Free State of

Prussia

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The Free State of Prussia (German:

Freistaat Preußen) was a state of
Germany from 1918 to 1947.
 Free State of Prussia
Freistaat Preußen

State of Germany

1918–1935/1947

Coat of arms
Flag (1918–1933)
(1918–1933)

The Free State of Prussia in 1925

Capital Berlin

Area  

• 1925[1] 292,695.36 km2
(113,010.31 sq mi)
Population  
• 1925[1] 38,175,986

Government

 • Type Republic

 • Motto Gott mit uns

"God with us"

Reichsstatthalter  

• 1933–1935 Adolf Hitler

• 1935–1945 Hermann Göring

Minister-President  

• 1918 (first) Friedrich Ebert

• 1933-1945 (last) Hermann Göring

Legislature State Diet

• Upper Chamber State Council

• Lower Chamber House of

 Representatives
Historical era Interwar/World War II

• German Revolution 9 November 1918

• Constitution 30 November 1920

adopted

• Preußenschlag 20 July 1932

• Machtergreifung 30 January 1933

• Reichsstatthaltergeset 30 January 1935

z

• Formally abolished 25 February 1947

Preceded by Succeeded by
Kingdom of Allied-occupied
Prussia Germany
Polish People's
Republic
Soviet Union
Today part of  Germany
 Poland
Russia
 History of Brandenburg and Prussia

Northern March Old Prussians

965–983 pre-13th century

Lutician federation
983 – 12th century

Margraviate of Teutonic Order

Brandenburg 1224–1525
1157–1618 (1806) (Polish fief 1466–
(HRE) 1525)
(Bohemia 1373–
1415)

Duchy of Prussia Royal (Polish)

1525–1618 (1701) Prussia (Poland)
(Polish fief 1525– 1454/1466 – 1772
1657)
 Brandenburg-Prussia
1618–1701
Kingdom in Prussia
1701–1772

Kingdom of Prussia
1772–1918

Free State of Klaipėda Recovered

Prussia Region Territories
(Germany) (Lithuania) (Poland)
1918–1947 1920–1939 / 1918/1945–
1945– present
present

Brandenburg Kaliningrad Oblast

(Germany) (Russia)
1947–1952 / 1990– 1945–present
present
The Free State of Prussia was
established in 1918 following the
German Revolution, abolishing the
German Empire and founding the Weimar
Republic in the aftermath of the First
World War. The new state was a direct
successor to the Kingdom of Prussia, but
featured a democratic, republican
government and smaller area based on
territorial changes after the war. Despite
bearing the brunt of Germany's territorial
losses in Europe, Prussia remained the
dominant state of Germany, comprising
almost 5⁄8 (62.5%) of the country's
territory and population, and home to the
federal capital, Berlin.[1] Prussia changed
from the authoritarian state it had been
under previous rulers to a democratic
bastion within the Weimar Republic
where, unlike in other states, democratic
parties always ruled in majority.

The Free State of Prussia's democratic

government was overthrown in the
Preußenschlag in 1932, placing the state
under direct rule in a coup d'état led by
Chancellor Franz von Papen and forcing
Minister-President Otto Braun from
office. The establishment of Nazi
Germany in 1933 began the
Gleichschaltung process, ending legal
challenges to the Preußenschlag and
placing Prussia under the direct rule of
the National Socialist German Workers'
Party, with Hermann Göring as Minister-
President. In 1934, all German states
were de facto replaced by the Gaue
system and converted to rudimentary
bodies, effectively ending Prussia as a
single territorial unit of Germany. After
the end of World War II in 1945, Otto
Braun approached Allied officials in
occupied Germany to reinstate the legal
Prussian government, but was rejected
and Prussia was abolished in 1947.

History of Prussia after 1918

1918: Aftermath of World War I …

Except for its overseas colonies, Alsace-
Lorraine and the Bavarian portion of the
Saargebiet, all German territorial losses
as a result of World War I were Prussian
losses. As specified in the Treaty of
Versailles, the former kingdom lost
territory to Belgium (Eupen and
Malmedy), Denmark (North Schleswig),
Lithuania (Memel Territory) and
Czechoslovakia (the Hultschin area). The
Saargebiet was administered by the
League of Nations until 1935. The Rhine
Province became a demilitarised zone,
although it remained under Prussian civil
administration.
The bulk of Prussia's losses were to
Poland, including most of the provinces
of Posen and West Prussia, and an
eastern section of Silesia. Danzig was
placed under the administration of the
League of Nations as the Free City of
Danzig. These losses separated East
Prussia from the rest of the country, now
only accessible by rail through the Polish
corridor or by sea.

