 34,971
% voting 81.4
(Party, Votes, Seats)
KPD 4,592 77
SPD 8,578 143
Centre 4,128 68
BVP 1,059 19
DDP 1,322 20
WP 1,362 23
DVP 1,578 30
DNVP 2,458 41
NSDAP 6,383 107
Regional 683 3
Rightist 2,373 46
Splinter 455 0
Total 34,971 577

31 July 1932 
Eligible 44,211 
Turnout 36,882
% voting 83.4 
(Party, Votes, Seats)
KPD 5,283 89 
SPD 7,960 133
Centre 4,589 75
BVP 1,193 22
DDP 372 4
WP 147 2
DVP 136 7
DNVP 2,177 37
NSDAP 13,769 230
Regional 219 0
Rightist 552 9
Splinter 185 0
Total 36,582 608

6 November 1932 
Eligible 44,374 
Turnout 35,471 
% voting 79.9 
(Party, Votes, Seats)
KPD 5,980 100
SPD 7,248 121
Centre 4,230 70
BVP 1,095 20
DDP 336 2
WP 110 1
DVP 661 11
DNVP 2,959 52
NSDAP 11,737 196
Regional 353 1
Rightist 510 10
Splinter 252 0
Total 35,471 584

5 March 1933 
Eligible 44,665 
Turnout 39,343 
% voting 88.1 
(Party, Votes, Seats)
KPD 4,848 81 
SPD 7,181 120
Centre 4,425 74
BVP 1,074 18
DDP 334 5 
DVP 432 2
DNVP 3,137 52
NSDAP 17,277 288
Regional 1,246 0
Rightist 384 7
Splinter 5 0
Total 39,343 647

List by abbreviation

ADB — Allgemeiner Deutscher Beamtenbund
AfA — Allgemeiner Freier Angestelltenbund
ASPD — Old Social Democratic Party of Germany
BB — Bavarian Peasants' League
BdL — German Agrarian League
BLWV — Brunswick State Electoral Association
BVP — Bavarian People's Party
CNBL — Christian-National Peasants' and Farmers' Party
DAP — German Workers' Party
DBB — German Civil Service Federation
DBP — German Farmers' Party
DDP — German Democratic Party
DHP — German-Hanoverian Party
DHV — Deutschnationaler Handlungsgehilfenverband
DNAgB — Deutschnationaler Angestelltenbund
DNAP — Deutschnational Arbeiterband
DNVP — German National People's Party
DSP — German Social Party
DSP — German Socialist Party
DStP — German State Party
DVFP — German Völkisch Freedom Party
DVP — German People's Party
GdA — Gewerkschaftsbund der Angestellten
GDB — Gesamtverband Deutscher Beamtengewerkschaften
Gedag — Gewerkschaftsbund deutscher Angestelltenverbände
GVG — Greater German People's Community
HVB — Hanseatic People's League
KAPD — Communist Workers' Party of Germany
KGRNS — Combat League of Revolutionary National Socialists
KPD — Communist Party of Germany
KPO — Communist Party of Germany (Opposition)
NSDAP — National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party)
NSFP — National Socialist Freedom Party
NSV — National Socialist People's Welfare
OC — Organisation Consul
RDA — Reichsbund Deutscher Angestellten-Berufsverbände
RLB — Agricultural League
SAPD — Socialist Workers' Party of Germany
SHBLD — Schleswig-Holstein Farmers and Farmworkers Democracy
SPD — Social Democratic Party of Germany
USPD — Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
VKPD — United Communist Party of Germany
VRP — People's Justice Party
VSB — Völkisch-Social Bloc
WP — Economic Party
Z — Center Party
ZdA — Zentralverband der Angestellten

References

^ Luebke, David. "The Weimar Constitution: A Primer". University of Oregon. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
^ "Law against the Founding of New Parties". Holocaust Encyclopedia. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
^ ^a ^b Carina Simon (2016). "Heinz Brauweiler: Eine politische Biographie im Zeichen des antidemokratischen Denkens" (PDF).
^ "Vielparteiensystem Parteien Weimarer Republik 1918/19-1933". teachsam.de. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k "Reichstagswahlen 1919-1933 - Diverse Linke". www.wahlen-in-deutschland.de. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Preußen: Wahl zum 6. Reichstag 1932". www.gonschior.de. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
^ "Vielparteiensystem Parteien Weimarer Republik 1918/19-1933". teachsam.de. Retrieved 2024-05-18.

Sources

Brustein, William (1996). The Logic of Evil: The Social Origins of the Nazi Party, 1925–1933. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-06533-6.
Mitcham, Samuel W. (1996). Why Hitler, The Genesis of the Nazi Reich. Westport, CT: Praeger. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-274-65916-6.
Zentner, Christian; Bedürftig, Friedemann, eds. (1997) [1991]. The Encyclopedia of the Third Reich. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-80793-0.

v t e Political parties in Germany in the Weimar Republic (1918–1933)
Communist	Communist Party of Germany (KPD) Communist Workers Party of Germany (KAPD) Communist Party Opposition (KPO)
Socialist, Social Democratic and Democratic Socialist	Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD) Majority Social Democratic Party of Germany (MSPD) Old Social Democratic Party of Germany (ASPD) Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (SAPD)
Agrarian	Bavarian Peasants' League (BB) Agricultural League Schleswig-Holstein Farmers and Farmworkers Democracy (SHBLD) Christian National Peasants' and Farmers' Party (CNBL) German Farmers' Party (DBP)
Catholic	Bavarian People's Party (BVP) Centre Party (Zentrum) Christian People's Party (CVP)
Liberal	German Democratic Party (DDP) German People's Party (DVP) German State Party (DStP)
Conservative	German National People's Party (DnVp) Economic Party (WP) People's Justice Party (VRP) Christian Social People's Service (CSVD) Conservative People's Party (KVP) German-Hanoverian Party (DHP)
Völkische and Nazi	German Workers' Party (DAP) German Social Party (DSP) German Socialist Party (DSP) Greater German People's Community (GVG) National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) German Völkisch Freedom Party (DVFP) National Socialist Freedom Movement (NSFB) Tannenberg Union (TB)
Related topics: Weimar paramilitary groups

Weimar political parties