41-609: A referendum on territorial status was held in the Territory of the Saar Basin on 13 January 1935. Over 90% of voters opted for reunification with Germany , with 9% voting for the status quo as a League of Nations mandate territory and less than 0.5% opting for unification with France . At the end of World War I, the Saar was separated from Germany and administered by the League of Nations . France
82-536: A Nazi "reign of terror" had been made by non-Nazi Saarlanders and by the foreign press. The complaints included allegations that the Nazis engaged in intimidation, "espionage, secret denunciations, kidnappings ..., ... interception of letters and telegrams, [and] listening-in to telephone conversations", among other things. In response, the Saar Governing Commission had to "promulgate several restrictive decrees for
123-539: A concerted campaign to sway voters. The support of the local Catholic authorities for a return also helped, as did concerns about Bolshevism , against which Hitler was seen as a bulwark. With a voter participation of 98%, the result of the plebiscite was that the overwhelming majority, 90.8%, voted to re-join the German Reich , with only 8.8% wanting to retain the status quo, primarily as they did not wish to be ruled by Nazis. A third option of joining France received 0.4% of
164-593: A continuation of the League of Nations administration, and a delay in the plebiscite until after the Nazis were no longer in power in Germany. Roman Catholics were divided in regards to returning to German rule. In order to achieve victory in the referendum, the Nazis resorted to "a mixture of cajolery and brutal pressure". In 1933, Sarah Wambaugh , one of the members of the Plebiscite Commission, stated that complaints of
205-455: A result, anti-Nazi groups agitated for the Saarland to remain under British and French occupation under a League of Nations mandate. However, as most of the region's population was German, the mandate was unpopular. A plebiscite was held in the territory on 13 January 1935. With Adolf Hitler anxious for the propaganda advantages of the return of the Saar to Germany, Joseph Goebbels designed
246-718: A significant number of the miners who worked in the Saar coal mines. The Territory issued its own postage stamps and currency (the Saar franc ). The Saar region was governed by the following Chairmen of the Commission of Government: The Saar Territory had no home rule ; instead, the Governing Commission (known in German as the Regierungskommission or "Reko" for short) decided on all legislation alone. According to paragraph 23 of
287-457: Is our leader, not Hitler." The Volksbund proclaimed that a "great majority" of Saar clergy supported the status quo and urged voters to block the return of the Saar on the grounds that the best way to serve Germany is to block the "un-German National Socialist dictatorship". The Nazis made an effort to combat concerns about their anti-clericalism by appealing to the voters' anti-communism ; pro-German newspapers printed pictures of atrocities from
328-659: The Gauleiter and, from 11 March 1941, Reichsstatthalter until his death in September 1944. He was succeeded by Willi Stöhr who served until the end of the war in May 1945. After the plebiscite, the Nazi authorities proceeded to clamp down on the Catholic Church's influence in public life, repressing and forcefully disbanding Catholic organisations. Guenter Lewy reports that the prosecution of
369-450: The German Reich , appointing Josef Bürckel as Reichskommissar für die Rückgliederung des Saarlandes , "Reich Commissioner for the reincorporation of the Saarland ." Many opponents of Nazism who had taken refuge in the territory and former politicians and office holders of the Saar who had collaborated with the occupation were imprisoned. When re-incorporation was considered complete,
410-634: The Night of the Long Knives . A requiem mass for them drew large crowds, and a Catholic newspaper Neue Saar Post opposing Saar's return to Germany gained many new followers. Sarah Wambaugh observed "that the odds were now even, that the Church held the balance, and that unless Hitler should succeed in rehabilitating himself and should placate the Church, or unless the Nazi regime should be overthrown before January [the plebiscite had been scheduled for January 13, 1935],
451-686: The United States Army , which handed over the occupation to French forces in July the same year. After World War II , a French protectorate was established within borders similar to those of the Territory. A referendum was held on 23 October 1955 which ended French rule and influence. On 1 January 1957, the Saarland joined West Germany . 49°23′N 6°50′E / 49.383°N 6.833°E / 49.383; 6.833 Sarah Wambaugh Sarah Wambaugh (March 6, 1882 – November 12, 1955)
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#1732849025680492-654: The Versailles Treaty the Governing Commission had to establish an assembly of elected representatives of the inhabitants of the Saar Territory in such a manner as the Governing Commission would determine itself. So on 24 March 1922, after four years without any official representation of the people, the Reko decreed the formation of a Saar Territory assembly called the Regional Council (German: Landesrat ). In June 1922
533-613: The governor 's title was changed again to Reichskommissar für das Saarland , "Reich Commissioner for the Saarland," on 17 June 1936. As the new Gau was extended to the Rhine , including the Bavarian district of Palatinate , the region's name was changed again on 8 April 1940 to Saarpfalz , "Saar-Palatinate." After the Battle of France , the re-annexed territory of the CdZ-Gebiet Lothringen
574-426: The right of interpellation , nor the right to actively bring a subject to the agenda, nor the right to table a bill. Its members did not enjoy immunity . When the Governing Commission did not set an issue on the Regional Council's agenda, they could only send delegations to the League of Nations with pleas, and so they did. With this situation, all the representatives elected to the Regional Council, regardless of
