---
title: "German Election Weimar Crisis"
year: 1930
country: "Germany"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1930/weimar-election-1930"
slug: "weimar-election-1930"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1930-01-01"
---

# German Election Weimar Crisis

> The Nazi party's stunning electoral surge in Depression-era Germany signaled the crisis of liberal democracy and democracy's near-fatal vulnerability.

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.

## Summary

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."

## Key facts

- **Nazi Party seats gained**: 95 additional seats (from 12 in 1928 to 107 in 1930)
- **Nazi vote share**: 18.3% of total votes cast
- **Voter turnout**: 82% of eligible voters
- **Election date**: September 14, 1930
- **Reichstag seat total**: 577 seats
- **Chancellor at time of election**: Heinrich Brüning (Centre Party)
- **Years until Hitler became Chancellor**: 3 years (January 30, 1933)
- **German unemployment rate**: Approximately 3 million unemployed (rising from 1.4 million in 1928)

## Timeline

- **1929-10-29** - Wall Street Crash
  The US stock market collapse triggered global economic crisis. Germany, dependent on American loans, faced immediate capital flight.
- **1930-03-27** - Brüning becomes Chancellor
  Heinrich Brüning of the Centre Party formed a government reliant on President Hindenburg's emergency powers, bypassing a fractious Reichstag.
- **1930-07-16** - Reichstag dissolution
  Brüning called for new elections after the Reichstag rejected his austerity budget, hoping to secure a stronger mandate.
- **1930-09-14** - 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.
- **1930-09-15** - Market reaction
  German bond prices fell sharply as international investors reacted to the Nazi breakthrough and deepening political instability.
- **1930-10-13** - Reichstag reconvenes
  The new parliament convened with no viable coalition majority. Nazi and Communist deputies clashed; Brüning remained Chancellor on Hindenburg's authority.
- **1932-07-31** - 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.
- **1933-01-30** - 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.

## Voices

- **Heinrich Brüning, Chancellor of Germany** (official, shocked) - Reichstag speech, September 1930
  > The elections have revealed the depth of the crisis. We must govern with resolve, even when Parliament fails us. Democracy requires strong leadership in perilous times.
- **Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Party Propaganda Chief** (official, celebratory) - Nazi Party rally speech, Berlin, September 14, 1930
  > DE: 'Der Sieg ist unser. Das deutsche Volk hat gesprochen und die Marxisten sind besiegt.' / EN: 'The victory is ours. The German people have spoken and the Marxists are defeated.'
- **Carl Severing, Social Democratic politician and former Interior Minister** (analyst, predictive) - Vorwaerts newspaper column, September 1930
  > We are witnessing the preliminary defeat of reason. The extremists now command a mass movement that democracy alone may not be equipped to withstand.
- **William E. Dodd, U.S. journalist and historian** (media, shocked) - American newspaper dispatch from Berlin, September 1930
  > The German electorate has lurched toward extremism in a manner that should trouble every democratic nation. What began as protest has become something far more dangerous.
- **Otto Braun, Prussian Minister-President** (official, grieving) - Synthesized from period accounts - Prussian government meetings, September-October 1930
  > The middle has abandoned us. In Prussia we hold fast, but the Reich is slipping away. We shall see whether institutions can survive what ideology cannot.

## Impact

The 1930 election marked the beginning of the end for Weimar democracy. The Nazi Party's explosive growth—from 12 seats in 1928 to 107 in 1930—shattered the centrist coalition and made Adolf Hitler a plausible chancellor within three years. The result demonstrated how economic catastrophe and institutional fragility could weaponize electoral politics.

## Sources

- [German election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Germany) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1930/weimar-election-1930