The Saar Plebiscite

A 1934 campaign button for the reunification of the Saar

In March of 1935, Germany made one of its many prewar land acquisitions, land under the protection of the League of Nations. This time, it was the territory of the Saar basin. The Saar is located on the French-German border. It was taken as a League protectorate in 1920 under French rule, but by 1933, with the rise of Hitler to power, Germany wanted the Saar back. Germany waged a voting campaign throughout Germany and in the Saar itself for absorbing the Saar into Germany. The vote revealed in the Saar that 90% of those who voted favored aligning with Germany. In January of 1935, the action was approved by the League of Nations, with the Saar becoming part of Germany in March of that year.

By the end of the war, however, the Saar was once again under French rule, and remained that way until 1955, when the Saar once again rejoined Germany. Today, the modern German state of the Saarland has similar borders as the Saar once did back in 1935, and where once the population was about 800,000 it is now over 1 million. Until next time, take care, and thank you.