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Saar Protectorate of France ← 1947 – 1956 → Flag Coat of arms Borders of post-WW2 Germany (1949). The Saar is in purple. Capital Saarbrücken Government Republic Historical era Cold War  - Established December 15, 1947  - WEU referendum October 23, 1955  - Saar Treaty October 27, 1956 Currency Saar mark, Saar franc

The Saar, corresponding to the current German state of Saarland, was a protectorate under French control between 1947 and 1956.

Under the Treaty of Versailles the Saar had earlier been governed by the League of Nations for a period of 15 years from 1920, and its coalfields administered by France. In a plebiscite held in the territory at the end of this 15-year term, on January 13, 1935, 90.7 percent of the voters cast their ballot in favor of a return to Germany while only 0.4 percent voted for union with France, the rest favored the third option in the referendum, that of maintaining the status quo. After incorporation into the Third Reich in 1935 it was included in the Gau of Saar-Palatinate (Saarpfalz) which was renamed Westmark in 1942.

The territory had previously been under French administration during the Napoleonic Wars, when it had been included in the French Empire as the département of Sarre between 1798 and 1814.

After World War II, the Saarland came under French administration again, as the Saar Protectorate.

Under the Monnet Plan France attempted to gain economic control of the remaining German industrial areas with large coal and mineral deposits; the Ruhr area and the Saar area (Germany's second largest centre of mining and industry, Upper Silesia, had been handed over to Poland by the Allies, and the German population was being forcibly expelled). Attempts to gain control of or permanently internationalize the Ruhr (see International Authority for the Ruhr ) area were abandoned in 1951 with the German agreement to pool its coal and steel resources (see European Coal and Steel Community) in return for full political control of the Ruhr. The French attempt to gain economic control over the Saar was temporarily more successful.

In the speech Restatement of Policy on Germany, held in Stuttgart on September 6, 1946, the United States Secretary of State James F. Byrnes stated the U.S. motive in detaching the Saar from Germany as "The United States does not feel that it can deny to France, which has been invaded three times by Germany in 70 years, its claim to the Saar territory". (see also Morgenthau plan for U.S. and UK designs for the Saar area)

In the years 1945 - 1951, a policy of industrial disarmament was pursued in Germany by the Allies (see The industrial plans for Germany). As part of this policy limits were placed on allowed production levels, and industries in the Saar were dismantled just as in the Ruhr, although mostly in the period prior to the detachment (see also the 1949 letter from the UK Foreign minister Ernest Bevin to the French Foreign minister Robert Schuman, urging a reconsideration of dismantling policy).

As had been the case from 1920 to 1935, postage stamps were issued specially for the territory from 1947–1959 (see postage stamps and postal history of the Saar for details).

Under the French, pro-German parties were banned.

In the general elections of December 1952, a clear majority expressed their support for the parties who wanted to remain autonomous under France, although 24 percent cast blank ballots in support of banned pro-German parties.

In the Paris Agreements of 23 October 1954, France offered to establish an independent "Saarland", under the auspices of the Western European Union (WEU), but a referendum held on 23 October 1955 rejected this plan by 67.7% to 32.3% (out of a 96.5% turnout: 423,434 against, 201,975 for) despite the public support of West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer for the plan. Instead, the people of the Saar opted for the return of the Saar to the Federal Republic of Germany.[1]

On October 27, 1956, the Saar Treaty established that Saarland should be allowed to rejoin West Germany, which it did on January 1, 1957.

The treaty also stated that economic union with West Germany was to be completed by 1960, with the exact date of the introduction of the Deutsche Mark being kept a secret called „Tag X“. The currencies used in the Saar were the Saar mark, introduced in 1947, and the Saar franken, on par with the French franc, introduced in coins in 1954. Although the Saar rejoined West Germany (as Saarland) on January 1, 1957, the German mark was not valid in Saarland until July 6, 1959.

On 6 July 1959 the „Kleine Wiedervereinigung“ (small reunion) was completed, after 14 years of separation.

The principal reason for the French desire for economic control of the Saar was its large coal deposits. To satisfy this, the France was offered compensation for the return of the Saar to Germany: the Saar treaty permitted France to extract coal from the Warndt coal deposit until 1981.

Germany also had to agree to the channelization of the Moselle. This reduced French freight costs in the Lorraine steel industry.

Germany also had to agree to the teaching of French as the first foreign language in schools in the Saarland. Although no longer binding, the agreement is still in the main followed.

The conflict between France and Germany over control of the Saarland led to the European flag being given 12 stars instead of the originally proposed 15.[2][3]

The Saar competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, and the Saarland national football team participated in the qualifying section of the 1954 FIFA World Cup, but failed to qualify after coming second to the West German team, but ahead of Norway. Helmut Schön was the manager of the Saarland team from 1952 until Saarland became a part of West Germany in 1957.[4]

• Saar, a League of Nations governed territory (1920-1935)
• Sarre, a département of France (1798-1814)
• Saar River
• Monnet Plan Plan for the detachment of German industrial regions for the benefit of France

• Jacques Freymond, "The Saar Conflict, 1945-1955", Stevens, London, 1960.

• French proposal regarding the detachment of German industrial regions September 8, 1945
• interets-union-economique-franco-sarroise-1952 Documents relating to the Saar-France Issue.
• Morgenthau (post surrender) Plan from 1944 Purpose of proposed Saar transfer is to weaken German industry.
• Restatement of Policy on Germany. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes. Stuttgart. September 6, 1946 Statement in favour of the transfer of the Saar to France.
• France, Germany and the Struggle for the War-making Natural Resources of the Rhineland Describes the contest for the Saar over the centuries.
• Foreign relations of the United States, 1947. Council of Foreign Ministers; Germany and Austria Pg. 1073 onwards deals with "Attitude of the United States Regarding the Detachment of the Saar from Germany and its Integration into the French Economy"
• THE SAAR CONFLICT 1945-1955 at Questia