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{{Short description|Federated German state, 1918 to 1946}}
{{Noref|date=March 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox Former Subdivision
{{Other uses|Oldenburg (disambiguation)}}
|native_name = ''Freistaat Oldenburg''
{{Infobox former subdivision
⚫
|conventional_long_name = Free State of Oldenburg
|common_name = Oldenburg
| native_name = ''Freistaat Oldenburg''
⚫
| conventional_long_name = Free State of Oldenburg
|
| common_name = Oldenburg
|continent = Europe
| era =
|country = Germany
|era =
| subdivision = State
| nation = [[Weimar Republic|Germany]]
|subdivision = State
|nation = [[Weimar Republic|Germany]]
| government_type = [[Republic]]
⚫
| year_start = 1918
|government_type = Republic
| year_end = 1946
⚫
|year_start = 1918
|year_end = 1946
| event_start =
| date_start = 11 November
|event_start =
⚫
| event_end =
|date_start =
| date_end = 23 November
⚫
|event_end =
| p1 = Grand Duchy of Oldenburg
|date_end =
|p1 = Grand Duchy of Oldenburg
| flag_p1 = Flag of Oldenburg (Scandinavian Cross).svg
| s1 = Lower Saxony
|flag_p1 = Flag of Oldenburg.svg
|s1 = Lower Saxony
| flag_s1 = Flag of Lower Saxony.svg
⚫
| s2 = Schleswig-Holstein
|flag_s1 = Flag of Lower Saxony.svg
|s2 = Schleswig-Holstein
| flag_s2 = Flag of Schleswig-Holstein.svg
| s3 = Rhineland-Palatinate
⚫
|flag_s2 = Flag of Schleswig-Holstein.svg
|s3 = Rhineland-Palatinate
| flag_s3 = Flag of Rhineland-Palatinate.svg
|flag_s3 = Flag of Rhineland-Palatinate.svg
| image_flag = Flag of Oldenburg (St. George Cross).svg
|image_flag = Flag of Oldenburg.svg
| image_coat = Wappen Freistaat Oldenburg.svg
|image_coat = Wappen Freistaat Oldenburg.png
| image_map = Oldenburg in the German Reich (1925).svg
⚫
| image_map_caption = The Free State of Oldenburg (red) within the [[Weimar Republic]]
|image_map = Map-WR-Oldenburg.svg
| capital = [[Oldenburg (city)|Oldenburg]]
⚫
|image_map_caption = Location of Oldenburg within Germany
|capital = Oldenburg
| stat_pop1 = 545,172
⚫
| stat_area1 = 6,427
|
⚫
| stat_year1 = 1925
|stat_pop1 = 545172
| today = [[Germany]]
⚫
|stat_area1 = 6427
}}
⚫
|stat_year1 = 1925}}
The '''Free State of Oldenburg''' ({{lang-de|Freistaat Oldenburg}}) was a state of the [[Weimar Republic]]. It was established in 1918 following the abdication of the Grand Duke [[Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg|Frederick Augustus II]] following the [[German Revolution]].
The '''Free State of Oldenburg''' ({{langx|de|Freistaat Oldenburg}}) was a [[list of states of the Weimar Republic|federated state]] that existed during the [[Weimar Republic]] and [[Nazi Germany]]. It was established in 1918 following the [[abdication]] of the Grand Duke [[Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg|Frederick Augustus II]] of the [[Grand Duchy of Oldenburg]] after the [[German Revolution]] and was abolished by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] following the [[Second World War]].


== Government ==
In 1937, it lost the exclave districts of [[Eutin]] near the Baltic coast and [[Birkenfeld]] in southwestern Germany to [[Free State of Prussia|Prussia]] and gained the City of [[Wilhelmshaven]]; however, this was a formality, as the [[Nazis|Hitler regime]] had [[de facto]] abolished the federal states in 1934.
The state parliament consisted of a ''[[landtag]]'' with a fluctuating number of members but not more than 48, elected for a term of three years by [[universal suffrage]]. The state administration, headed by a [[Minister-President]], was responsible to the ''landtag'' and could be removed by a vote of no confidence.<ref>{{cite web |title=Der Freistaat Oldenburg Überblick |url=http://www.gonschior.de/weimar/Oldenburg/index.htm |access-date=2 March 2023}}</ref> For most of the Weimar period, due to the political stalemate in the ''landtag'' with neither the parties of the left nor the right able to form a stable [[parliamentary coalition]], the state governments usually were headed by [[Independent politician|non-partisan]] technocrats.<ref>{{cite web |title=Der Freistaat Oldenburg Die Staatsministerien 1918–1933 |url=http://www.gonschior.de/weimar/Oldenburg/Ueberblick_Reg.html |access-date=2 March 2023}}</ref>


