Election Name: | 1868 German federal election |
Country: | German Empire |
Type: | parliamentary |
Ongoing: | no |
Previous Election: | August 1867 North German federal election |
Election Date: | February & March 1868 |
Next Election: | 1871 German federal election |
Next Year: | 1871 |
Seats For Election: | 85 of the 382 seats in the Zollparlament |
Majority Seats: | 192 |
Image1: | Rudolf_von_Bennigsen.jpg |
Leader1: | Rudolf von Bennigsen |
Party1: | National Liberal Party (Germany) |
Leader Since1: | 1867 |
Last Election1: | 18.02%, 80 seats |
Seats1: | 26 |
Seats After1: | 104 |
Party2: | Conservative Party (Prussia) |
Last Election2: | 20.92%, 66 seats |
Seats2: | 15 |
Seats After2: | 65 |
Image3: | DRP |
Leader3: | Eduard Georg von Bethusy-Huc (nominal) |
Party3: | Free Conservative Party |
Leader Since3: | 1866 |
Last Election3: | 8.95%, 36 seats |
Seats3: | 0 |
Seats After3: | 37 |
Image4: | Kl |
Colour4: | 000000 |
Party4: | Clericals |
Last Election4: | 2.09%, 8 seats |
Seats4: | 28 |
Seats After4: | 36 |
Image5: | Benedikt Waldeck (IZ 54-1870 S 445).jpg |
Leader5: | Benedict Waldeck |
Party5: | German Progress Party |
Leader Since5: | 1867 |
Last Election5: | 12.64%, 32 seats |
Seats5: | 0 |
Seats After5: | 31 |
Image6: | AltL |
Colour6: | 008000 |
Party6: | Old Liberals |
Last Election6: | 4.69%, 15 seats |
Seats6: | 0 |
Seats After6: | 18 |
Map Size: | 450px |
President of the Reichstag | |
Before Election: | Eduard von Simson |
Before Party: | Independent politician |
Posttitle: | President of the Zollparlament after election |
After Election: | Eduard von Simson |
After Party: | Independent politician |
Elections to the Zollparlament of the German Zollverein were held in February and March 1868. The Zollparlament consisted of the members of the Reichstag of the North German Confederation and members from the South German states. Those South German members were elected in these elections, the North Germans were the Reichstag members elected the previous year.
In total, 85 South Germans were elected: 48 from Bavaria, 14 from Baden, six from Hesse-Darmstadt (additionally to the three Reichstag members in the province of Upper Hesse), and 17 from Württemberg. Most of the South German Zollparlament members were anti-Prussian regionalists. The outcome of the elections did not encourage Bismarck to take advantage of the Zollparlament as a vehicle for the politician unification of Germany.