1930 German federal election — German federal election which occurred on 14 September 1930
The 1930 German federal election saw the Nazi Party surge from 12 to 107 seats, marking the beginning of its rise to dominance in the Weimar Republic.
Key Facts
- Date
- 14 September 1930
- Total Reichstag seats
- 577 seats
- SPD seats won
- 143 seats
- NSDAP seats (before→after)
- 12 → 107 seats
- Communist Party seats gained
- +23 seats (3rd largest party)
- Reichstag being elected
- 5th Reichstag of the Weimar Republic
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Economic hardship stemming from the Great Depression, combined with political instability in the Weimar Republic, eroded support for mainstream parties. Chancellor Heinrich Brüning's government had lost its working majority in the Reichstag, prompting the dissolution of parliament and the calling of early elections in an atmosphere of growing public discontent.
On 14 September 1930, German voters elected the fifth Reichstag of the Weimar Republic. The Social Democratic Party remained the largest party with 143 seats, but the Nazi Party made a dramatic leap from 12 to 107 seats. The Communist Party also gained 23 seats, becoming the third-largest party, reflecting a broad shift toward political extremes.
Brüning's Centre Party-led government lost its Reichstag majority, forcing it to rely on presidential emergency decrees under President Paul von Hindenburg. This established the first of three presidential cabinets that bypassed parliamentary governance, effectively weakening democratic institutions and accelerating the political conditions that would facilitate the Nazi seizure of power by 1933.
Political Outcome
The Nazi Party surged from 12 to 107 seats; the SPD remained the largest party with 143 seats; Brüning's government lost its majority and began ruling by presidential emergency decree.
Brüning's Centre Party coalition held a working Reichstag majority with NSDAP as a minor fringe party (12 seats)
No parliamentary majority; NSDAP became the second-largest party (107 seats); governance shifted to presidential emergency decrees