German National Elections December, 1924

Causes of Dissolution of Reichstag

The German elections to be held on December 7 were made necessary by the decree of President Ebert, dated October 20th, dissolving the Reichstag which was elected only last May. This presidential decree was issued, according to German constitutional practice upon the recommendation of the present chancellor, Dr. Marx. The action of the chancellor was directly caused by the failure of his efforts to extend the present coalition government to include the Nationalist party. In a broader sense, however, the present crisis is merely the latest manifestation of the complicated political situation in Germany. With a Reichstag made up of seven major parties, Government is possible only by coalition. The weakness of the Marx government, based on a coalition of ...