# Canonical recap data for German Federal Election (1919)
# Source: https://recap.at/1919/weimar-elections-1919
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: weimar-elections-1919
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1919/weimar-elections-1919"
title: German Federal Election
aliases:
- Weimar National Assembly election
- 1919 German constituent assembly election
- German Revolution elections
subtitle: The first democratic election in German history established the Weimar Republic, though deep polarization would fatally undermine its institutions within years.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1919-01-19
datePrecision: day
year: 1919
decade: 1910
country:
name: Germany
slug: germany
summaryShort: Federal elections were held in Germany on 19 January 1919 to elect a national constituent assembly that would write a new constitution for Germany following the collapse of the German Empire at the end of World War I. The election, which took place amid the sometimes violent political upheaval of the German revolution,
summaryLong: Federal elections were held in Germany on 19 January 1919 to elect a national constituent assembly that would write a new constitution for Germany following the collapse of the German Empire at the end of World War I. The election, which took place amid the sometimes violent political upheaval of the German revolution, used a form of proportional representation, lowered the voting age to 20 and allowed women to vote for the first time.
lede: Germans voted on 19 January 1919 to elect representatives who would draft a new constitution after the Kaiser's abdication and the empire's collapse. The election took place amid revolutionary fervor and street violence, with women voting in a German national election for the first time. The result would shape the Weimar Republic and determine Germany's political direction for the next decade.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/SPD_1919_leadership.jpg/1280px-SPD_1919_leadership.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "1919 German federal election"
importance: 78
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date
  value: 19 January 1919
- label: Voter turnout
  value: 37.3% of eligible population
- label: First-time voters
  value: Women (voting age lowered to 20)
- label: Seats in assembly
  value: "421"
- label: Largest party
  value: SPD (German Social Democratic Party) with 163 seats
- label: Assembly location
  value: Weimar (chosen for safety amid Berlin unrest)
- label: Eligible voters
  value: Approximately 36.2 million
- label: Actual votes cast
  value: Approximately 13.5 million
timeline:
- date: 1918-11-09
  title: Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates
  description: Following military collapse and revolutionary pressure, Wilhelm II flees to the Netherlands. Friedrich Ebert of the SPD becomes Chancellor, inheriting a state in chaos.
- date: 1918-11-11
  title: Armistice signed
  description: Germany signs armistice agreement ending World War I, effective that day. Demobilization begins amid economic collapse and political upheaval.
- date: 1918-12-16
  title: Congress of Councils convenes
  description: Revolutionary councils meet in Berlin to decide on electoral system for constituent assembly. Decision made for proportional representation, a democratic choice that would fragment parliament.
- date: 1919-01-05
  title: Spartacist uprising crushed
  description: Communist revolt in Berlin is violently suppressed by paramilitary Freikorps units. Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht are assassinated, polarizing the electorate days before the vote.
- date: 1919-01-19
  title: German Federal Election held
  description: Nationwide voting for constituent assembly takes place amid ongoing street violence. Women participate in a German national election for the first time. SPD wins largest share but without majority.
- date: 1919-02-06
  title: National Assembly convenes in Weimar
  description: Elected representatives meet in Weimar theater rather than Berlin due to ongoing revolutionary unrest. Assembly begins drafting new constitution.
- date: 1919-08-11
  title: Weimar Constitution ratified
  description: Assembly approves new constitution establishing democratic republic with proportional representation, federal structure, and strong presidency. Document reflects both liberal ideals and practical compromises with right-wing forces.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1919_German_federal_election"
  title: German federal election, 1919
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: This election established the first democratic parliament in German history and produced a constituent assembly that created the Weimar Constitution. The result legitimized a fragile republic built on the ruins of empire, though deep fractures between left and right—evident in the voting itself—would haunt German democracy through the 1920s and beyond.
categories:
- election
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- election
- constitutional_reform
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- transformation
- creation
impactRadius: national
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Germans elected a constituent assembly on 19 Jan 1919, the first democratic election in German history. Women voted for the first time.
wikidataQid: Q567087
peoplesVoice:
- source: Friedrich Ebert, SPD Chancellor and Head of German Government
  voiceType: official
  context: Speaking to the press on the eve of the election, Ebert sought to frame the vote as Germany's democratic rebirth after imperial collapse.
  excerpt: This election is the foundation upon which we shall build a new Germany - a Germany of law, of order, of the people's will. We must show the world that Germans are capable of self-governance.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 85
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - SPD press statements, January 1919
  publishedAt: 1919-01-18
  originalLanguage: de
- source: Matthias Erzberger, Centre Party politician and negotiator
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Erzberger, who had signed the armistice, commented on the election's stakes amid revolutionary violence and economic collapse.
  excerpt: The Assembly must act swiftly to restore order and legitimacy. Without a constitutional settlement, Germany risks sliding into chaos - or worse, Bolshevism.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Centre Party speeches, January 1919
  publishedAt: 1919-01-17
  originalLanguage: de
- source: Rosa Luxemburg, KPD revolutionary and critic
  voiceType: skeptic
  context: Luxemburg denounced the election from the far left as a bourgeois distraction from genuine socialist revolution, just days before her assassination.
  excerpt: This so-called election changes nothing. The working class must seize power directly - not cast ballots into a constituent assembly of capitalists and compromisers.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 80
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Die Rote Fahne (KPD newspaper), January 1919
  publishedAt: 1919-01-15
  originalLanguage: de
- source: Theodor Wolff, editor of the Berliner Tageblatt
  voiceType: media
  context: Wolff's liberal newspaper covered the election as a historic turning point, though amid deep concern about political violence.
  excerpt: Germans go to the polls today not in triumph, but in desperation - seeking order and a future after the wreckage of four years and imperial ruin.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 78
  attribution: Berliner Tageblatt, January 19, 1919
  publishedAt: 1919-01-19
  originalLanguage: de
- source: Karl Kautsky, SPD theorist and Assembly delegate
  voiceType: expert
  context: The aging socialist theorist assessed the election results as vindication of moderate social democracy over Bolshevism and monarchism alike.
  excerpt: The German working class has spoken for reconstruction, not revolution. This is the triumph of reason over extremism - left and right.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 65
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - SPD Assembly statements, late January 1919
  publishedAt: 1919-01-20
  originalLanguage: de
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260322214953/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1919_German_federal_election"
  capturedAt: 2026-03-22
  label: German federal election, 1919
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1919_German_federal_election"
