Rhenish Republic

The **Rhenish Republic** (German: *Rheinische Republik*) is a country in Central Europe. Politically, it is bordered by the Free Socialist Republic of Germany and Baden-Württemberg to the east, France to the south, Belgium and Luxembourg to the west and the Netherlands to the north. Geographically, the Rhine River defines the eastern border, and is an important feature both geographically, culturally and economically.

The Rhenish Republic was established on 10 August 1922 by the Inter-Allied Rhineland High Commission on the initiative of local Rhenish politicians. The area was previously organized as the Inter-Allied Rhineland Occupation Zone, administered jointly by France, Britain and Belgium. This had been the case since the signing of the Treaty of Aachen on 19 November 1920, which ended the German Civil War. The Rhenish Republic became the third state to be formed out of the former territories of the German Empire and Weimar Republic, coming after the Free Socialist Republic of Germany and Baden-Württemberg. It is unrecognised by the FSRD and its socialist allies.

Politically, the country is a unitary parliamentary republic, led by a State Chancellor. The unicameral legislature is the Abgeordnetenhaus, or House of Representatives. The legislature is largely composed of native Rhenish politicians, but a number of exiles from the former Weimar Republic have also been elected. The position of President, established in 1925, is appointed by the Inter-Allied Rhineland High Commission, with the body continuing to play a major role in Rhenish politics. The dominant political party is the Christian People's Party, established and led by former Mayor of Cologne Konrad Adenauer, while Rhenish nationalist forces organize themselves as the United Rhenish Movement chiefly led by Hans Adam Dorten and Franz Josef Smeets.

With an estimated population of 6,000,000, comparable to Sweden, it is one of the minor powers of Europe. The Rhenish Republic rules the western portion of the divided city of Cologne, which stands as the most populated city and the economic center of the country, while the capital is Aachen. Other notable cities and towns include Mönchengladbach, Koblenz, Trier, Mainz, Kaiserslautern, Ludwigshafen am Rhein and Kleve.

## History

### Collapse of the Weimar Government

*Main article: German Revolution*

The outbreak of the German Civil War on 1 May 1919 brought about the unification of anti-communist forces into the White Movement, tacitly loyal to the Weimar government since the collapse of the right-wing April Putsch shortly after the start of the war. However, in reality most of these forces were monarchist-minded and authority gradually slipped from President Friedrich Ebert to military leaders such as Kurt von Schleicher. In December 1919 this unofficial state turned official with the December Putsch, with Schleicher taking over as Chancellor and Ebert being deprived of his remaining powers. Though this new military regime initially led a successful offensive in early 1920 against the communist Spartacists known as the Schleicher Offensive, their advance was eventually halted and the subsequent Summer Offensive reversed their gains and brought about the eventual demise of the Whites by October 1920, with the war ending in November after a brief French intervention in Baden-Württemburg.

The areas on the left bank of the Rhine, however, were left largely unscathed by the war. This was due to the ongoing occupation by the Entente powers that had been in place since the end of the Great War. Amidst the civil war the bridgehead garrisons were reduced in favor of fortifying the river line, and were completely abandoned with the Treaty of Aachen, which indirectly reaffirmed the left bank occupation zone. The Inter-Allied Rhineland High Commission was subsequently established as a joint authority of the occupying powers.

### Establishment of the Rhenish Republic

Local figures involved in Rhenish politics, such as Konrad Adenauer, Hans Adam Dorten, Josef Friedrich Matthes, and Franz Josef Heinz, had begun advocating for autonomy and, to a lesser extent, independence for the Rhineland after the November Revolution, and in the aftermath of the May Revolution and subsequent civil war, they began fervently advocating for a definitive break with the failed Prussian government.

Local political leaders negotiated with the French occupiers to organise a Rhenish legislature which would advise the ruling High Commission. The French were eager to foster a regional Rhenish identity to eliminate pan-German sentiment, and agreed that giving the local people a voice in politics—however small—might aid in quelling revolutionary feelings among the populace. The Rhenish political leaders were considerably more amenable to political and economic cooperation with France than the Prussian politicians.

Therefore, an advisory committee made up of Rhenish political leaders and the mayors of the major cities was established in 1921 to advise the High Commission. On 10 August 1922, after two and a half years of occupation, the Rhenish Republic was established and the occupation zone abolished. The first elections to the Rhenish legislature occurred on 9 November 1924, replacing the advisory committee with an elected unicameral legislature. The position of President was established in 1925, following the 25 May Coup in France, with the new French government seeking further authority over Rhenish politics by establishing the High Commission-appointed position.

### Challenges to Rhenish Legitimacy

A large part of the population, including most of the refugees from other parts of Germany who have chosen to settle in the Rhenish Republic, continue to oppose the establishment of a Rhenish identity separate from the pan-German identity. One of the deepest political divisions in Rhenish politics more generally is whether to reclaim the mantle of German republicanism, or to foster a Rhenish identity. Though the dominant Christian People's Party has sought to form a middle-ground between these two positions, this approach has proven unable to halt the rise of right-wing German nationalist sentiments represented by the German Conservative Party.