The growth of the mining and iron-producing industries that started during the 19th century attracted workers from all over Germany, greatly increasing the regions population. Saar plebiscite | European history | Britannica As a footnote to the creation of the European Union, the territorial dispute over control of the Saarland was one of the last between member states and led to the European flag being given a politically neutral ring of twelve stars rather than the originally proposed 15 (one of which was to represent a nominally independent Saar as a member of the Council of Europe).[12]. Democrats formed a 'united front' campaign to try to retain League of (2006 est.) This vote took place on January 13, 1935. Watermark(s) Album Page(s) Recent Additions to the Collection. This resulted in the Schuman Declaration,[7] a plan drafted for the most part by Jean Monnet. It demonstrated that Germans were NOT just being browbeaten into supporting When and why was is taken of Saarland? The They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. evacuation from air raids) were allowed to return to the areas under French control. Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions. French officials deported a total of 1,820 people from the Saar in 1946 and 1947, most of whom ultimately were allowed to return. The Treaty of Versailles provided that at the termination of a period of fifteen years from its coming into force, a plebiscite should be held in the Saar Territory to determine under what sovereignty its inhabitants desired to be placed. 11 The number of assisted voters was very small. In the 5th Saarbrcken is the largest city; other urban areas include Homburg, Vlklingen, Saarlouis, and St. Ingbert. Others (8.9%) favoured the third option of a continued BritishFrench occupation government. In 1935, Nazi Germany established its full sovereignty over the territory. In October 1933, some nine months after Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany, the German government announced its withdrawal from the League of Nations. the war, the Saar region became part of the new German Empire. [3] However, native Sarrois returning from Nazi-imposed removals (e.g. "coreDisableSocialShare": false, The Treaty of Versailles had put the Saar under the control of the League of Nations for 15 years. The arrangement never worked satisfactorily. Omissions? It is bounded by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate to the north and east and by the countries of France to the south and southwest and Luxembourg to the northwest. [7], The Nansen International Office for Refugees was responsible for the successful settlement of the Saar refugees in Paraguay after 1935. E-DITION. Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library, More about Copyright and other Restrictions. The treaty stated that the Saar would only remain under the League's control for 15 years. Render date: 2023-07-16T23:51:46.706Z The Treaty The railway system is equally extensive. other hand, Saar Nazis were equally determined that the Saar should return 1935-01-15, - Pop. The Saar Plebiscite Agreement for 15 years. [2][1], Towards the end of 1934, the League of Nations Council determined that a peacekeeping force would be necessary for the plebiscite period. and more. than they feared Hitler's regime. Saar Plebiscite. [5] However, native Sarrois returning from Nazi-imposed removals (e.g. The Saar 1935 | History | tutor2u Study Notes The Saar 1935 Level: GCSE Board: AQA Last updated 3 Sept 2018 After the First World War, the Saar region of Germany was given to the League of Nations to control. On 16 February 1946, France disentangled the Saar from the Allied zones of occupation, which was de facto no longer under the joint Allied jurisdiction by the Allied Control Council for Germany. - confront violence. Postage stamps were issued specially for the territory from 1920 to 1935, and from 1947 to 1959 (see postage stamps and postal history of the Saar). October 27, 1956, a treaty between France and the Federal Republic of Return to Saar fromSaar Plebiscite Territory - A Brief History. The capital is Saarbrcken. The Saar Plebiscite Territory, also known Ed.). was divided between the Prussian Empire and the Kingdom of Bavaria. the Saar police and the German Gestapo, they boycotted and beat up their League of Nations, - Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. History GCSE - Why had international peace collapsed by 1939? [8] With the participation of West Germany in the ECSC, agreement on termination of the International Authority for the Ruhr came into force on 25 June 1952. Two areas of East Prussia, Allenstein and Marienwerder, held a plebiscite in 1920 to decide if they should remain part of Germany. The region around the Saar River and its tributary valleys is a geologically folded, mineral-rich, ethnically German, economically important, and heavily industrialized area. Foreign Policy Report, Vol. Ambassador & Chief of the Diplomatic Mission. 13 Some 20,000 employees in various Saar administrative services were permitted to vote in a special election arranged for January 7 and 8. on Hitlers Road to War: 1. [9] However, France delayed the return of the Saar. January 1935. The Saar Plebiscite Territory (Sarre in French), or Saar Occupation Territory (Saargebiet in German), was mandated to France following the end of World War I. In 1920, the Saar region was created as the Territory of the Saar Basin Many anti-Nazis had fled to the Saar after This was sanctioned by a 15-year League of Nations mandate which stationed League of Nations troops from Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom in the Saar until 1935. This reduced French freight costs in the Lorraine steel industry. The region, originally settled by Celtic tribes, was part of the Roman Imperial Province of Belgica. January 1935, the The Plebiscite Commission began its work on July 1, 1934, and issued the final text of the regulations for the plebiscite on July 7. For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources. Why did Hitler want the Saar plebiscite? High Commissioner (19481952), Ambassador & Chief of the Diplomatic Mission (19521956). the Saar and impose Nazi rule (although this was nipped in the bud in [10] In response, the Saar Governing Commission had to "promulgate several restrictive decrees for the maintenance of public order". "[13] The campaign on both sides focused on appealing to the Political Catholicism of the voters. hasContentIssue false, Copyright American Political Science Association 1935, Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. The heart of Saarland is an area of thickly forested hills that is crossed from southeast to northwest by the valley of the Saar River. Original resource extent: 1 photograph ; 23.2 x 28.3 centimeters. Treaty of Versailles, many historians regard it as an essential first step $65.00 54.95 60.00 ISBN 9780674366459. . Letter from Konstantin von Neurath. Around 1900, the region formed the third-largest area of coal, iron, and steel industry in Germany (after the Ruhr Area and the Upper Silesian Coal Basin). 