Saargebiet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Territory of the Saar Basin
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| 1920–1935 | |||||||||
 Flag
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| Capital | Saarbrücken | ||||||||
| Commission Chairman | |||||||||
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• 1920-1926
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Victor Rault | ||||||||
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• 1926-1927
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George W. Stephens | ||||||||
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• 1927-1932
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Sir Ernest Collins Wilton | ||||||||
| Historical era | Interwar period | ||||||||
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• Treaty of Versailles
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January 10 1920 | ||||||||
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• Plebiscite
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January 13, 1935 | ||||||||
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• Disestablished
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March 1 1935 | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
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• 1933
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812000 | ||||||||
| Currency | Saar franc | ||||||||
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The Territory of the Saar Basin was usually called the Saar or the German: Saargebiet. It was a territory governed by the League of Nations under the Treaty of Versailles for 15 years from 1920.
Its population in 1933 was 812,000, and its capital was Saarbrücken.
It was made up of parts of the Prussian Rhine Province and the Bavarian Palatinate of the Rhine. It was slightly smaller than the modern German state of Saarland.
Contents
Commission of Government
According to Treaty of Versailles the highly industrialized Saarland was to be governed by the League of Nations for a period of 15 years, and its coalfields given to France. The Commission of Government, which represented the League of Nations, had five members. At least one member had to be French and one a native of the Saar.
At the end of the 15 year period, in 1935, the people of the Saar voted on how they wanted their country. They voted to become a part of Nazi Germany.
It had a currency, the Saar franc, and its own postage stamps during this period.
Chairmen of the Commission
The League of Nations' control to the region was represented by the following Chairmen of the Commission of Government:
- Victor Rault, France (26 February, 1920 - 18 March, 1926)
- George Washington Stephens, Canada (18 March, 1926 - 8 June, 1927)
- Sir Ernest Colville Collins Wilton, United Kingdom (8 June, 1927 - 1 April, 1932)
- Sir Geoffrey George Knox, United Kingdom (1 April, 1932 - 1 March, 1935)
Plebiscite
In 1933, a lot of anti-Nazi Germans fled to the Saar, as it was the only part of Germany left outside the Third Reich's control. As a result, anti-Nazi groups wanted the Saarland to remain under control of League of Nations as long as Adolf Hitler ruled Germany. However, France had a lot of power in the Saar. France had control of the coalmines and even had the Saar's currency called the franc. Not many Saarlanders liked France, and in the plebiscite on 13 January, 1935, 90% of those voting that wished to join Germany, 8.86% wanted to stay with the League of Nations. Only 0.40% (that is, four voters in every thousand) wanted to join France.
Nazi rule
On 17 January 1935, the territory's re-union with Germany was approved by the League Council. On March 1, the Nazi Germany took over the region, and appointed Josef Bürckel as Reichskommissar für die Rückgliederung des Saarlandes, "Reich Commissioner for the re-union of Saarland".
Many former politicians and office holders of the Saargebiet were changed or arrested by the Nazis.
When re-incorporation was completed, the governor became Reichskommissar für das Saarland, "Reich Commissioner of Saarland" on 17 June 1936.
Other pages
- Saarland The modern Land of Germany
- Saar, a protectorate under French control (1947-1956)
- Sarre, a département of France (1798-1814)
- Saar River
- Nazi Germany
- Free City of Danzig
See also
In Spanish: Territorio de la Cuenca del Sarre para niños
