Peoples' State of Hesse

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Volksstaat Hessen
Peoples' State of Hesse

State of Germany

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1918 – 1945

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Flag (until 1933)	Coat of arms

Anthem
Hessenlied

Hesse (red), within Germany at the time of the Weimar Republic

Capital

Darmstadt
49°52′N, 8°39′E

Government

Republic

President

- 1919-1928

Carl Ulrich

- 1935-1945

Historical era

- German revolution

- Constitution

- Disestablished

Area

- 1925

7,692 km² (2,970 sq mi)

Population

- 1925 est.

1,347,279

Density

175.2 /km² (453.6 /sq mi)

The Peoples' State of Hesse (German: Volksstaat Hessen) was the name of the German state of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1918 until 1945.

After the end of World War I the Grand Duchy of Hesse (German: Großherzogtum Hessen) became a republic and changed its name to Peoples' State (meaning republic, in contrast to monarchy, not the later meaning of "peoples' republic" implying a communist state). Its capital was Darmstadt. The state consisted of provinces Upper Hesse (German: Oberhessen, capital Gießen), Starkenburg (capital Darmstadt) and Rhenish Hesse (German: Rheinhessen, capital Mainz).

Area of the state was 7,692 km²; it had 1,347,279 inhabitants. Around two thirds were Protestants, one third Roman Catholics.

In accordance with Treaty of Versailles approximately 40% of its territory, in particular Rhine Hesse and part of Starkenburg, was until June 30, 1930 occupied by the French Army.

After the end of World War II Oberhessen and Starkenburg belonged into the American occupation zone while Rheinhessen on the left bank of Rhine to the French occupation zone. On September 19, 1945 American administration created new state Greater Hesse (German: Groß-Hessen) from their part of the former Hessian state, from the Prussian provinces of Hesse and Nassau and from Frankfurt am Main. On December 1, 1946 Greater Hesse was renamed to Hesse and later became one of federal states of the West Germany.

The part of the state on the left bank of Rhine, and some western parts on the right bank of the Rhine, became part of the Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) federal state.