Germany’s 1930 Elections - Rise of the Nazis

In Girl in the Glass, the Obturavi reveal the truth behind the Nazi Party’s success. Regarding Adolf Hitler, per Direktor Schmidt:

“Does his meteoric rise to power make sense otherwise?” asked Direktor Schmidt, smiling. “Charisma only gets you so far. I approached him one week after Germany’s ‘30 elections. Herr Hitler was a rising star. His National Socialists just won the second most seats in the Reichstag.”

Direktor Schmidt is referring to Germany’s 1930 elections, when Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist party won 18.3% of the vote, giving them 107 seats in the Reichstag and making the Nazis the second-largest political party.

These elections changed the balance of power, leading to the Weimar Republic’s eventual collapse. The Nazi Party exploited the economic and political turmoil of the Great Depression, appealing to German workers who felt their government was failing them. Due to the economic depression, the government instituted austere fiscal policies of fiscal austerity, making life worse for hard-working Germans and undermining their faith in democracy.

This led to a deeply fractured political landscape and the weakening of the Weimar Republic’s moderate parties, causing governmental instability and fueling radicalization. In turn, this promoted the growth of both far-right and far-left extremist parties, like the Nazis and Communists. This caused the Reichstag, the legislative branch, to increasingly struggle to pass laws, which meant an increased reliance on presidential decrees, bypassing the democratic process. These decrees further weakened the power of the legislative Reichstag and set a dangerous precedent for authoritarian rule. 

This is how Germany’s 1930 election results, combined with a poor economy, a deadlocked legislature, and an authoritarian president, paved the way for Adolf Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in 1933 and the subsequent establishment of the Nazi dictatorship.

Supporters handing out pro-Nazi election pamphlets

Nazi political poster

Voting ballot for Adolf Hitler

Poster telling workers to choose Hitler