615-491: The Catholic Church in the Saar was even worse than in the rest of Germany, as the Reichskonkordat did not apply to the territory. Even the part of Catholic clergy that campaigned for return of the Saar to Germany, such as Johann Ludger Schlich, was now forced to flee. The report of General Brind on the Saar force recommended that in the future all such peacekeeping forces be assembled from countries with no direct interest in
656-540: The Deutsche Front infiltrated public services such as municipal authorities and the police, and voters were forced to vote for Saar's return to Germany under threats of dismissals or loss of pension. The Bulletin of International News wrote that the Nazi militias "went from house to house asking people to sign an undertaking to do all they could to secure the return of the Saar to Germany", while pro-Nazi police officials kept "black lists" of people opposed to German rule of
697-426: The Governing Commission held the first election of the Regional Council, and starting with the second election of the Regional Council the legislation period was extended from three to four years, with elections in 1928, and in 1932 . The Regional Council counted 30 members, the Governing Commission deliberately determined one person as the chairperson, the president of the Regional Council (Landesratspräsident). In
738-495: The Nazi leader in the Saar, told his followers to obey the strictest discipline and implemented harsh penalties for any infractions. The German government was determined to score a landslide victory in the referendum for propaganda purposes, and created the Deutsche Front for this purpose in July 1933, which became a formidable force in the Saar thanks to generous financial support from Germany and its brutal methods, such as threats and voter intimidation. The Catholic Centre Party of
779-692: The Nazi regime. Following the referendum, the Council of the League of Nations decided that the Saar should return to Germany. The Saar once again became part of Germany on 1 March 1935, with Josef Bürckel as Reichskommissar . In 1936, it was incorporated into the Gau of Rheinpfalz (Rhine Palatinate) to form the Gau Pfalz-Saar (renamed Gau Saarpfalz in January 1936 and Gau Westmark in December 1940). Josef Bürckel remained
820-486: The Saar Basin ( German : Saarbeckengebiet , Saarterritorium ; French : Territoire du bassin de la Sarre ) was a region occupied and governed by the United Kingdom and France from 1920 to 1935 under a League of Nations mandate . It had its own flag (adopted on 28 July 1920): a blue, white, and black horizontal tricolour. The blue and white stood for Bavaria, and white and black for Prussia, out of whose lands
861-450: The Saar Territory was formed. Initially, the occupation was under the auspices of the Treaty of Versailles . Its population in 1933 was 812,000, and its capital was Saarbrücken . The territory closely corresponds with the modern German state of Saarland , but was slightly smaller in area. After a plebiscite was held in 1935 , it was returned to Germany. Under the Treaty of Versailles ,
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#1732849025680902-563: The Saar to be prevented from voting. In addition, socialist and separatist newspapers such as the Volkstimme and Volkszeitung were taken down, and there were reports of illegal seizures and confiscations of documents by the members of the Deutsche Front . Lewy Gunter believes that the result of the referendum could have been different with proper supervision, given the Catholic hostility towards
943-486: The Saar was merged into the new pro-German front, "yielding to threats of what would happen after the day of reckoning in 1935." According to Guenter Lewy , the people of the Saar increasingly preferred to stay in France because of the suppression and harassment of the Catholic Church in Germany by Nazi authorities. Voters were outraged by the killings of two prominent Catholic leaders, Erich Klausener and Adalbert Probst , in
984-611: The Soviet Union, contrasting them to the "peace and prosperity" of the German Reich. However, ultimately the National Socialists mainly focused on intimidation, with Nazi paramilitaries "threatening retribution to all those who might dare to vote against return to the fatherland". In the referendum, voters were asked whether the Saar should remain under League of Nations administration, return to Germany or become part of France. To
1025-529: The Territory might be indefinitely lost to the Reich." The campaign on both sides focused on appealing to the Political Catholicism of the voters. On 30th of November, 1934, over seventy members of the Catholic clergy founded an organisation named Deutscher Volksbund für Christlichsoziale Gemeinschaft , which held meetings every Sunday under mottoes "for return to Germany, but not to Hitler Germany" and "Christ
1066-502: The council unanimously approved a resolution calling for such a force. Britain (1,500 troops), Italy (1,300), Sweden (260) and the Netherlands (250) agreed to provide troops for the 3,300-strong International Force in the Saar. All expenses above and beyond those normally incurred for the same troops were charged to the League fund set aside for the plebiscite. The League appointed a commander, General John Brind , with operational control of
1107-404: The first legislative period the Reko did not even choose the president from amongst its members. The assembly was no parliament, but only a consultative body; the representatives could be heard, but had no say in the agenda to be debated, let alone in legislation. The agenda of matters to be debated was exclusively set up by the Governing Commission. The members of the Regional Council had neither
