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People's State of Hesse
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People's State of Hesse
The People's State of Hesse (German: Volksstaat Hessen) was one of the constituent states of Germany from 1918 to 1945, as the successor to the Grand Duchy of Hesse (German: Großherzogtum Hessen) after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, on the territory of the current German states of Hesse and the Rhineland-Palatinate. The State was established after Grand Duke Ernest Louis was deposed on 9 November 1918. The term "People's State" referred to the fact that the new state was a Republic (rather than implying that it was a socialist state) and was used in the same manner as the term Free State, which was employed by most of the other German States in this period.
Like the Grand Duchy, the capital was Darmstadt and the state consisted of provinces Upper Hesse (German: Oberhessen, capital Gießen), Starkenburg (capital Darmstadt) and Rhenish Hesse (German: Rheinhessen, capital Mainz). The area of the state was 7,692 km²; it had 1,347,279 inhabitants in 1925. Around two-thirds professed Protestantism, the other third were Roman Catholics.
Under the Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich of 30 January 1934, the Nazi government abolished the People's State's Landtag and transferred sovereignty from the People's State to the Reich, converting Hesse into an administrative unit of the central government, though formally it retained some local government.
After the German surrender in May 1945, at the end of World War II, Upper Hesse and Starkenburg formed part of the American occupation zone, while Rhenish Hesse, on the left bank of the Rhine, fell within the French occupation zone. On September 19, 1945, American administrators merged the section of the People's State of Hesse with the Prussian provinces of Hesse and Nassau and Frankfurt am Main to form Greater Hesse (German: Groß-Hessen). Greater Hesse was renamed Hesse on December 1, 1946, and later became one of the federal states of West Germany. The parts of the state on the left bank of the Rhine became part of the new state of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) on 30 August 1946.
On 8 November 1918, some of the troops stationed in Darmstadt revolted. Grand Duke Ernest Louis reacted by appointing a State Council (Staatsrat), composed of the Grand Duke, his ministers, and two members drawn from each of the parties represented in the Grand Duchy's parliament. The left-leaning parties in this council called for the Grand Duke's abdication, but he refused, and was supported in this by the National Liberal representatives on the Council: Arthur Osann and Heinrich Köhler.
The next day, the Darmstadt Workers' and Soldiers' Council responded by declaring that the monarchy was abolished and entrusting Carl Ulrich, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Hesse, with the task of forming a government. A transitional government composed of Carl Ulrich (SDP), Heinrich Fulda (SPD), Konrad Henrich (Progress Party) and Otto von Brentano di Tremezzo (Centre) was formed on 14 November. Although the republic had been unilaterally declared by the Workers' and Soldiers' Council, Carl Ulrich was a strong supporter of representative democracy. On 27 November, he instructed the state bureaucracy to accept instructions exclusively from the transitional government and not from the Workers' and Soldiers' Councils. At the same time, free elections were scheduled for 26 January 1919. On 10 December 1918, the Ordinance for the election of a constitutional convention for the Republic of Hesse was published in the Hessian government's gazette, along with some basic laws, drafted by Carl Ulrich.
In accordance with the Treaty of Versailles, approximately 40% of the state's territory (in particular, Rhine Hesse and part of Starkenburg) was occupied by the French Army from January 1919 until June 30, 1930.
In the first state elections on 26 January 1919, the SPD received 44.5% of the vote and Ulrich formed a second cabinet with the German Democratic Party (DDP) and the Centre Party which took office in February. The state constitution came into force on 20 March 1920, and Ulrich continued in office as State-President (German: Staatspräsident). The SDP was re-elected in 1921 (32.6%), 1924 (35.2%), and 1927 (32.6%) and maintained the same coalition. After celebrating his 75th birthday in office in 1928, Ulrich retired and was succeeded as State-President by fellow Social Democrat Bernhard Adelung.
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People's State of Hesse
The People's State of Hesse (German: Volksstaat Hessen) was one of the constituent states of Germany from 1918 to 1945, as the successor to the Grand Duchy of Hesse (German: Großherzogtum Hessen) after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, on the territory of the current German states of Hesse and the Rhineland-Palatinate. The State was established after Grand Duke Ernest Louis was deposed on 9 November 1918. The term "People's State" referred to the fact that the new state was a Republic (rather than implying that it was a socialist state) and was used in the same manner as the term Free State, which was employed by most of the other German States in this period.
Like the Grand Duchy, the capital was Darmstadt and the state consisted of provinces Upper Hesse (German: Oberhessen, capital Gießen), Starkenburg (capital Darmstadt) and Rhenish Hesse (German: Rheinhessen, capital Mainz). The area of the state was 7,692 km²; it had 1,347,279 inhabitants in 1925. Around two-thirds professed Protestantism, the other third were Roman Catholics.
Under the Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich of 30 January 1934, the Nazi government abolished the People's State's Landtag and transferred sovereignty from the People's State to the Reich, converting Hesse into an administrative unit of the central government, though formally it retained some local government.
After the German surrender in May 1945, at the end of World War II, Upper Hesse and Starkenburg formed part of the American occupation zone, while Rhenish Hesse, on the left bank of the Rhine, fell within the French occupation zone. On September 19, 1945, American administrators merged the section of the People's State of Hesse with the Prussian provinces of Hesse and Nassau and Frankfurt am Main to form Greater Hesse (German: Groß-Hessen). Greater Hesse was renamed Hesse on December 1, 1946, and later became one of the federal states of West Germany. The parts of the state on the left bank of the Rhine became part of the new state of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) on 30 August 1946.
On 8 November 1918, some of the troops stationed in Darmstadt revolted. Grand Duke Ernest Louis reacted by appointing a State Council (Staatsrat), composed of the Grand Duke, his ministers, and two members drawn from each of the parties represented in the Grand Duchy's parliament. The left-leaning parties in this council called for the Grand Duke's abdication, but he refused, and was supported in this by the National Liberal representatives on the Council: Arthur Osann and Heinrich Köhler.
The next day, the Darmstadt Workers' and Soldiers' Council responded by declaring that the monarchy was abolished and entrusting Carl Ulrich, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Hesse, with the task of forming a government. A transitional government composed of Carl Ulrich (SDP), Heinrich Fulda (SPD), Konrad Henrich (Progress Party) and Otto von Brentano di Tremezzo (Centre) was formed on 14 November. Although the republic had been unilaterally declared by the Workers' and Soldiers' Council, Carl Ulrich was a strong supporter of representative democracy. On 27 November, he instructed the state bureaucracy to accept instructions exclusively from the transitional government and not from the Workers' and Soldiers' Councils. At the same time, free elections were scheduled for 26 January 1919. On 10 December 1918, the Ordinance for the election of a constitutional convention for the Republic of Hesse was published in the Hessian government's gazette, along with some basic laws, drafted by Carl Ulrich.
In accordance with the Treaty of Versailles, approximately 40% of the state's territory (in particular, Rhine Hesse and part of Starkenburg) was occupied by the French Army from January 1919 until June 30, 1930.
In the first state elections on 26 January 1919, the SPD received 44.5% of the vote and Ulrich formed a second cabinet with the German Democratic Party (DDP) and the Centre Party which took office in February. The state constitution came into force on 20 March 1920, and Ulrich continued in office as State-President (German: Staatspräsident). The SDP was re-elected in 1921 (32.6%), 1924 (35.2%), and 1927 (32.6%) and maintained the same coalition. After celebrating his 75th birthday in office in 1928, Ulrich retired and was succeeded as State-President by fellow Social Democrat Bernhard Adelung.
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