[Political parties in Germany before 1933]

The file contains reports rearding several Parties in Germany before 1933. The Social Democratic Party (Sozial Demokratische Partei Deutschland SPD), the Centre Party (Zentrums Partei), the German Democratic Party (Deutsche Demokratische Partei DDP), the Communist Party (Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands), and the German People's Party (Deutsche Volkspartei DVP) are explained in detail in this file. The reports show their rise, their party platform, their constituency and their relationship to the NSDAP. The Social Democratic Party (Sozial Demokratische Partei Deutschland SPD) underwent a decisive change at the time of the Revolution in November 1918. This all-important Party which was excluded from government during the Empire, suddenly rose to power and embodied executive authority. During the rise of the NSDAP, the SPD was able to hold its electorate, but the votes of the National Socialists, which came to a large extent from the non-electoral and Jungwählerreservoir, they had little to oppose. The Centre Party (Zentrums Partei) is a lay Catholic political party, primarily influential during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. In the early days of the Weimar Republic, the Center Party was the second-largest party in the Reichstag. After the Reichstag Fire in early 1933, the Centre Party voted for the Enabling Act, which granted dictatorial powers to Hitler. By this vote, the Centre Party effectively destroyed itself, as the Nazi Party became the only legally permitted party in the country shortly thereafter. Supplemental some reports are contained couple of times as additionally handwritten notes can be seen.