July 1932 German federal election
Federal elections were held in Germany on 31 July 1932, following the premature dissolution of the Reichstag. The Nazi Party made significant gains and became the largest party in the Reichstag for the first time, although they failed to win a majority. The Communist Party increased their vote share as well. All other parties combined held less than half the seats in the Reichstag, meaning no majority coalition government could be formed without including at least one of these two parties.
Image: SPD 1932 leadership
Image: Ernst Thälmann 1932
Image: Alfred Hugenberg 1933 (cropped)
Image: Heinrich Held, 1933 (cropped)
Reichstag (Weimar Republic)
The Reichstag of the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) was the lower house of Germany's parliament; the upper house was the Reichsrat, which represented the states. The Reichstag convened for the first time on 24 June 1920, taking over from the Weimar National Assembly, which had served as an interim parliament following the collapse of the German Empire in November 1918.
Reichstag (Weimar Republic)
The hall where the Reichstag met
Opening ceremony of the Reichstag on 30 August 1932, with Nazi members (to the left in the photograph) in uniform.