On 16 June 1898, 7.8 million ballots were cast- five years later it was 9.5 million. These millions of individual choices, made within particular historical and political contexts, revealed a cross-section of the German political nation at the turnMoreOn 16 June 1898, 7.8 million ballots were cast- five years later it was 9.5 million. These millions of individual choices, made within particular historical and political contexts, revealed a cross-section of the German political nation at the turn of the century.
The numbers and percentages reflected not only sociological and social-economic groupings in the population but also the contextual factors of issues, images, strategies, and tactical voting- and they were conditioned by the particular institutions of mobilization and representation.