Since the Germans had not been invited

to the peace conference taking place in
Versailles and because the Allies had
deliberately kept the terms of the treaty
from being made public prior to
presenting them to the German
delegation, many Germans feared that
the Allies were preparing to demand even
harsher peace terms. In particular, it was
thought that the French would seek to
annex the Rhineland. Some prominent
politicians, particularly Rhenish
politicians such as Mayor of Cologne and
future German Chancellor Konrad
Adenauer, called for Prussia to be divided
into smaller and more manageable
states. However, both the Reich and
Prussian governments in Berlin were
dominated by traditionalist sentiment
and strongly opposed the dissolution of
Prussia.
Essentially, apart from its territorial
losses and having its government placed
on a democratic footing, Prussia
continued unchanged. It remained by far
the largest state of the Reich, with more
territory and people than the other states
combined.

1918–1932: Democratic bastion …

During the 500 years of Hohenzollern

rule, Prussia (and its predecessor,
Brandenburg) had been synonymous
with authoritarianism. In contrast,
Prussia was a bulwark of democracy
during the Weimar Republic. The
restrictive Prussian three-class franchise
was abolished shortly after Kaiser
Wilhelm II abdicated. Power now passed
from the Junker landowners and great
industrialists to "Red Berlin" and the
industrialised Ruhr Area – both with
working-class majorities. Prussia now
became a stronghold of the left.

From 1918 to 1932, Prussia was

governed by a coalition of the Social
Democrats, Catholic Centre, and German
Democrats–the member parties of the
Weimar Coalition. For all but nine months
of that period (April–November 1921 and
February–April 1925), a Social Democrat
was minister-president. From 1921 to
1925, coalition governments included the
German People's Party. Unlike in other
states of the German Reich, majority rule
by democratic parties in Prussia was
never endangered. Nevertheless, in East
Prussia and some industrial areas, the
National Socialist German Workers Party
(or Nazi Party) of Adolf Hitler gained
more and more influence and popular
support, especially from the lower middle
class.

Otto Braun, a Social Democrat from East

Prussia, served as Prussian minister-
president almost continuously from 1920
to 1932. A capable leader, he
implemented several trend-setting
reforms together with his minister of the
interior, Carl Severing, which were also
models for the later Federal Republic of
Germany (FRG). For instance, a Prussian
minister-president could be forced out of
office only if there was a "positive
majority" for a potential successor. This
concept, known as the constructive vote
of no confidence, was carried over into
the Basic Law of the FRG. Largely
because of this provision, the centre-left
coalition was able to stay in office
because neither the far left nor the far
right could possibly command enough
support in the legislature to form a
government.

1932: Prussian coup …

All of this changed on 20 July 1932 with
the Preußenschlag ("Prussian coup"):
Reich Chancellor Franz von Papen got
President Hindenburg to remove the
elected Prussian state government under
Otto Braun on the pretext that it had lost
control of public order. This was
triggered by Altona Bloody Sunday, a
shootout between the SA and
Communists (Altona was still a part of
Prussia at that time). After this
emergency decree, Papen appointed
himself Reich Commissioner for Prussia
and took control of the government. This
made it easy for Adolf Hitler to assume
control over Prussia in the following year.
Otto Braun's government filed suit in the
courts, but the cases remained
unresolved due to the war and the
subsequent Allied occupation and
partition of Germany.

Establishment of Nazi rule in

Prussia
…

State flag of Prussia, 1933-1935

On 30 January 1933, Hitler had been

appointed chancellor of Germany. As
part of the deal, Papen was formally
appointed minister-president of Prussia
in addition to his role as Vice Chancellor
of the Reich. In a little-noticed
appointment, Hitler's top lieutenant
Hermann Göring became the state's
interior minister.

