1911 Cisleithanian legislative election

Legislative elections to elect members of the Imperial Council were held in Cisleithania, the Austrian section of Austria-Hungary over several days in June and July 1911.[1] A coalition of German national and liberal parties, the Deutscher Nationalverband, emerged as the largest bloc in Parliament, holding 100 of the 516 seats. Voter turnout was 80.2%.[2]

1911 Cisleithanian Imperial Council election

June & July 1911
All 516 seats in the Imperial Council 259 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	4,625,082 (80.20%)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Prince Louis Victor Adler Antonín Švehla Party CS SPÖ RSZML Alliance Christian Social Union Club of German Social Democrats Uniform Bohemian Club Leader since 1910 1 January 1889 1909 Last election 65 seats, 11.73% 50 seats, 11.12% 27 seats, 4.48% Seats won 75 46 36 Seat change 10 4 9 Popular vote 608,346 542,549 257,717 Percentage 13.41% 11.96% 5.68% Swing 1.68% 0.84% 1.20%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Antonín Němec Gustav Groß Party ČSSD DFP PPL Alliance Club of Bohemian Social Democrats German National Association Poland Club Leader since 1904 Last election 22 seats, 8.45% 19 seats, 2.24% 16 seats, 3.60% Seats won 25 25 24 Seat change 3 6 8 Popular vote 357,234 71,114 185,674 Percentage 7.87% 1.57% 4.09% Swing 0.58% 0.67% 0.49%
Seats of the House of Deputies of the Imperial Austro-Hungarian Council. Situation after the November 1911 Cisleithanian legislative elections. The seats are marked by nationality.
Minister-President of Cisleithania before election Richard von Bienerth-Schmerling Independent Elected Minister-President of Cisleithania Paul Gautsch von Frankenthurn CS

This was the second election under universal male suffrage, and the last before the dissolution of the empire as a result of World War I. At that dissolution it was the German representatives that formed the first truly Austrian legislative body of the Republic of German-Austria.

In the German-speaking areas the results however were similar to the previous elections in 1907, with the Christian Socials as the largest party (76 seats), followed by the Social Democrats (43) and the German People's Party (32). Both the major parties lost seats, and the parties which gained were the moderate centre and the radicals. Results varied by province, with Lower Austria providing the political base for the two largest parties. There was a wide difference between rural areas (Christian Social) and urban (Social Democrat), a split (social cleavage) that had become more evident since 1907, with the Christian Socials losing their support in the outer belt of Viennese districts. Support for the German People's party was more even. The German People's Party found its support in the middle strata of Austrian society. On the other hand, industrialists rejected this party in favour of the Freisinnige group, particularly the German Progressive Party, as did the more prosperous merchants.

Among the non-German nationalities, the results also differed widely between nations.[3]

