Republic of Alsace-Lorraine
The Republic of Alsace-Lorraine was a proclaimed independent nation after the First World War , which in 1918 existed in the form of three departments only a few days between the release of the Reichsland Alsace-Lorraine from the German Empire and its incorporation into France .
history
After the defeat of the German Reich in World War I, the republic was proclaimed in the course of the November Revolution on November 9, 1918, and Kaiser Wilhelm II went into exile in the Netherlands from his headquarters in Spa, Belgium the next day . On November 11, the Compiègne armistice came into force, which among other things stipulated that the then German empire Alsace-Lorraine should be evacuated by German troops within 15 days. Wilhelm did not officially abdicate until November 28, 1918, but the Reichsland Alsace-Lorraine, which was directly subordinate to the Kaiser because, unlike the other monarchical federal states of the German Empire, it did not have its own sovereign prince, was de facto immediately released into independence. The Landtag of the dismissed Reichsland under Eugen Ricklin then proclaimed the independent Republic of Alsace-Lorraine on November 11, 1918 . Internationally, however, this was not recognized because the war aims of the Allies envisaged the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine to France . As early as October, Chancellor Max von Baden, with the intention of preventing the area from being annexed to France, had offered the Allies an independent republic of Alsace-Lorraine, which they had refused.
Parallel to the proclamation of an independent republic by the parliament of the Reichsland - similar to Karl Liebknecht in Berlin - a soldiers' council also proclaimed the republic. However, the moderate forces prevailed and stopped the attempt to establish a soviet republic .
After about a week French troops moved in: on November 17th in Mulhouse , then in Colmar and Metz , and on November 21st they reached Strasbourg . So it was quickly over with the independence of the area. At first most of the population reacted euphorically to the annexation to France. But when the French began to implement their policy of assimilation , the enthusiasm subsided. The development was particularly negative for the residents of Alsace-Lorraine from the rest of the German Empire who had moved to Alsace-Lorraine since 1871 and who had preferred an independent republic for fear of reprisals by the French. Today the republic, which only existed for a short time, is hardly known; but there are still voices that are disappointed with their quick end. The Republic of Alsace-Lorraine is one of the most short-lived state-like entities in history.
aftermath
Because of the French policy of assimilation, discontent grew within the Alsatian population. This encouraged a strong autonomist movement. In the elections for the French Chamber of Deputies , the Alsatian Autonomists, who cooperated with the Communist Party and the Breton and Corsican nationalists, won an absolute majority in all Alsatian constituencies. The MPs and politicians who spoke out in favor of autonomy were often sentenced to long prison terms by the French state, and the leader of the Autonomist Party, Karl Roos , was executed on 7 February 1940 in Champigneulles near Nancy for alleged espionage.
literature
- Christian Baechler: Le Parti catholique alsacien, 1890–1939 . Presses universitaires de Strasbourg, 1982, DNB 1012213919 (French).
- Christian Baechler: Les Alsaciens et le grand tournant de 1918 . L'Alsatique de poche, 2008 (French).
- Bernard Wittmann: The history of Alsace: an interior view . 1st edition. Kehl, Morstadt 2009, ISBN 978-3-88571-350-0 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ "III. Immediate evacuation of the occupied territories: Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Alsace-Lorraine. It is to be regulated in such a way that it is carried out within 15 days of the signing of the armistice. The German troops, which have not evacuated the designated areas in the stipulated period of time, are made prisoners of war. The entire occupation of these areas by Allied and United States forces will follow the course of evacuation in these countries. […] ”, According to the Allied armistice terms. Compiègne, November 11, 1918
- ↑ Alexander Smoltczyk : The last man. Charles Kuentz from Colmar is the only surviving front-line fighter in the German army. In: The great catastrophe of the 20th century. Spiegel-Spezial , 01/2004, March 31, 2004