Four weeks later (27 February 1933), the

Reichstag was set on fire. At Hitler's
urging, President Paul von Hindenburg
issued the Reichstag Fire Decree, which
suspended civil liberties in Germany. Six
days after the fire, the Reichstag election
of 5 March 1933 strengthened the
position of the Nazi Party, although they
did not achieve an absolute majority.
However, with their coalition partners, the
German National People's Party, Hitler
now commanded a bare majority in the
Reichstag. Göring figured prominently in
this election, as he was commander of
the largest police force in the Reich. His
police beat and harassed the other
parties (especially the Communists and
Social Democrats), and only allowed the
Nazis and Nationalists to campaign
relatively unmolested.

The new Reichstag was opened in the

Garrison Church of Potsdam on 21
March 1933 in the presence of President
Paul von Hindenburg, who had long since
descended into senility. In a propaganda-
filled meeting between Hitler and the
NSDAP, the "marriage of old Prussia with
young Germany" was celebrated, to win
over the Prussian monarchists,
conservatives, and nationalists and
induce them to vote for the Enabling Act.
The act was passed on 23 March 1933,
legally granting Hitler dictatorial powers.

In April 1933, Papen was visiting the

Vatican. The Nazis took advantage of his
absence and appointed Göring in his
place. With this act, Hitler was able to
take power decisively in Germany, since
he now had the whole apparatus of the
Prussian government, including the
police, at his disposal. By 1934 almost all
Prussian ministries had been merged
with the corresponding Reich ministries.

Dismantlement of Prussia …

In the centralized state created by the

Nazis in the "Law on the Reconstruction
of the Reich" ("Gesetz über den
Neuaufbau des Reiches", 30 January
1934) and the "Law on Reich Governors"
("Reichsstatthaltergesetz", 30 January
1935) the States and Provinces of
Prussia were dissolved, in fact if not in
law. The federal state governments were
now controlled by governors for the
Reich who were appointed by the
Chancellor. Parallel to that, the
organization of the party into districts
(Gau) gained increasing importance, as
official in charge of a Gau (the infamous
Gauleiter) was again appointed by the
Chancellor who was at the same time
chief of the NSDAP. Hitler appointed
himself formally as Governor of Prussia,
although his functions were exercised by
Göring.

Two years later, Hitler (who by then was

head of state and the absolute dictator of
Germany) formally transferred the office
of Prussian Reichsstatthalter from
himself to Göring. This position, as well
as that of Minister-President (which
Göring had already held from 1933)
continued to exist until the dying days of
the Third Reich when Hitler dismissed
Göring from all state and Reich offices
for alleged treason.

Some changes were still made to

Prussian provinces after this time. For
example, the Greater Hamburg Act of
1937 transferred some territory from the
provinces of Hanover and Schleswig-
Holstein to Hamburg while at the same
time annexing Hamburgian Geesthacht
and the Hanseatic City of Lübeck to
Schleswig-Holstein as well as
Hamburgian Cuxhaven to the Province of
Hanover. Other redeployments took
place in 1939, involving cessions of
Prusso-Hanoveran suburban
municipalities to Bremen and in return
the annexation of Bremian Bremerhaven
to the Province of Hanover. Also
Hanoveran Wilhelmshaven was ceded to
Oldenburg. In 1942 redeployments
involved the provinces of Saxony and
Hanover and the Brunswick.

The Prussian lands transferred to Poland

after the Treaty of Versailles were
reannexed during World War II. However,
most of this territory was not
reintegrated back into Prussia but
assigned to separate Gaue of Nazi
Germany.
Shortly before his death, Hitler dismissed
Göring from all Reich offices for alleged
treason. The Nazi dictator's last will and
testament, drafted shortly before his
suicide, harshly condemned the Prussian
minister-president but did not appoint a
successor for any Prussian offices held
by Göring or make any other mention of
their status. Likewise, the short-lived
Flensburg government under Karl Dönitz
made no effort to fill any Prussian state
offices. In reality, these had long been
relegated to little more than titular
positions compared to Göring's more
prominent roles in the Nazi regime.