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Croatian Nation
People's Party	33,565	0.74	5	1
Pure Party of Rights	28,254	0.62	4	2
Social Democratic Party of Croatia and Slavonia	329	0.01	0	New
Croatian Nation & Slovenian Nation
Slavic Nationalists	20,770	0.46	3	New
Czech Nation
Social Democratic Party (Autonomists)	357,234	7.87	25	3
Czech Agrarian Party	257,717	5.68	36	9
Catholic-National Conservative Parties in Bohemia & Moravia	128,056	2.82	7	3
Czech National Social Party	95,901	2.11	13	7
Christian Social Parties in Bohemia & Moravia	83,124	1.83	0	7
Young Czech Party	56,673	1.25	14	7
Czech Progressive People's Party	34,443	0.76	5	2
Czech Constitutionalist Progressive Party	20,881	0.46	4	3
Social Democratic Party (Centralists)	19,374	0.43	1	New
Czech Independents	10,832	0.24	1	1
Old Czech Party	9,872	0.22	1	4
Czech Paper Candidates	9,836	0.22	0
Czech Realist Party	4,984	0.11	0	1
Officials’ Party	3,201	0.07	0	New
Czech National Party	1,893	0.04	0	1
German Nation
Christian Social Party	608,346	13.41	75	20
Social Democratic Party	542,549	11.96	46	4
Agrarian Party	106,548	2.35	22	3
German Radical Party	90,523	2.00	22	8
German People's Party	71,882	1.58	21	11
German Progressive Party	71,114	1.57	25	6
German Freedom Party^[a]	66,738	1.47	15	New
German-National Party^[a]	28,689	0.63	4	4
German Workers' Party	26,670	0.59	3	3
Upper Austrian Farmers' Club	22,009	0.48	0
Pan-German Association	20,527	0.45	4	1
German Miners and Farmers' Association	15,301	0.34	0	New
German Independents	14,934	0.33	2	2
German Conservatives	14,597	0.32	0	1
Independent Christian Socials	10,299	0.23	1	New
German Paper Candidates	7,569	0.16	0	New
Central Industrial Committee	6,422	0.14	0
Free Socialists	4,074	0.09	1
German Conservative Farmers' Party	3,623	0.08	0
Imperial Economic Policy Party	2,885	0.06	1	New
Social Politicians	2,735	0.06	1
German Economic Party	1,893	0.04	0	New
Italian Nation
Italian National-Liberal Party	41,928	0.93	5	1
Italian People’s Party	40,543	0.89	10
Italian Social Democratic Party	23,068	0.51	3	1
Italian Liberal Party	5,925	0.13	1
Italian Liberal Farmers' Association	3,685	0.10	0
Italian Independents	436	0.01	0
Democratic Party	321	0.01	0	New
Jewish Candidates
Jewish National Party	31,781	0.70	1	3
Polish Nation
Polish People's Party	185,674	4.09	24	8
Polish Conservative Party	137,199	3.02	17	2
Polish National Democratic Party	98,460	2.17	10	4
Polish Democratic Party	84,181	1.86	13	2
Polish Social Democratic Party	64,569	1.42	8	2
Polish Independents	38,028	0.84	3	New
Polish Centre Party	23,139	0.51	1	13
Galician Christian Social Party^[d]	21,982	0.49	3	2
Independent Socialists	6,515	0.14	2	1
Polish Pro-German Party	5,902	0.13	0	New
Independent Democrats	4,302	0.10	1	New
Polish Progressive Democratic Party	2,933	0.06	1
Romanian Nation
Romanian National (Defense) Party	38,408	0.85	4	1
Romanian National (Democratic) Party	11,810	0.26	1
Romanian Independents	5,728	0.12	0	1
Ruthenian Nation
Ukrainian Party–Young Ruthenian Party	326,955	7.21	23	3
Russian National Party	128,160	2.82	2	3
Ukrainian Radical Party	54,701	1.20	5
Ukrainian Social Democratic Party	21,618	0.48	1	1
Serbian Nation
Serb People's Party	11,460	0.25	2
Slovenian Nation
Slovene People's Party	54,089	1.19	10
Slovene Christian Social Party^[b]	43,203	0.95	10	9
Slovene Liberal Party	33,170	0.73	2	2
Slovenian Nationalists	16,858	0.37	1	1
Slovene Social Democratic Party^[c]	14,368	0.32	0
Slovenian Pro-Germans	5,260	0.12	0
Slovenian Independents	3,408	0.08	0
Unknown or split
Unknown or split votes	30,453	0.67	–	–
Invalid/blank votes	87,996	–	–	–
Total	4,625,082	100	516
Registered voters/turnout	5,767,065	80.20	-
Source: ANNO

^a Candidates that ran under the German Freedom Party and German-National Party labels were members of either the German People's Party or the German Progressive Party, which ran as a joint list in certain constituencies.

^b Ran as the Slovenian Clerical Party in Styria and Gorizia and Gradisca.

^c Ran as the Yugoslavian Social Democratic Party in Carniola.

^d Ran as the Polish Clerical Party in Silesia

By parliamentary grouping

Grouping	Seats	+/–
German National Association	100	49
Uniform Bohemian Club	84	New
Christian Social Union	73	23
Poland Club	70	15
Club of German Social Democrats	49	1
Ukrainian Association	28	3
Croatian-Slovenian Club	27	New
Club of Bohemian Social Democrats	25	1
Latin Union	21	New
Club of Polish Social Democrats	9	3
Dalmatian Club	7	New
Independents	23	11
Total	516
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

See also

List of political parties in Austria

References

1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p196 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
2. Nohlen & Stöver, p209
3. Stanley Z. Pech (1989) "Political Parties among Austrian Slavs: A Comparative Analysis of the 1911 Reichsrat Election Results" Canadian Slavonic Papers, Vol. 31, No. 2, Essays in Honour of Peter Brock (June, 1989), pp170–193

Bibliography

• MANGHAM, ARTHUR NEAL. THE SOCIAL BASES OF AUSTRIAN POLITICS: THE GERMAN ELECTORAL DISTRICTS OF CISLEITHANIA, 1900-1914. Ph.D. thesis 1974