Free State of Anhalt
Encyclopedia
The Free State of Anhalt was formed after Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt
abdicated on 12 November 1918, ending the Duchy of Anhalt. It was a state of Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic
. In May 1932 the Nazi Party came to power in Anhalt and, after the Nazis attained power at the federal level in 1933, Anhalt was abolished de facto by the federal Nazi government, becoming part of the Gau of Magdeburg-Anhalt.
At the end of World War II, when Germany was divided into zones of occupation
, Anhalt was merged with the bulk of the Prussian Province of Saxony
to form the Soviet-administered German state of Saxony-Anhalt
. This state was then dissolved in 1952 but reformed in 1990 after the reunification of Germany.
for Anhalt and Brunswick
(headquarters in Dessau
)
Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt
Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt was the last ruler of the Duchy of Anhalt.-Biography:He was born in Dessau the son of Duke Eduard of Anhalt and Princess Luise of Saxe-Altenburg , the daughter of Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg.He succeeded his father as Duke of Anhalt on September 13, 1918, however...
abdicated on 12 November 1918, ending the Duchy of Anhalt. It was a state of Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
. In May 1932 the Nazi Party came to power in Anhalt and, after the Nazis attained power at the federal level in 1933, Anhalt was abolished de facto by the federal Nazi government, becoming part of the Gau of Magdeburg-Anhalt.
At the end of World War II, when Germany was divided into zones of occupation
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
, Anhalt was merged with the bulk of the Prussian Province of Saxony
Province of Saxony
The Province of Saxony was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1945. Its capital was Magdeburg.-History:The province was created in 1816 out of the following territories:...
to form the Soviet-administered German state of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
. This state was then dissolved in 1952 but reformed in 1990 after the reunification of Germany.
Ministers-presidents of Anhalt
- 1918-1919: Wolfgang Heine (SPD)
- 1919-1924: Heinrich Deist (SPD)
- 1924-1924: Willy Knorr (DNVP)
- 1924-1932: Heinrich Deist (SPD)
- 1932-1940: Alfred Freyberg (NSDAP - as GauleiterGauleiterA Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
) - 1940-1945: Rudolf JordanRudolf JordanRudolf Jordan was a Nazi Gauleiter in Halle-Merseburg and Magdeburg-Anhalt in the time of the Third Reich....
(NSDAP - as GauleiterGauleiterA Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
)
Reichsstatthalter
ReichsstatthalterReichsstatthalter
The term Reichsstatthalter was used twice for different offices, in the imperial Hohenzollern dynasty's German Empire and the single-party Nazi Third Reich.- "Statthalter des Reiches" 1879-1918 in Alsace-Lorraine :...
for Anhalt and Brunswick
Free State of Brunswick
The Free State of Brunswick was the republic formed after the abolition of the Duchy of Brunswick in the course of the German Revolution of 1918–19. It was a state of the German Reich in the time of the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany.-History:...
(headquarters in Dessau
Dessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
)
- 1933-1935: Wilhelm Loeper
- 1935-1937: Fritz SauckelFritz SauckelErnst Friedrich Christoph "Fritz" Sauckel was a Nazi war criminal, who organized the systematic enslavement of millions from lands occupied by Nazi Germany...
- 1937-1945: Rudolf JordanRudolf JordanRudolf Jordan was a Nazi Gauleiter in Halle-Merseburg and Magdeburg-Anhalt in the time of the Third Reich....
Presidents of the Landtag
- 1918 - 1928; Heinrich Pëus (SPD)
- 1928 - 1932: Richard Paulick (SPD)
- 1932 - 1933: Wolfgang Nicolai (NSDAP)
External links