Formal dissolution …
With the end of National Socialist rule in
1945 came the division of Germany into
Zones of Occupation, and the transfer of
control of everything east of the Oder-
Neisse line to other countries. As was the
case after World War I, almost all of this
territory had been Prussian territory (a
small portion of the land east of the
revised border had belonged to Saxony).
Most of the land went to Poland and the
northern third of East Prussia, including
Königsberg, now Kaliningrad was
annexed by the Soviet Union. The losses
represented nearly two-fifths of Prussian
territory and nearly a quarter of territory
within Germany's pre-1938 borders. An
estimated ten million Germans fled or
were forcibly expelled from these
territories as part of the German exodus
from Eastern Europe.

What remained of Prussia comprised

both a little over half of the remaining
German territory and a little over half of
Prussia's pre-1914 territory. In Law No.
46 of 25 February 1947, the Allied Control
Council proclaimed the dissolution of the
Prussian state.[2] The Allies cited
Prussia's history of militarism as a
reason for dissolving it. In reality, Prussia
had ceased to exercise administrative
functions in 1933 and these had now
been absorbed into the administration of
the occupying powers in their respective
geographic areas of control and its
reconstitution was also opposed (if not
for the same reasons) by powerful
German postwar politicians, especially
the first West German Chancellor Konrad
Adenauer.

Even without all of this to consider,

postwar tensions between the Western
Allies and the Soviet Union eventually
resulted in the Soviets establishing a
separate sovereign state in what
essentially had become eastern
Germany, the German Democratic
Republic. This development effectively
cut off Prussia's western territories from
what had been its power base in
Brandenburg, thus making the
establishment of a credible successor
state to the Free State of Prussia all but
impossible.

Government
Unlike its authoritarian pre-war
predecessor, Prussia was a promising
democracy within Germany. The abolition
of the aristocracy transformed Prussia
into a region strongly dominated by the
left wing of the political spectrum, with
"Red Berlin" and the industrial centre of
the Ruhr Area exerting a major influence.
During this period, a coalition of centre-
left parties ruled, predominantly under
the leadership of East Prussian Social
Democrat Otto Braun. While in office he
implemented several reforms together
with his Minister of the Interior, Carl
Severing, which were also models for the
later Federal Republic of Germany. For
instance, a Prussian prime minister could
only be forced out of office if there was a
"positive majority" for a potential
successor. This concept, known as the
constructive vote of no confidence, was
carried over into the Basic Law of the
Federal Republic of Germany. Most
historians regard the Prussian
government during this time as far more
successful than that of Germany as a
whole.

Similar to other German states both now

and at the time, executive power was
continued to be vested in a Minister-
President of Prussia and laws
established by a Landtag elected by the
people.

Ministers-President of the Free

State of Prussia
…
# Name Took office Left office Party

1 Friedrich Ebert 9 November 1918 11 November 1918 SPD

2 Paul Hirsch 11 November 1918 27 March 1920 SPD

3 Otto Braun 27 March 1920 21 April 1921 SPD

4 Adam Stegerwald 21 April 1921 5 November 1921 Centre

– Otto Braun 5 November 1921 18 February 1925 SPD

5 Wilhelm Marx 18 February 1925 6 April 1925 Centre

– Otto Braun 6 April 1925 20 July 1932a SPD

Position administered by the Reichskommissar between 20 July 1932 and 30 January 1933

6 Franz von Papen 30 January 1933 10 April 1933 Independent

7 Hermann Göring 10 April 1933 24 April 1945 NSDAP

a. Ousted during the Preußenschlag; formally deposed on 30 January 1933.

Subdivisions of Prussia

The provinces of the Free State of Prussia in 1920,

before the formation of the separate province of
Berlin
Effects of World War I …

East
The Memel Region of East Prussia was
ceded to Lithuania. The remainder of
province of Silesia that was not ceded
to Poland and Czechoslovakia was
split into the provinces of Upper Silesia
and Lower Silesia in 1919 – although
they were temporarily recombined
(1938–1941).
North
In the province of Schleswig-Holstein,
Allied powers organised two
plebiscites in Northern and Central
Schleswig on 10 February and 14
March 1920, respectively. In Northern
Schleswig 75% voted for reunification
with Denmark and 25% for staying with
Germany, this new addition to Denmark
formed the counties of Aabenraa,
Haderslev, Sønderborg, and Tønder,
from 1970 to 2007 this ceded areas
were merged in South Jutland County.
In Central Schleswig the situation was
reversed with 80% voting for Germany
and 20% for Denmark. No vote ever
took place in the southern third of
Schleswig.
West
The southern tip of the Rhine Province
was placed under French
administration as the Saar by the
League of Nations. The Eupen and
 Malmedy regions in the west of the
Rhine Province were ceded to Belgium,
forming the region that contains the
German-speaking community of
Belgium.

