The Weimar German Republic that existed from 1918 to 1933 had a multi-party political system in which numerous political parties were competitive and able to contest elections. In the fourteen years that the German Republic was in existence, over forty political parties were represented by at least one member in the Reichstag, with others seeing representation just at the Landtag level. In addition to this, many groups and minor political parties existed which were often linked to more prominent political parties, and stood candidates through shared electoral lists.
This political fragmentation was in part due to the many challenges facing the nascent German democracy in this period and many contrasting views on the developments on-going in Germany, and in part due to the specific form of proportional representation electoral system that did not harshly punish regional or small special-interest parties.
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 the only legal political party, turning Germany into a one-party state.
Larger political parties LogoPartyPolitical PositionIdeologyDescriptionSocial Democratic Party of Germany Sozialdemokratische Partei DeutschlandsSPDCentre-left to left-wingPro-Weimar Republic Social Democracy Center Marxism RepublicanismFounded 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. Between 1917 and 1922, during the period of the USPD split from the party, the SPD was known as the Majority SPD (MSPD). Its party newspaper was the Vorwärts. National Socialist German Workers' Party Nationalsozialistische Deutsche ArbeiterparteiNSDAPFar-rightAnti-Weimar Republic Nazism Antisemitism Anti-Young PlanA far-right party active between 1920 and 1945, and the name sake of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers' Party, existed from 1919 to 1920. The NSDAP emerged from the milieu of paramilitant Freikorps extremism. It supported the ideas of Führerprinzip, Volksgemeinschaft, Pan-Germanism, Lebensraum and the "Aryan Master Race". The party's platform included fervent antisemitism, anti-communism, anti-capitalism, scientific racism, and support for eugenics. 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 DeutschlandsKPDFar-leftCommunism Luxemburgism Council Communism Marxism-LeninismA communist party that advocated revolution by the proletariat, taking example from the Russian Revolution. 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 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 Centre Party Zentrumspartei ZCentre to centre-rightPro-Weimar Republic Christian Democracy Political Catholicism RepublicanismA 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 VolksparteiDNVPRight-wing to far-rightAnti-Weimar Republic German NationalismAuthoritarian conservatism National conservatism Anti-communismAnti-semitismA reactionary party that presented itself as a volksgemeinschaft or non-class party. It was formed from the merger of multiple conservative, and national liberal parties with the Völkische movement. The DNVP was the main authoritarian right party of Weimar Germany but moved to the radical right after coming under the control of Alfred Hugenberg. 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 VolksparteiDVPBefore 1929: Centre-right After 1929: Right-wingNational Liberalism Civic nationalism Conservative liberalism Constitutional MonarchismA right-liberal party formed in 1918 from the pre-Weimar National Liberals. 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 Stresemann's death, the party turned further to the right.German Democratic Party Deutsche Demokratische ParteiDDPCentre to centre-leftPro-Weimar RepublicLiberalismSocial liberalismRepublicanismA left-liberal party formed in 1918 as the successor to the Progressive People's Party. 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 DeutschlandsASPDCentre-leftPro-Weimar RepublicSocial democracy Left-wing NationalismA 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 DeutschlandsKAPDFar-leftAnti-Weimar RepublicLeft communismRevolutionary socialism Council communismAn 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)KPOLeft-wingCommunismLuxemburgismBukharinismSplit 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 DeutschlandsSAPDLeft-wingCentrist MarxismDemocratic socialismA minor left-wing party that contained splits from the SPD, joined by parts of the USPD and dissenters from the KPD and the KPO joined it. Its political positions were near to those of the USPD, wavering between the SPD and the KPD.Socialist League Sozialistischer BundSBLeft-wingSocialismA 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 DeutschlandsUSPDLeft-wingCenter MarxismDemocratic socialismPacifismAn anti-war party 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 BauernparteiDBPCentreAgrarianismAn agrarian party founded in 1928 to advocate for the economic interests of small farmers and peasants.German State Party Deutsche StaatsparteiDStPCentre to Centre-rightPro-Weimar RepublicLiberalismCorporatismNationalismA party formed in 1930 by a merger of the DDP and the People's National Reich Association (VNRV) - the political wing of the Young German Order. The VNRV Reichstag delegates soon split from the party, leaving it essentially the DDP under a new name. Hanseatic People's League Hanseatischer VolksbundHVBRight-wingAnti-Weimar RepublicAnti-Social democracyGerman NationalismA 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 LandarbeiterdemokratieSHBLDCentrePro-Weimar RepublicAgrarian LiberalismA 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 ReichsvereinigungVRCentre-right to right-wingPro-Weimar RepublicGerman nationalismNational liberalismThis 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 VolksparteiBVPCentre-rightPro-Weimar RepublicPolitical CatholicismChristian democracyBavarian regionalismA Catholic and conservative party, in 1918 it split off from the Centre Party to pursue a more conservative and particularist Bavarian course.Burnswick-Lower Saxony Party Braunschweigisch-Niedersächsische ParteiBNPRight-wingAnti-Weimar RepublicMonarchismConservatismAnti-republicanismThis 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 LandvolkparteiCNBLRight-wingAnti-Weimar RepublicAgrarian conservatismGerman NationalismChristian 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 VolksdienstCSVDCentre-right to right-wingPro-Weimar RepublicChristian democracyPolitical ProtestantismConservatismA 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 VolksparteiCVPCentre-rightPro-Weimar RepublicChristian DemocracyA short-lived Catholic party based in the Rhineland.German-Hanoverian Party Deutsch-Hannoversche ParteiDHPCentre-leftPro-Weimar RepublicHannoverian regionalismHannoverian SeparatismSocial AgrarianismAlso 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 ArbeiterparteiDAPFar-rightAnti-Weimar RepublicProto-fascismPan-GermanismAnti-MarxismAntisemitismVölkisch NationalismThis 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 Social Party