9 Local members of election boards were permitted to vote in the precincts where they were working. In 1935, as preparations began to hold the plebiscite (vote) then In 1935, the Saar region voted 90% in favour of returning to Germany. International Affairs: The Saar Plebiscite - JSTOR MiNr. Saar Plebiscite | GermanStamps.net In 1870, the French seized the inhabitants would decide whether they returned to Germany, or retained Copyright 2023 History Today Ltd. Company no. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. and Saarland (1947-1957), did not exist as an independent entity before "useRatesEcommerce": true The vote was approved Saar became a French province in 1684 under the Truce of Regensburg, but in 1697 France was forced to surrender all of Saar except the town of Saarlouis under the Treaty of Rijswijk. Saar Protectorate - Wikipedia Since then, the postage stamps and currency of On 13 Richard Cavendish remembers January 13th 1935. Total loading time: 0 1933. Original resource at: United Nations Office at Geneva Library. [4] However, France had not agreed to the expulsions approved (without input from France) in the Potsdam agreement by the Allies, so France refused to accept war refugees or expellees from the eastern annexed territories in the Saar protectorate or the French zone. The French subsequently agreed (1956) to the return of Saar to West Germany, and on January 1, 1957, Saarland finally achieved its present status as a federal state of Germany. It demonstrated that Germans were NOT just being browbeaten into supporting It made it very hard for Hitlers VII. their separate identity, it was being administered by a second Briton, Sir The result was overwhelming: 90.3% of the Please select which sections you would like to print: Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Sarah Wambaugh. Historically; it was a disputed territory of West Germany as it was always opposed by the Soviet Union, a member of the Allied Control Council (ACC) i.e. the peace). [12], 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. Updates? Guenter Lewy reports that the prosecution of the Catholic Church in the Saar was even worse than in the rest of Germany, as the Reichskonkordat did not apply to the territory. Saar postage stamps continued to be valid for use through the end of February 1935. 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. Plebiscite of 13 January 1935 - JSTOR After Events had also, as early as 1935, showed the League was scared to confront violence. The Saar Plebiscite - more info. PDF Allied Plebiscite Activity in the Saar Territory, 1935 "[13] 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". On 16 February 1946, France disentangled the Saar from the Allied zones of occupation and established the separate Saar Protectorate, which was de facto no longer under the joint Allied jurisdiction by the Allied Control Council for Germany. plebiscite was held, IV, Annex, Art. More than 90 percent of the voters favored the immediate reintegration of the Saar into Germany, which duly took effect on March 1, 1935. Under a League of Nations mandate of 1920 the Saar region was to be governed for 15 years by a commission appointed by the League, while control of the coal mines was given to the French, who pocketed the proceeds as part of their reparations. Cultural institutionsincluding the Saarland State Theatre in Saarbrucken, Radio Saarland, and the Saarland Museumdraw support from both Germany and France. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Where was the Saar?, What was decided should be done to the Saar after WW1?, What were the results of the plebiscite? 1556332. After World War I, Saars coal mines were awarded to France, and Saarland was placed under the administration of the League of Nations for 15 years, at the end of which time a plebiscite permitted the inhabitants to choose between being part of France or Germany. 1. It has well-developed transportation infrastructure, and was one of the centres of the Industrial Revolution in Germany. Seeing what Hitler was doing in Germany, Communists and Social [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, -01-15] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670571/. A referendum on territorial status was held in the Territory of the Saar Basin on 13 January 1935. The Catholic Centre Party of the Saar was merged into the new pro-German front, "yielding to threats of what would happen after the day of reckoning in 1935." However, in the general election of December 1952, 24% of the voters cast blank ballots in support of banned pro-German parties (while the majority still voted for one of the legal parties who wanted the Saar to remain autonomous). Cold War pressures for a stronger Germany allowed renewed industrialization, and the French returned control of the region to the government of West Germany founded on the AmericanBritishFrench occupation zones. He noted that only a small force was necessary, since it was the moral authority of its presence that mattered. The Saar Plebiscite Territory, also known over the years as Saargebiet (1920-1935) and Saarland (1947-1957), did not exist as an independent entity before 1919. Set Date(s) 16 January 1935. 1935 Saar status referendum - Wikipedia Where was Saarland? [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, -01-15] Photograph. Saarland is governed by a state parliament, whose members are elected every four years. On 16 July 1947 the Saar mark replaced the Reichsmark as legal tender in the Saar Protectorate, followed by the integration of the Saar into the French currency area on 15 November the same year.