Changes prior to the Nazi regime …

In 1920, the Greater Berlin Act was

passed to create Greater Berlin, enlarging
the Prussian capital at the expense of
Brandenburg, from which Berlin had been
separated in 1881.[3] The Greater Berlin
Act effectively enlarged the size of the
city 13-fold, and its borders are largely
maintained by the modern German state
of Berlin.
The remainder of the provinces of Posen
and West Prussia were combined to form
Posen-West Prussia in 1922.

Following a plebiscite in 1929 Waldeck

merged with Prussia. The event was
commemorated by a 3 Reichsmark
coin.[4]

Post-war dismemberment …

After the Allied occupation of Germany in

1945, the provinces of Prussia were split
up into the following territories/German
states:

Ceded to the Soviet Union

The northern third of East Prussia.
Today, the Kaliningrad Oblast is a
Russian exclave between Lithuania
and Poland.
Ceded to Poland
Everything east of the Oder-Neisse line
plus Stettin. This amounted to most of
Silesia, Eastern Pomerania, the
Neumark region of Brandenburg, all of
Posen-West Prussia, and the
remainder of East Prussia not ceded to
Russia.
Placed under Soviet administration
The following states, after merging
with other German states, were formed
after the war, then abolished in 1952
and finally recreated following the
reunification of Germany in 1990:
Brandenburg, from the remainder of
the Province of Brandenburg.
Saxony-Anhalt, from the bulk of the
Province of Saxony. The remainder of
the province became part of Thuringia.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: the
remainder of the Province of
Pomerania (most of Western
Pomerania) merged into Mecklenburg
Saxony: the remainder of the Province
of Silesia merged into Saxony.
Placed under Allied administration
The remainder of Prussia was merged
with other German states to become
the following states of West Germany:
Schleswig-Holstein, from the province
of Schleswig-Holstein (under British
administration).
Lower Saxony, from the province of
Hanover (under British administration).
North Rhine-Westphalia, from the
province of Westphalia and the
northern half of the Rhine Province
(under British administration).
Rhineland-Palatinate, from the
southern remainder of the Rhine
Province (under French
administration).
Hesse, from the province of Hesse-
Nassau (under American
administration).
Württemberg-Hohenzollern, from the
province of Hohenzollern (under
French administration). The state was
ultimately merged with Baden and
Württemberg-Baden to form Baden-
Württemberg.
Berlin
Divided into East Berlin under Soviet
administration and West Berlin under
Allied sectors of administration
(British, French and American). West
Berlin was surrounded by East
Germany and ultimately was enclosed
by the Berlin Wall. The two-halves were
reunited after German reunification to
form the modern German state of
 Berlin. A proposal to merge Berlin with
the reformed state of Brandenburg
was rejected by popular vote in 1996.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media

related to Freistaat Preußen.

Prussia
History of Germany

References
1. Beckmanns Welt-Lexikon und Welt-
Atlas. Leipzig / Vienna:
Verlagsanstalt Otto Beckmann.
1931.
2. "Council Control Law 46: Abolition of
the State of Prussia" . 25 February
1947.
3. On 1 April 1881 Berlin was
disentangled from the province of
Brandenburg. Consisting of the mere
one city of Berlin its lord mayor
(German: Oberbürgermeister)
fulfilled in personal union the task of
the Landesdirektor and the city
council the role of the provincial
committee. While the role of the
upper president was taken by the
Prussian government-appointed
chief of police (German:
Polizeipräsident in Berlin). Cf.
Meyers großes Konversations-
 Lexikon: 20 vols. – completely rev.
and ext. ed., Leipzig and Vienna:
Bibliographisches Institut, 1903–08,
here vol. 2, article 'Berlin', p 700. No
ISBN
4. Weimar Commemorative 3 Mark Set
1929A WALDECK-PRUSSIA

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