Women's Suffrage in 1918 and 1919: What Changed for Women in the Reich and the Coburg Region
With women's suffrage in 1918, women in Germany gained the right to vote at the national level. What changed in the Reich at that time, and what do we know about Coburg? This article puts dates and figures in context and shows which questions the sources leave open.
The Right to Vote for Women: The Decision of November 1918
On November 12, 1918, the Council of the People's Deputies proclaimed universal and equal suffrage for all Germans, men and women, who had turned 20. Women's suffrage was no longer a mere item in a party program but valid law. The new electoral law took effect on November 30, 1918. From that day on, women could use their new rights in elections throughout the Reich, and the first chance came only a few weeks later.
National Assembly 1919: The First Election with Women
The National Assembly was elected on January 19, 1919. It was the first nationwide election in which women could both vote and stand for office. Women's turnout was around 82 percent, so the great majority of eligible women made use of the new right.
Women won 37 of 423 seats, which was less than one seat in ten. Since women had never before been represented in parliament, this still meant a fundamental change. The speech of Marie Juchacz (1879 to 1956, SPD) became the symbol of the moment. On February 19, 1919, she spoke in the National Assembly in Weimar as the first woman to do so.
The Free State of Coburg: What Is Known About the Region
The Free State of Coburg came into being after the dissolution of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In the state parliament election of February 9, 1919, 11 deputies were chosen.
These figures offer a reference point for comparing events in the Reich and in the region. For the future course of Coburg, the referendum of November 30, 1919 mattered more. The population rejected joining Thuringia at that time, and in 1920 Coburg united with Bavaria. That ended the short period of its statehood.
Did Women Vote in Coburg? An Open Question
It is natural to ask how the changes in the Reich affected Coburg. On the basis of the sources used here, the question cannot be answered clearly. They do not say whether women took part in the state parliament election of February 1919 or in the referendum of November the same year. Their participation should therefore be neither assumed nor ruled out.
Anyone looking for a reliable answer will have to turn to the archives, for instance voter lists and voting results. Until then, all we can say is which rules applied in the Reich and which events took place in Coburg.
Summary
Women's suffrage in 1918 changed the situation of women across Germany. The development ran from the proclamation on November 12 through the electoral law of November 30 to the election of January 19, 1919, in which women won 37 seats. How these changes played out in Coburg remains a question for research in local archives.