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All 814 seats in the Reichstag 408 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 49,634,569 ( 9.2%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 99.6% ( 0.6pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Parliamentary elections were held in Germany (including recently annexed Austria) on 10 April 1938. They were the final elections to the Reichstag during Nazi rule and took the form of a single-question referendum asking whether voters approved of a single list of Nazi and pro-Nazi guest candidates for the 814-member Reichstag, as well as the recent annexation of Austria. Turnout in the election was officially 99.6% with 99.1% voting 'yes' in Germany and Austria.
The elections were held largely to rally official support from the new Ostmark (Austrian) province, although further elections for 41 seats were held in the recently annexed Sudetenland on 4 December. NSDAP candidates and "guests" officially received 97.32% of the votes.
The recently completed Kraft durch Freude cruise ship MV Wilhelm Gustloff was anchored in international waters near the United Kingdom to serve as a floating polling station for German and Austrian citizens living in the UK. On 10 April 1938, 1,978 voters (including 806 Austrians) were ferried from Tilbury, east of London. Only ten voted against annexation.
Results
See also: 1938 Austrian Anschluss referendumGermany
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
| Nazi Party and guests | 48,905,004 | 99.08 | 814 | |
| Against | 454,952 | 0.92 | – | |
| Total | 49,359,956 | 100.00 | 814 | |
| Valid votes | 49,359,956 | 99.85 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 75,667 | 0.15 | ||
| Total votes | 49,435,623 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 49,634,569 | 99.60 | ||
| Source: Direct Democracy, Direct Democracy | ||||
Sudetenland
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nazi Party and guests | 2,464,681 | 98.90 | 41 | |
| Against | 27,427 | 1.10 | – | |
| Total | 2,492,108 | 100.00 | 41 | |
| Valid votes | 2,492,108 | 99.78 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 5,496 | 0.22 | ||
| Total votes | 2,497,604 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 2,532,863 | 98.61 | ||
| Source: Direct Democracy | ||||
Aftermath
The new Reichstag, the last of the German Reich, convened for the first time on 30 January 1939, electing a presidium headed by incumbent President of the Reichstag Hermann Göring. It convened only a further seven times, the last on 26 July 1942; among the measures passed was a renewal of the Enabling Act of 1933 for additional four years and a law giving Hitler power of life and death over every citizen.
On 25 January 1943 Hitler postponed elections for a new Reichstag until after the war, with the inaugural to take place after another electoral term, subsequently on 30 January 1947—by which point the body, and the Nazi state, had ceased to exist. They were the final elections held in a united Germany prior to 1990 after German reunification.
As of 2024, the 1938 German referendum is the last Federal referendum held in Germany.
References
- ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p762 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
- "Reichstagshandbücher, 1938/1: Verzeichnis der Mitglieder des Reichstags". Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- Zimmermann, Volker: Die Sudetendeutschen im NS-Staat. Politik und Stimmung der Bevölkerung im Reichsgau Sudetenland (1938–1945). Essen 1999. ISBN 3-88474-770-3
- "The Wilhelm Gustloff Story". www.wilhelmgustloffmuseum.com. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- Max Domarus (2007) The Essential Hitler: Speeches and Commentary, Bolchazy-Carducci, p292
External links
 Elections and referendums in Germany | |
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| Parliamentary elections | |
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| Referendums | |
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