Landtag Reuss younger line

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The Landtag Reuss Younger Line was the legislature of the principality or Free State of Reuss Younger Line (Reuss-Gera) from 1848 to 1920 .

prehistory

Land estates already existed in the Russian principalities before the 19th century . These consisted of the curiae of the knighthood and the representatives of the cities. Representation of the clergy was not planned. The stands met as planned every eight years. In accordance with the division of the Reuss younger line, there were separate knights and landscapes Reuss-Gera, Reuss-Schleiz, Reuss-Lobenstein and Reuss-Ebersdorf. Since 1662 joint parliaments of these estates took place in the landscape house in Gera . With the rise of absolutism , the sovereigns tried to reduce the influence of the estates. In Reuss' younger line, however, they were able to maintain at least their core competence, tax approval law. This became clear in a recess before the Reich Chamber of Commerce in Wetzlar in 1779 after a lawsuit from 1772. Count Heinrich XXX. von Reuss-Gera promised the united knights and landscapes that a tax increase, which he had decreed because of the devastation in the Seven Years' War, should first be submitted to them for approval.

Although Article 13 of the German. Federal Act stipulated that in all countries of the German Federal landständische constitutions and state parliament should be established in the principalities of Reuss younger line no constitution had been adopted. The knights and landscapes continued to exist. In 1824 the knights and landscapes of Reuss-Lobenstein and Reuss-Ebersdorf united according to the legacy of the rulers.

The "Advisory State Parliament" 1848/49

In the German Revolution of 1848/49 there were also civil protests in Reuss younger line. On March 16, 1848, citizens of Gera presented their March demands to the joint government , which also included a contemporary constitution with popular representation. As in other parts of Germany, the princes in Reuss younger line had to give in to the demands of the people. On March 25th, Prince Heinrich LXXII. von Reuss-Ebersdorf and Prince Heinrich LXII. von Schleiz to want to meet the demands of the people. On March 27, Chancellor Robert von Bretschneider declared his readiness to elect a state parliament in general elections. This explanation calmed the situation.

The electoral law that Bretschneider presented to the sovereigns on April 16 stipulated that five representatives of the previous knights and landscapes (three from Gera and one each from Schleiz and Lobenstein / Ebersdorf) and 26 freely elected members (7 from the Principality of Schleiz, 7 from the Principality of Lobenstein / Ebersdorf, 10 from the Principality of Gera and 2 from the Saalburg) should form the state parliament. These electoral regulations were put into effect on April 22nd by the princes. It was subsequently approved by the Knights and Landscapes.

The Democrats in the country heavily criticized the bill. In addition to the 5 mandates for the previous knights and landscapes, it was above all the regulation that met with criticism that the state parliament should discuss a draft constitution for the government instead of being free in the consultation basis. The protests did not change the electoral law. The deputies were elected after this and met on October 2, 1848 in Gera for their constituent session.

In the state parliament, the question of the legitimacy of the 5 knight and landscape deputies was first discussed again. The majority of the state parliament called on the government not to invite these representatives any more, the old estates in turn insisted on their participation. On March 9, 1849, Bretschneider asked the Provisional Central Authority . The Reich Ministry of the Interior under Friedrich Bassermann decided in an arbitration on April 5 in favor of the 5 members.

The state parliament agreed on a constitution (the state constitution) and a new right to vote and ended its work on December 21, 1849.

The constitutional state parliament

According to the constitution, the state parliament now consisted of one chamber, which consisted of 19 members. These were elected by all men over 25 years of age who paid the state tax or were economically independent in equal and direct election. The election took place in 19 one-person constituencies. One constituency had about 4,000 residents. In addition to the MPs, substitutes were elected.

The Diet had extensive rights under the budget law , the right of initiative with respect to legislative changes and the Minister indictment . However, the prince retained a veto right against resolutions of the state parliament.

According to these provisions, the first constitutional state parliament was elected in 1851. In the era of reaction , the March achievements were withdrawn. The government presented a revised constitution and, threatening to otherwise dissolve the state parliament, reached a majority of 10 out of 18 votes for these constitutional and electoral law changes on November 25, 1851. The right to vote and the constitution came into effect on April 14, 1852. Now four of the 19 MPs have been elected by the large landowners. Large landowners owned at least 124 acres of agricultural land. The remaining 15 MPs were elected indirectly. 6 came from Gera, 5 from Schleiz and 4 from Lobenstein-Ebersdorf.

The indirect election took place according to a complicated procedure: In the constituencies, the primary voters were divided into five departments (farmers, guild professions, merchants and manufacturers, civil servants and intelligentsia, others) according to their “professional and business interests”. These determined the electors and these the members of parliament.

After this electoral process, the second constitutional state parliament was elected.

The state parliaments from 1857 to 1918

The electoral process proved difficult to implement in practice. Therefore, the right to vote was changed again with the law on the composition and election of the state representation of May 16, 1856.

Now the owner of the Paragiat Reuss-Köstritz received a virile vote . The owners of the manors eligible for the state parliament elected three members of parliament. Nine more were chosen in indirect general elections. Six of these were elected by the cities and three by the rural population. The minimum age of 25 years and a census vote remained .

In 1871 the electoral law was changed in a liberal sense. The virile vote for Reuss-Köstritz remained, the three mandates of the manor owners were replaced by three mandates of the most highly taxed. Twelve MPs were elected in direct universal elections.

In 1913 the electoral law of the principality was changed for the last time with the law on amendments to the Landtag election law of January 8, 1913. The number of general elected representatives was increased from 12 to 17. The right to vote was modeled on the Saxon plural suffrage of 1909: Depending on the tax level, education and age, voters had up to five votes.

After the November Revolution

After the November Revolution, the state parliament was dissolved by the workers 'and soldiers' council and the government. At a meeting of the joint workers 'and soldiers' councils of both Free States of Reuss on January 4, 1919, the law on the state parliaments and the "Ordinance on the state parliament and the state elections of the Free State of Reuss younger line" were passed. On February 2, 1919, the last Reuss younger line parliament was elected on this basis. It consisted of 21 members, 10 of whom resigned on March 31, 1921 because of the downsizing of the regional representation. Elections were made in free, secret and equal voting by men and women using proportional representation . With a turnout of 81.9%, the election result was as follows.

Political party Result Seats
USPD , SPD 62.16% 13 seats
DNVP , DVP 21.04% 5 seats
DDP 16.80% 3 seats

On April 4, 1919, the united Russian Landtag (from the Greizer Landtag and the Landtag Reuss younger line) passed the law on the unification of the two Russian Free States into one People's State of Reuss , as well as on the provisional constitution and administration.

For the members of the united state parliament, see the list of members of the state parliament (Volksstaat Reuss) .

On May 1, 1920, the People's State of Reuss and six other small states in Thuringia merged to form the State of Thuringia . The Reuss state parliament was thus transformed into a regional representative. The Thuringian Landtag became the successor to the Landtag .

Overviews

Presidents of Parliament

MPs

For the members of the Landtag, see the category: Landtag deputy (Reuss younger line) , for the lists of representatives the category: Landtag election period Reuss younger line .

Individual state parliaments 1848–1921

literature

  • Reyk Seela : Diets and regional representations in the Russian states 1848 / 67–1923. Biographical handbook (= Parliaments in Thuringia 1809–1952. Part 2). G. Fischer, Jena et al. 1996, ISBN 3-437-35046-3 .