In short
On September 14, 1930, German voters handed the Nazi Party its first major electoral breakthrough, propelling it from a fringe movement to the second-largest faction in the Reichstag with 107 seats. The result shocked the political establishment and signaled the collapse of Weimar democracy's ability to manage mass discontent during the Great Depression.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
Several articles in several parts of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany govern elections and establish constitutional requirements such as the secret ballot, and the requirement that all elections be conducted in a free and fair manner. The Basic Law also requires that the federal legislature enact detailed federal laws to govern elections; electoral law(s). One such article is Article 38, regarding the election of deputies in the federal Bundestag. Article 38.2 of the Basic Law establishes universal suffrage: "Any person who has attained the age of eighteen shall be entitled to vote; any person who has attained the age of majority shall be eligible for election."
As it was happening
13 voices, 1189 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
Wall Street Crash
The US stock market collapse triggered global economic crisis. Germany, dependent on American loans, faced immediate capital flight.
Voices from this moment (1)
Wall Street Crash
Oct 29
“The US stock market collapse triggered global economic…”
As it was happening
13 voices, 1189 days.
Day 0 · October 29, 1929
Wall Street Crash
The US stock market collapse triggered global economic crisis. Germany, dependent on American loans, faced immediate capital flight.
“The US stock market collapse triggered global economic…”
- Wall Street Crash, Oct 29
Day 149 · March 27, 1930
Brüning becomes Chancellor
Heinrich Brüning of the Centre Party formed a government reliant on President Hindenburg's emergency powers, bypassing a fractious Reichstag.
“Heinrich Brüning of the Centre Party formed a government…”
- Brüning becomes Chancellor, Mar 27
Day 260 · July 16, 1930
Reichstag dissolution
Brüning called for new elections after the Reichstag rejected his austerity budget, hoping to secure a stronger mandate.
“Brüning called for new elections after the Reichstag…”
- Reichstag dissolution, Jul 16
Day 320 · September 14, 1930
Election day
Voters delivered a shock result. The Nazi Party surged to 107 seats, making them the second-largest faction. The Communist Party also gained significantly, reaching 77 seats.
“DE: 'Der Sieg ist unser.”
- Nazi Party rally speech, Berlin, September 14, 1930, Sep 14
“Voters delivered a shock result.”
- Election day, Sep 14
Day 321 · September 15, 1930
Market reaction
German bond prices fell sharply as international investors reacted to the Nazi breakthrough and deepening political instability.
“The elections have revealed the depth of the crisis.”
- Reichstag speech, September 1930, Sep 15
“We are witnessing the preliminary defeat of reason.”
- Vorwaerts newspaper column, September 1930, Sep 16
“The middle has abandoned us.”
- Synthesized from period accounts - Prussian government meetings, September-October 1930, Sep 25
“The German electorate has lurched toward extremism in a…”
- American newspaper dispatch from Berlin, September 1930, Sep 20
“German bond prices fell sharply as international investors…”
- Market reaction, Sep 15
Day 349 · October 13, 1930
Reichstag reconvenes
The new parliament convened with no viable coalition majority. Nazi and Communist deputies clashed; Brüning remained Chancellor on Hindenburg's authority.
“The new parliament convened with no viable coalition…”
- Reichstag reconvenes, Oct 13
Day 1006 · July 31, 1932
Follow-up election
The Nazis reached their peak with 230 seats (37.3% of votes) in fresh elections, but still fell short of an outright majority.
“The Nazis reached their peak with 230 seats (37.”
- Follow-up election, Jul 31
Day 1189 · January 30, 1933
Hitler becomes Chancellor
President Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler Chancellor, believing he could contain the Nazi movement through conservative cabinet members. The Weimar period effectively ended.
“President Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler Chancellor,…”
- Hitler becomes Chancellor, Jan 30
The numbers.
5 numbers that anchor the scale.
By the numbers
The countable parts.
Nazi Party seats gained
0 additional seats (from 12 in 1928 to 107 in 1930)
Voter turnout
0% of eligible voters
Reichstag seat total
0 seats
Years until Hitler became Chancellor
0 years (January 30, 1933)
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.German election
en.wikipedia.org