The permanent collapse of Hitler’s dream of ruling Germany with a purely Nazi parliamentary majority is seen by the British press as a result of the Reichstag elections.
The Reichstag general elections show that at last the hypnotic spell of the National Socialist propaganda has been broken, E. H. Wilcox, the “Daily Telegraph” correspondent in Berlin, writes. It is clear, he says, that if Herr Hitler is to form a Government based on the new Reichstag, he can do so only by coming to terms with other groups. His only alternative would be to drop the “legality” which he has so consistently and fervently professed during the past few years and revert to his early plan of armed revolution. It now seems certain that the von Papen Cabinet will carry on the Government of the country.
At the best, he proceeds, Hitler’s men appear to have but held their own, while in many districts they have lost ground compared with the last eight State elections, such as those in Prussia on April 24th. The one feature of the election which was not counted upon is the astonishing growth of the Communists, who had consistently lost ground in nearly all the elections of the present year.
It can be said that the Nazi wave is no longer advancing, the “Morning Post” asserts.
The Nazis are bitterly disappointed, the “Daily Mail” says. The rank and file had felt so certain of a complete victory. The Nazis will be far and away the largest party in the Reichstag but they had hoped to sweep the country, and had announced that they had no intention of entering into a coalition with other parties.
The Fascists, for the moment, have reached the crest of their wave of power, the “Daily Express” says.
Nazi hopes of setting up a third German Empire have received their death blow, the “News Chronicle” writes. Hitler’s fight has been a big one. His party will be the largest in the Reich, but the voting clearly shows that the movement has reached its zenith and that in many districts it is definitely on the wane.
That this result will be a crushing blow to Hitler and his supporters goes without saying, the “Manchester Guardian” writes, as they find themselves in a minority even with the support of all their allies. The Catholic Centre Party will be the deciding factor in the new Reichstag, and will hold the balance of power, so that the Par-
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
