Introduction
The political situation in Germany in the 1920s was rapidly evolving as new parties emerged due to the presence of contradictory standpoints among the activists. In other words, a fragile balance between the attempts of revolution and the restoration of the country on the basis of previously existing institutions was the main factor determining the foundation of new entities. The resulting confusion was critical not only for the politicians but also for common citizens. In this case, Johannes Pinneberg from “Little Man, what now?” by Hans Fallada seems to be one of the individuals particularly affected by the ongoing shifts. In the novel, the man encounters all the struggles of the working class, including poverty and overall uncertainty. Therefore, Pinneberg would be likely to vote either for the Communist Party (KPD) or the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) as their provisions addressed the respective population group.
Political Parties in the 1920s
During the examined period in the political history of Germany, the main tendency was a shift from a centralized approach to the emergence of numerous parties. Initially, the strongest entities were the Socialist Democratic Party (SPD), the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD), and the German Center Party, also referred to as the Catholic Center Party. Their views were formed under the influence of economic needs in the first place, followed by societal challenges. Thus, the SPD’s members were oriented toward the recovery of the country for further “socialization of certain sectors,” whereas the position of the USPD was quite the opposite (Orlow, 2018, p. 108). The latter wanted to affect “coal mining, banking, insurance, and parts of the steel industry” to make them centralized (Orlow, 2018, p. 108). Meanwhile, the Center Party promoted democracy, which was supposed to be embedded in “Germany’s constitutional system” (Orlow, 2018, p. 115). However, these areas of concern were not sufficient for the population, and this fact led to the emergence of other political entities.
The particular desire of activists to support the revolution led to the formation of the German Communist Party (KPD) by the USPD representatives, who did not agree with the party’s decision to avoid it. While the leaders of the former attempts were amateur and, consequently, failed with tragic consequences for the lives of some of them, the organization remained quite powerful and promoted its ideology (Orlow, 2018). Its key provisions were determined by the intention to follow the Soviet-Russian model of dictatorship. They included the rejection of “democracy in its bourgeois state” and the transformation of production and distribution of goods for collective purposes (Orlow, 2018, p. 116). The KPD was also concerned about the well-being of the working class in the continuation of its work. Hence, it was one of the first and main entities addressing the needs of the population alongside society in general.
Nevertheless, other parties also considered the interests of common people their priority while their focus differed. For instance, the German Nationalist People’s Party (DNVP) was the one to take care of the problems of “white-collar workers, professionals, and businessmen” while remaining highly conservative in nature (Orlow, 2018, p. 114). In turn, the German Democratic Party (DDP) positioned itself as oriented toward middle-class voters and was reportedly more pragmatic than the DNVP (Orlow, 2018). Finally, the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) was also focused on the rights of the working class while prioritizing their struggles over those of foreign residents (Orlow, 2018). Hence, its efforts in this direction were combined with those of the KPD, which makes both parties more effective in supporting the citizens living under the poverty line.
Political Preferences of Pinneberg
The discussion of political parties presented above provides sufficient information for claiming the possible preferences of Pinneberg in this respect, and the most obvious option for him would be voting for the KPD. This stance can be explained by the apparent attention of the party to the needs of the working class, as he’s one of its representatives. The fact of his belonging to this category of citizens is confirmed by the man’s dependency on his employer when he lost his job after marrying Lammchen (Fallada, 2019). The consequence of this choice was being left with “nothing for fuel or gas or light” (Fallada, 2019, p. 20). Therefore, understanding the struggles in the future, Pinneberg might consider voting for the KPD and the fairness in distributing the resources offered (Orlow, 2018). However, the fact that the party was targeting society as a whole might serve as a circumstance, determining the main character’s varying preferences.
In this case, if he admitted the impossibility of the KPD to address the needs of his family, Pinneberg might have also voted for the NSDAP. From the perspective of national interests, he could believe that this party would care more about the problems of German citizens while relying on an innovative approach (Orlow, 2018). This choice would be more likely if Pinneberg assessed the significance of their claims concerning the necessity to focus on specific categories of people. Even though both the KPD and the NSDAP were not satisfied with the already existing political system, the latter might seem more credible for Pinneberg. Since the people, not the structure of the government, is the basis of the NSDAP, one might have thought it to be more effective for achieving the set goals and improving prosperity. In addition, in contrast to the policies of the KPD, the NSDAP could also appear to be more appealing to him from the point of view of the opposition to all the elaborated approaches (Orlow, 2018). Thus, voting for the NSDAP would be the most likely choice for Pinneberg, followed by the KPD.
Conditions in Germany: Voting
The possible intention of Pinneberg to vote for one or another party in Germany can also be viewed through the lens of the conditions for citizens in the country. As it was mentioned in the previous section, the main circumstance affecting people’s choices in this regard was the poverty of the population after the war (Orlow, 2018). As the experience of the main character in “Little Man, what now” confirms, it was the principal challenge accompanied by global inequality among different population groups. Since the worries about the house and how to “keep it warm in the winter” were of critical importance, the people of the same wealth as the Pinnebergs could not hope much for outside assistance (Fallada, 2019, p. 27). Due to these issues, one might claim the insufficiency of the government’s support at the time is what makes this aspect vital when deciding on the selection of a party for voting.
Another consideration, which was even more important than financial well-being at the time, was the long-term development of Germany, and it seems ambiguous for both citizens and authorities of the selected period. Nevertheless, this condition is of greater significance than money as the people needed to believe in a better future, which was promised by the leaders of the NSDAP by achieving “national unity” (Orlow, 2018, p. 128). As follows from the problems of the time, this concept was emphasized by the activists who saw a threat to French and Belgian people moving to Germany (Orlow, 2018). Since this tendency was apparent to all German citizens, it can be obviously seen as a reason for Pinneberg to vote for the NSDAP in the first place. Despite the fact that this solution would not bring immediate restoration of the economy or any instantaneous improvements in terms of jobs, the prospects conditioned by it seemed bright. Therefore, the described problem also played a role in the historical development of the country, and for Pinneberg and his counterparts, it could indicate the emphasis on shared experience and signify common positive expectations.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the political parties in Germany in the 1920s included some stronger entities and their successors, which were more effective due to the precision of their course. The former was presented by the SPD, the USPD, and the German Center Party, whereas the latter parties were the DNVP, the DDP, the NSDAP, and the KPD. Out of these entities, the NSDAP and the KPD seem to be more likely choices for Pinneberg since they both targeted the working class. Meanwhile, the NSDAP also referred to the people’s nationality as a factor, explaining the need to prioritize anyone of German origin. It might be more appealing for Pinneberg while the country’s conditions, determining this standpoint, include poverty and the threat from foreigners in the absence of a strong national identity.
References
Fallada, H. (2019). Little man, what now? Penguin Books.
Orlow, D. (2018). A history of modern Germany: 1871 to present (8th ed.). Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.