1148-540: The force. Troops patrolled, but did not police, the Saar. They were not to respond except to emergencies and at the request of local authorities. There was little to no violence during the plebiscite and the peacekeeping effort was regarded as a success. While most political groups in the Saar initially supported its return to Germany, opponents of Nazism in the Saar began having doubts and misgivings after Adolf Hitler came to power. Due to Hitler's oppression of their German counterparts, communists and socialists supported
1189-520: The highly industrialized Saar Basin, including the Saar Coal District (German: Saarrevier ), was to be occupied and governed by the United Kingdom and France under a League of Nations mandate for a period of fifteen years. Its coalfields were also to be ceded to France. During this time, the Saar Territory was governed by the five-person Governing Commission (German: Regierungskommission ; abbreviated Reko ) made up of representatives of
1230-528: The maintenance of public order". In November 1934, fearing an armed intervention by France, which the German armed forces of the time would have been in no position to resist, the German government changed its tactics and reduced its belligerency. Josef Bürckel , Hitler's commissioner for the Saar, banned the wearing of uniforms within a 40-kilometre (25 mi) zone along the Saar frontier between 10 January 1935 and 10 February 1935. Burckel also banned meetings, parades, and processions in this area. Jakob Pirro ,
1271-540: The matter at hand. He noted that only a small force was necessary, since it was the moral authority of its presence that mattered. Both observations are central to modern peacekeeping as opposed to collective security . The Nansen International Office for Refugees was responsible for the successful settlement of the Saar refugees in Paraguay after 1935. Territory of the Saar Basin The Territory of
1935 Saar status referendum - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-748: The membership of the Secretariat of the League of Nations in 1920. She was an advisor to the Peruvian government for the Tacna-Arica Plebiscite (1925–26), to the Saar Plebiscite Commission (1934–35), to the American observers of the Greek national elections (1945–46) and to the U.N. Plebiscite Commission to Jammu and Kashmir (1949). During World War II she was a consultant to
1353-582: The occupation forces. Under the terms of the mandate, the Commission had to include at least one French person and one German resident of the Saar. After the fifteen years, a plebiscite would be implemented to determine the Saar's future status. The Territory comprised the portions of the Prussian Rhenish Trier Region and the Bavarian district of the Palatinate , whose populations included
1394-406: The opposing block and support the status quo. For the 1935 status referendum, Social Democrats and Communists suggested, unsuccessfully, that the voters should decide in favour of a continued status quo. In 1933, a considerable number of political opponents of National Socialism moved to the Saar, as it was the only part of Germany that remained under foreign occupation following World War I . As
1435-556: The party, opposed the system of autocratic rule in the Saar Territory. All parties demanded the return of the Saar Territory to Germany where the people could elect the parliament, and the latter again, the government in self-determination . Only after the Nazi takeover in Germany, outlawing all other parties except their own NSDAP , did the Bezirk Saar of the SPD and the Saar branch of the KPD leave
1476-407: The surprise of neutral observers as well as the Nazis themselves, over 90% voted in favour of reuniting with Germany. Every voting district saw at least 83% of voters support returning the Saar to German rule, and despite Georges Clemenceau 's claim that there were 150,000 Frenchmen in the Saar, fewer than 0.5% of voters supported the annexation of the Saar by France. The legitimacy of the referendum
1517-466: The vote. Following the vote, Hitler announced that Germany "had no further territorial demands to make of France." The Nansen International Office for Refugees was responsible for the successful settlement of the Saar refugees in Paraguay after 1935. On 17 January 1935, the territory's reunion with Germany was approved by the League Council . On 1 March, Germany re-integrated the region into
1558-649: Was an American political scientist . She was born in Cincinnati , Ohio , the daughter of legal scholar Eugene Wambaugh . She earned an A.B. in 1902 and an A.M. in 1917 from Radcliffe College , in Cambridge , Massachusetts , where she also later taught. She also carried out studies in England ; in London and Oxford . Wambaugh eventually became recognized as the world's leading authority on plebiscites . Wambaugh had joined
1599-413: Was given control of the Saar's coal mines . After fifteen years of League of Nations administration, a referendum was scheduled to take place in the territory. Towards the end of 1934, the League of Nations Council determined that a peacekeeping force would be necessary for the plebiscite period. The German and French governments agreed to allow an international force to enter the Saar. On 8 December 1934,
1640-526: Was incorporated in the Reichsgau . The region's name was finalized on 11 March 1941 as Westmark , meaning "Western March " or "Western Boundary," with its governor styled as Reichsstatthalter in der Westmark , "Reich Governor in the Western March." On 28 September 1944, Reich Commissioner Josef Bürckel died, and was succeeded by Willi Stöhr until 21 March 1945, when the region was conquered by troops of
1681-576: Was questioned by foreign observers on grounds of widespread voter intimidation by the Berlin-sponsored Deutsche Front. The Sunday Mail of Adelaide, South Australia, reported that the opponents of the Saar's return to Germany were "hounded off the streets and even blockaded in homes". Jewish shops were boycotted and vandalised, and Nazi supporters visited Jewish homes and demanded their voting identity cards in exchange for protection. In his report, Marinus van der Goes van Naters stated that