of noble origin, related to some important
landed family, and a rigid Conservative. It has
been estimated that official influence controls a
million votes at every national election.]

*253. The Results and Their Significance.*--The total number of
candidates in the 397 constituencies was 1,428. The Social Democrats
alone had a candidate in every constituency, a fact which emphasizes
the broadly national character which that party has acquired. The
National Liberals had candidates in 200 constituencies, the Centre in
183, the Radicals in 175, and the Conservatives in 132. A second
ballot was required in 191 constituencies, or nearly one-half of the
whole number. The final results of the election justified completely
the general expectation of observers that the Social Democrats would
realize enormous gains. The appeal of von Bethmann-Hollweg for
solidarity against the Socialists had no such effect as did the
similar appeal of von Buelow in 1907. The tactfulness and personal hold
of the Chancellor was inferior to that of his predecessor, and the
mass of the nation was aroused in 1912 as it was not upon the earlier
occasion. The results may be tabulated as follows:

_Seats_ _Seats acquired_
_at dissolution_ _by elections of 1912_

Centre 103 90
Conservatives 58 45
Free Conservatives 25 13
Social Democrats 53 110
National Liberals 51 44
Radicals 49 41
Poles 20 18
Antisemites and Economic Union 20 11
Guelfs or Hanoverians 1 5
Alsatians, Danes, and Independents 16 20
___ ___
Total 397 397

Two of the three parties of the Left, i.e., the National Liberals (p. 238)
and the Radicals, suffered substantial losses, but the victory of the
Social Democrats was so sweeping that there accrued to the Left as a
whole a net gain of forty-two seats.[347] On the other hand, the three
parties of the _bloc_ lost heavily--in the aggregate th