# State of Thuringia (1920–1952)

The State of Thuringia (German: Land Thüringen,) was a German state during the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany, as well as a state of the Soviet occupation zone in Germany and East Germany. The state capital was Weimar, the largest city Gera.
The state was created on 1 May 1920 from a merger of the Thuringian free states: Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Gotha, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and the People's State of Reuss. The Free State of Coburg, however, joined Bavaria. An integration of areas from Prussian Thuringia could not be realized despite various efforts. In Thuringia and northern Franconia, the centuries-long era of strong territorial fragmentation came to an end.
With the 1934 Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich, the country was brought into line, with the Gau Thuringia under Fritz Sauckel playing the more important role politically. Following World War II, after a brief American occupation, the country became part of the Soviet Occupation Zone (SBZ). It was enlarged to 15,585 km$^2$ by the Prussian Erfurt administrative district and received a new constitution on 20 December 1946. With the July 1952 reorganization of the East German states into districts, Thuringia transferred its administrative functions to three new districts, and the state was formally dissolved in December 1958.

## Foundation

As early as the end of 1918, the governments of the Thuringian Free States, including the Free State of Coburg, began negotiations on a merger of all of them, if possible including the Prussian territories. Since the Free State of Prussia was not prepared to make any territorial changes, the founding of the state was pushed forward in 1919 as a so-called "small Thuringian solution".
During the founding negotiations, the state governments of the Free State of Saxe-Meiningen and Coburg expressed concerns about whether annexation to the state to be formed would be advantageous; because the more Franconian-influenced area south of the Rennsteig had always felt more closely connected, both linguistically and regionally, to the Franconian areas, which have belonged to Bavaria since the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803. Saxony-Meiningen's concerns were allayed (among other things by a guarantee of continued existence for the Sonneberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce and for the districts). In a referendum on 30 November 1919, the Free State of Coburg voted 88 percent against joining Thuringia, after which unification with the Free State of Bavaria was completed on 1 July 1920.
Through the Reich Law of 30 April 1920 (RGBl. I p. 841), the seven people's or free states, excluding the Coburg region, were finally united on 1 May 1920, to form the State of Thuringia with an area of 11,763 km$^2$. The first state coat of arms had seven stars on a red background, symbolizing the former free states. The capital was Weimar. The Constitution of the State of Thuringia, which was adopted on 11 March 1921, and the Community Treaty of 1919 were drafted by the Jena representative of the German Democratic Party, Eduard Rosenthal [de].

## Coat of arms

The state coat of arms goes back to a law of the state parliament from 7 April 1921. The coat of arms shows seven silver stars on a red background; the stars stand for the seven individual states from which Thuringia was formed in 1920.
In 1933, the state received a new coat of arms under the National Socialist government, as the stars were too reminiscent of the Jewish Star of David. The state coat of arms awarded by the National Socialists showed a Colorful Lion in the middle (symbol of the Landgraves of Thuringia) with the Swastika in its right paw; above were the Saxon Diamond Wreath (symbol of the Ernestine territories) and the Schwarzburg eagle. Below were the Reussian lion and the Henne der Henneberger. This coat of arms was used from 1933 to 1945. The authorities only used the heart shield as the small state coat of arms. The coat of arms was designed by the Altenburg painter Ernst Müller-Gräfe [de]. Because of its symbols, it was also mocked as the "Thuringian Zoo".
After the Second World War, a golden lion on a red background was used. The lion was surrounded by eight silver stars, which symbolized the eight parts of the country, including the Prussian territories incorporated into Thuringia in 1945. The stars, as a symbol of the unity of the country, have been preserved in the state coat of arms to this day.

## Flag

The large state flag bears the state colors of white and red and shows the state coat of arms in the white stripe on the left (Ordinance of 25 April 1922, Section III, Paragraph 2). The state colors are white and red (Law of 7 April 1921, Section 2).

