# Canonical recap data for German Federal Election of 1930 (1930)
# Source: https://recap.at/1930/1930-german-election
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: 1930-german-election
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1930/1930-german-election"
title: German Federal Election of 1930
aliases:
- Reichstag election of 1930
- September 1930 German election
- Weimar election 1930
subtitle: The 1930 German federal election delivered a seismic Nazi victory that shattered Weimar's center and accelerated the political collapse that would bring Hitler to power within three years.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1930-09-14
datePrecision: day
year: 1930
decade: 1930
country:
name: Germany
slug: germany
summaryShort: A federal election was held in Germany on 14 September 1930 to elect the fifth Reichstag of the Weimar Republic. Despite losing ten seats, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) remained the largest party in the Reichstag, winning 143 of the 577 seats, while the Nazi Party (NSDAP) dramatically increased its numbe
summaryLong: A federal election was held in Germany on 14 September 1930 to elect the fifth Reichstag of the Weimar Republic. Despite losing ten seats, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) remained the largest party in the Reichstag, winning 143 of the 577 seats, while the Nazi Party (NSDAP) dramatically increased its number of seats from 12 to 107. The Communists also increased their parliamentary representation, gaining 23 seats and becoming the third-largest party in the Reichstag.
lede: "On September 14, 1930, German voters delivered a shock result that scrambled Weimar politics: the Nazi Party nearly tripled its seats in the Reichstag, vaulting from a fringe party to the second-largest faction. The election exposed deep fractures in the German electorate and signaled that democratic institutions were losing their grip on a nation reeling from economic collapse."
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/SPD_1930_leadership.jpg/1280px-SPD_1930_leadership.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "1930 German federal election"
importance: 84
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Election date
  value: September 14, 1930
- label: Total Reichstag seats
  value: "577"
- label: SPD seats won
  value: "143"
- label: NSDAP seats won
  value: "107"
- label: NSDAP seats in previous election (1928)
  value: "12"
- label: NSDAP vote share
  value: 18.3%
- label: Voter turnout
  value: 82%
- label: Reichstag dissolved by
  value: Chancellor Heinrich Brüning on July 18, 1930
timeline:
- date: 1930-03-28
  title: Brüning becomes Chancellor
  description: Heinrich Brüning assumes office, heading a minority government dependent on presidential emergency decrees as the Reichstag fractures over economic policy.
- date: 1930-07-16
  title: Reichstag dissolution announced
  description: President Paul von Hindenburg, acting on Brüning's advice, dissolves the Reichstag over budget disputes as the Great Depression deepens unemployment across Germany.
- date: 1930-09-14
  title: Election results
  description: "Voters deliver shock results: NSDAP captures 107 seats (18.3% of vote), up from 12 in 1928. SPD remains largest with 143 seats but loses 10. Communist KPD gains 23 seats to reach 77."
- date: 1930-10-13
  title: New Reichstag convenes
  description: The fractured new parliament meets for the first time, with Nazi deputies creating immediate disruption. Government formation talks begin amid political deadlock.
- date: 1930-12-01
  title: Brüning continues as Chancellor
  description: Unable to form a coalition, Brüning continues governing via presidential decree with Hindenburg's support, bypassing the Reichstag entirely.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930_German_federal_election"
  title: German federal election, 1930
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The 1930 election marked the beginning of the end for Weimar democracy. The NSDAP's surge from 12 to 107 seats in a single election demonstrated that mainstream parties had lost the ability to command voter allegiance, and that democratic legitimacy itself was under threat. Within three years, Hitler would be chancellor.
categories:
- election
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- election
- parliamentary_crisis
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- transformation
- collapse
impactRadius: national
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: "German election of September 14, 1930: Nazi Party nearly tripled seats, signaling democracy's crisis in Weimar."
wikidataQid: Q29236
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20251116204156/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930_German_federal_election"
  capturedAt: 2025-11-16
  label: German federal election, 1930
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930_German_federal_election"