From 1925 to 1927, following [[Bavaria]]'s lead, Oldenburg was one of many German states that issued a ban on [[Adolf Hitler]]'s participation in public meetings.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pridham |first=Geoffrey |title=Hitler's Rise to Power: The Nazi Movement in Bavaria, 1923-1933 |location=New York |publisher=Harper & Row |year=1973 |page=42 |isbn=978-0-061-36116-6}}</ref> However, in the [[1932 Oldenburg state election|May 1932 ''landtag'' election]], the [[Nazi Party]] became the largest party with 48% of the vote and captured a majority of the ''landtag'' seats, for the first time in any German state. When the Nazi Party ''[[Gauleiter]]'' of [[Gau Weser-Ems]], [[Carl Röver]], became Minister-President on 16 June 1932, Oldenburg became one of only five states to have installed a Nazi-led government before the Nazis came to power nationally.<ref>{{cite book |last=Orlow |first=Dietrich |title=The History of the Nazi Party: 1919–1933 |publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press |year=1969 |page=277 |isbn=0-8229-3183-4}}</ref>
By the beginning of World War II in 1939, as a result of these territorial changes, Oldenburg had an area of {{convert|5375|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and 580,000 inhabitants.


Following their [[Nazi seizure of power|seizure of power]] at the national level, the Nazi government enacted the "[[Second Law on the Coordination of the States with the Reich]]" that established more direct control over the states by means of the new powerful position of ''[[Reichsstatthalter]]'' (Reich Governor). Röver was installed in this post for both Oldenburg and [[Bremen (state)|Bremen]] on 5 May 1933 and was succeeded as Minister-President by [[Georg Joel]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Miller |first1=Michael D. |last2=Schulz |first2=Andreas |title=Gauleiter: The Regional Leaders of the Nazi Party and Their Deputies, 1925–1945 |volume=2 (Georg Joel - Dr. Bernhard Rust) |publisher=R. James Bender Publishing |year=2017 |pages=11; 403–405|isbn=978-1-932-97032-6}}</ref > When Röver died on 15 May 1942, [[Paul Wegener]] became ''Reichsstatthalter''.
⚫
After [[World War II]], Oldenburg was merged into the newly founded state of [[Lower Saxony]] as the administrative region (Verwaltungsbezirk) of Oldenburg, both of which became a part of [[West Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]] in 1949. The two enclaves became part of the States of [[Schleswig-Holstein]] and [[Rheinland-Pfalz]] respectively.

== Rulers of Oldenburg ==
=== Minister-Presidents ===
* 1918–1919 [[Bernhard Kuhnt]] ([[Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany|USPD]])
* 1919–1923 [[Theodor Tantzen]] ([[German Democratic Party|DDP]])
* 1923–1930 [[Eugen von Finckh]] (non-partisan)
* 1930–1932 [[Friedrich Cassebohm]] (non-partisan)
* 1932–1933 [[Carl Röver]] ([[National Socialist German Workers Party|NSDAP]])
* 1933–1945 [[Georg Joel]] (NSDAP)
* 1945–1946 [[Theodor Tantzen]] ([[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]])

=== ''Reichsstatthalter'' ===
* 1933–1942 [[Carl Röver]] (NSDAP)
* 1942–1945 [[Georg Joel]] (NSDAP)

== Territorial changes ==
The state originally consisted of the main district of [[Oldenburg Land]], as well as the two [[exclave]]s of [[Eutin]] near the Baltic coast and [[Principality of Birkenfeld|Birkenfeld]] in southwestern Germany. As a result of the [[Greater Hamburg Act]] it lost both exclave districts to [[Free State of Prussia|Prussia]] and gained the City of [[Wilhelmshaven]] in return, effective 1 April 1937. By the beginning of the war in 1939, as a result of these territorial changes, Oldenburg had an area of {{convert|5,375|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and 580,000 inhabitants.
⚫
After the war, Oldenburg was part of the [[British occupation zone in Germany|British occupation zone]]. It lost its status as a separate German state when it was merged into the newly founded state of [[Lower Saxony]] as the administrative region ({{lang|de|Verwaltungsbezirk}}) of Oldenburg, and became a part of [[West Germany]] upon its establishment in May 1949. The two exclaves became part of the states of [[Schleswig-Holstein]] and [[Rhineland-Palatinate]], respectively.