## Politics and administration, 1920 to 1933

The Weimar Republic, on 30 April 1920, recognized "the land of Thuringia", which on 12 May of the same year received a provisional and, after several serious disturbances, on 11 March 1921 a permanent constitution. According to this, Thuringia was a democratic republic with popular initiative and referendum. For the former, which may refer to legislative proposals, amendments to and repeal of laws, constitutional amendments and dissolution of the Landtag, participation of at least 1/10 of those entitled to vote was required. A referendum was held if the country parliament adopted a bill brought about by people's initiative; excluded from it, however, were finance laws. At least half of those entitled to vote must participate in the referendum, and for its legal force a majority of those voting was required.
The representative assembly, the Landtag, consisted in 1926 of 72 members elected for 3 years (one for every 12 000 votes cast), must be convened by the government no later than the 30th day after the election, and also met at the call of its president in the last half of February every year. It decided itself the time of its dissolution and its new meeting. It would, with the aforesaid exception, legislate, supervise the administration, and appoint government, which must enjoy its confidence and, at its request, attend its meetings and committees. The government, whose number of members was not determined in the constitution, elected the president itself, had collegial responsibility, decided by simple majority and was legally responsible before the state court in Jena.
Administratively, Thuringia was divided into city and country districts and these into Gemeinden, whose highest body was the Gemeinderat elected for 3 years after universal suffrage with one of these for 3 years elected Gemeindevorsteher as the highest functionary. The highest authority in the urban districts was the city council (Stadtrat) and in the rural districts the district council (Kreisrat), and the highest official in the former was the city director (Stadtdirektor) and in the latter the district director (Kreisdirektor), who were not elected, but appointed by the government. Control over the Gemeinden and districts was exercised by a municipal chamber, consisting of a chairman appointed by the government and four assistants, two of whom were elected by the Landtag, one the chairmen of the district councils and one of those of the city councils.
In 1929 Thuringian state election, as the price for joining the coalition government of the Land (state) of Thuringia, the Nazi Party NSDAP received the state ministries of the Interior and Education. On 23 January 1930, Wilhelm Frick was appointed to these ministries, becoming the first Nazi to hold a ministerial-level post at any level in Germany.

## Territorial changes

In 1928, an exchange of territory and a border adjustment took place between the Free State of Saxony and the state of Thuringia. A total of 1,778 hectares with 2,900 inhabitants went to Thuringia (mainly in the southern area around Gera; including the communities of Bocka, Liebschwitz, Rückersdorf, Thonhausen) and 1,115 hectares with 4,890 inhabitants went to Saxony (mainly in the area around Crimmitschau and Limbach-Oberfrohna; including the communities of Rußdorf and Waldsachsen).
On 1 April 1944, the Landkreis Herrschaft Schmalkalden, which belonged to the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau, was reorganized into the Regierungsbezirk Erfurt in the Prussian Province of Saxony. On the same day, a second order divided the province of Saxony into the Province of Magdeburg and the Province of Halle-Merseburg, and incorporated the region of Erfurt into the State of Thuringia. The administrative district was placed under the control of the Reich Governor in Thuringia in his capacity as Oberpräsident. Constitutional law did not change the administrative district's affiliation to Prussia. The eighth star in the current coat of arms of Thuringia - a lion on a blue background - symbolizes these Prussian territories, which were finally legally annexed at the end of 1945.

## End of the Second World War, SBZ and GDR

At the end of March 1945, the Western Allies approached Thuringia. Despite the imminent end of the war, Nazi officers ordered the "Trutzgau Thuringia" to be defended to the last man; the "Werra Line" west of Eisenach was to be held under all circumstances. This led to fighting on 1 April between Treffurt and Gerstungen between Volkssturm, Hitler Youth and front-line soldiers against the advancing US troops, which claimed around 350 lives and destroyed around 85% of the small town of Creuzburg. This marked the beginning of the occupation of Thuringia; within around two weeks, the entire country was occupied by the Americans. Before this, on 6 April, there had been heavy bombing raids on Gera.
Due to the Allied Agreements of Yalta, the state of Thuringia, with the exception of the exclave of Ostheim vor der Rhön, was occupied by Soviet troops between 2 and 6 July 1945. The country, now part of the Soviet Occupation Zone (SBZ), was enlarged to 15,585 km$^2$ by the addition of the former Prussian Erfurt administrative district. The municipality of Ostheim vor der Rhön was incorporated into Bavaria in 1945 by order of the American military government.
The Thuringian State Parliament was elected in 1946 in semi-free state elections. Thuringia received a new constitution on 20 December 1946. After the political parties were brought into line with bloc parties, it was determined in the unfree State elections in the GDR in 1950 according to unity lists. With the reorganization of the GDR into districts (Bezirke) in July 1952, the state transferred its administrative functions to the three new districts. The area of the state now consisted of the districts Erfurt, Gera and Suhl. In December 1958, the state of Thuringia was formally dissolved.
The state presidents of Thuringia (from 1947 prime ministers) from 1945 were:
* Hermann Brill (SPD, June to July 1945, under American occupation)
* Rudolf Paul (DDP/SED, 1945–1947, fled to the West)
* Werner Eggerath (KPD/SED, 1947–1952)

## Source

This article contains content from the Owl Edition of Nordisk familjebok, a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904 and 1926, now in the public domain.

## Literature

* Joachim Bergmann: The domestic political development of Thuringia from 1918 to 1932 (= Culture and History of Thuringia, Volume 16). Europaforum-Verlag, Lauf a.d.Pegnitz 2001, ISBN 3-931070-27-1.
* Steffen Raßloff: Parties and state politics 1920–1933. Erfurt 2005 (State Center for Political Education Thuringia).
* Steffen Raßloff: History of Thuringia. Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-406-60523-9.
* Christian Faludi, Marc Bartuschka (ed.): "Closer Homeland". The founding of the state of Thuringia in 1920. Weimarer Verlagsgesellschaft / Verlagshaus Römerweg, Wiesbaden 2020, ISBN 978-3-7374-0281-1.