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Duchy of Oldenburg]]
* [[Duchy of Oldenburg]]
* [[Oldenburg (state)]]
* [[Oldenburg Landtag elections in the Weimar Republic]]
* [[Rulers of Oldenburg]]
* [[Rulers of Oldenburg]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}


{{States of the Weimar Republic}}
{{States of the Weimar Republic}}
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{{coord missing|Germany}}
{{coord missing|Germany}}


{{Authority control}}
⚫
[[Category:States of the Weimar Republic|Oldenburg]]
⚫
[[Category:History of Lower Saxony]]
⚫
[[Category:History of Schleswig-Holstein]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Oldenburg, Free State of}}
[[de:Freistaat Oldenburg]]
[[Category:1918 establishments in Germany]]
[[fr:État libre d'Oldenbourg]]
[[Category:1946 disestablishments in Germany]]
[[it:Libero Stato di Oldenburg]]
[[Category:Former republics]]
[[ko:올덴부르크 주]]
⚫
[[Category:Former states and territories of Lower Saxony]]
[[nl:Vrijstaat Oldenburg]]
⚫
[[Category:Former states and territories of Schleswig-Holstein|Oldenburg]]
[[no:Fristaten Oldenburg]]
[[sv:Fristaten Oldenburg]]
[[Category:Oldenburg (state)|FreeState]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1946]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1918]]
⚫
[[Category:States of the Weimar Republic|Oldenburg]]

Latest revision as of 17:53, 22 November 2024

For other uses, see Oldenburg (disambiguation).
Free State of Oldenburg
Freistaat Oldenburg
State of Germany
1918–1946
Flag of Oldenburg
Flag

The Free State of Oldenburg (red) within the Weimar Republic
CapitalOldenburg
Area 
• 1925
6,427 km2 (2,481 sq mi)
Population 
• 1925
545,172
 • TypeRepublic
History 
• Established
11 November 1918
• Disestablished
23 November 1946
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Grand Duchy of Oldenburg
Lower Saxony
Schleswig-Holstein
Rhineland-Palatinate
Today part ofGermany

The Free State of Oldenburg (German: Freistaat Oldenburg) was a federated state that existed during the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. It was established in 1918 following the abdication of the Grand Duke Frederick Augustus II of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg after the German Revolution and was abolished by the Allies following the Second World War.

Government

[edit]

The state parliament consisted of a landtag with a fluctuating number of members but not more than 48, elected for a term of three years by universal suffrage. The state administration, headed by a Minister-President, was responsible to the landtag and could be removed by a vote of no confidence.[1] For most of the Weimar period, due to the political stalemate in the landtag with neither the parties of the left nor the right able to form a stable parliamentary coalition, the state governments usually were headed by non-partisan technocrats.[2]

From 1925 to 1927, following Bavaria's lead, Oldenburg was one of many German states that issued a ban on Adolf Hitler's participation in public meetings.[3] However, in the May 1932 landtag election, the Nazi Party became the largest party with 48% of the vote and captured a majority of the landtag seats, for the first time in any German state. When the Nazi Party Gauleiter of Gau Weser-Ems, Carl Röver, became Minister-President on 16 June 1932, Oldenburg became one of only five states to have installed a Nazi-led government before the Nazis came to power nationally.[4]

Following their seizure of power at the national level, the Nazi government enacted the "Second Law on the Coordination of the States with the Reich" that established more direct control over the states by means of the new powerful position of Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor). Röver was installed in this post for both Oldenburg and Bremen on 5 May 1933 and was succeeded as Minister-President by Georg Joel.[5] When Röver died on 15 May 1942, Paul Wegener became Reichsstatthalter.

Rulers of Oldenburg

[edit]

Minister-Presidents

[edit]

Reichsstatthalter

[edit]

Territorial changes

[edit]

The state originally consisted of the main district of Oldenburg Land, as well as the two exclaves of Eutin near the Baltic coast and Birkenfeld in southwestern Germany. As a result of the Greater Hamburg Act it lost both exclave districts to Prussia and gained the City of Wilhelmshaven in return, effective 1 April 1937. By the beginning of the war in 1939, as a result of these territorial changes, Oldenburg had an area of 5,375 km2 (2,075 sq mi) and 580,000 inhabitants.

After the war, Oldenburg was part of the British occupation zone. It lost its status as a separate German state when it was merged into the newly founded state of Lower Saxony as the administrative region (Verwaltungsbezirk) of Oldenburg, and became a part of West Germany upon its establishment in May 1949. The two exclaves became part of the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Rhineland-Palatinate, respectively.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Der Freistaat Oldenburg Überblick". Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Der Freistaat Oldenburg Die Staatsministerien 1918–1933". Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  3. ^ Pridham, Geoffrey (1973). Hitler's Rise to Power: The Nazi Movement in Bavaria, 1923-1933. New York: Harper & Row. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-061-36116-6.
  4. ^ Orlow, Dietrich (1969). The History of the Nazi Party: 1919–1933. University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 277. ISBN 0-8229-3183-4.
  5. ^ Miller, Michael D.; Schulz, Andreas (2017). Gauleiter: The Regional Leaders of the Nazi Party and Their Deputies, 1925–1945. Vol. 2 (Georg Joel - Dr. Bernhard Rust). R. James Bender Publishing. pp. 11, 403–405. ISBN 978-1-932-97032-6.

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