Parliament of the Klaipėda Region
Encyclopedia
The Parliament of the Klaipėda Region (Chamber of Representatives of the Memel Territory, ) was the parliament of the Klaipėda Region
(Memel Territory), an autonomous region of Lithuania
. The parliament was established by the Klaipėda Convention
of 1924 and the first elections took place in October 1925. In all elections pro-German parties more than 80% of the vote. The major parties included the Memel Agricultural Party (Memelländische Landwirtschaftspartei or MLP), Memel People's Party
(Memelländische Volkspartei or MVP), and Social Democratic Party of the Memel Territory (Sozialdemokratische Partei des Memelgebietes or SPM). The pro-German parliament often clashed with the pro-Lithuanian Klaipėda Directorate
(executive branch of local government) and the first three parliaments were dismissed before the end of their full three-year term. The parliament was disbanded after the ultimatum of March 1939
and subsequent Nazi Germany
takeover of the region.
of 1919, the Klaipėda Region
(Memel Territory) was detached from East Prussia
, German Empire
, and placed under temporary administration of the League of Nations
. After the Klaipėda Revolt
in January 1923, the region was transferred to Lithuania
on condition that it would abide by the Klaipėda Convention
, signed in May 1924 and fully effective in August 1925. The Convention included the Statute of the Klaipėda Region, which described region's legislative, judicial, administrative, and financial autonomy. The Convention also established the framework of the autonomous institutions – the local parliament and the Klaipėda Directorate
(executive branch). The parliament was to be democratically elected for three-year terms by the local inhabitants in the proportion of one representative per 5,000 residents. The parliament confirmed and dismissed the Directorate, appointed by the Governor. The Directorate and the Lithuanian-appointed Governor could dismiss the parliament; in such a case, the new elections had to be called within six weeks. The Governor could veto laws passed by the parliament, but only if they violated the Convention, Constitution of Lithuania
, or other international agreements. Of the 165 laws passed between 1925 and 1938, 62 were vetoed. The parliament was in charge of region's education, religious affairs, public health and welfare, local infrastructure, civil, criminal, and economic legislature, finances, court organization, etc.
In all elections 29 representatives were elected, and pro-German parties won a clear supermajority
. The pro-German parliament often clashed with the more pro-Lithuanian Directorate. The first three parliaments were dismissed by the Directorate and the Governor. In the 1932 case, the Permanent Court of International Justice
ruled that the Lithuanians erred in dismissing the third parliament. After the crisis surrounding the trial of the Nazi activists, the 1935 election was postponed by the Lithuanians beyond the six-week period allowed by the Convention in hopes to build a pro-Lithuanian momentum. The election law was also changed – the voters now had to submit 29 separate ballots for each individual they preferred, rather than a single ballot for a party. The German parties submitted a single unified list, while Lithuanian parties presented six.
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Klaipėda Region
The Klaipėda Region or Memel Territory was defined by the Treaty of Versailles in 1920 when it was put under the administration of the Council of Ambassadors...
(Memel Territory), an autonomous region of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. The parliament was established by the Klaipėda Convention
Klaipėda Convention
Klaipėda Convention was an international agreement between Lithuania and the countries of the Conference of Ambassadors signed in Paris on May 8, 1924. According to the Convention, the Klaipėda Region became an autonomous region under unconditional sovereignty of Lithuania...
of 1924 and the first elections took place in October 1925. In all elections pro-German parties more than 80% of the vote. The major parties included the Memel Agricultural Party (Memelländische Landwirtschaftspartei or MLP), Memel People's Party
Memel People's Party
The Memel People's Party or MVP was a pro-German political party in the Klaipėda Region , autonomous region of Lithuania, from 1925 to 1938...
(Memelländische Volkspartei or MVP), and Social Democratic Party of the Memel Territory (Sozialdemokratische Partei des Memelgebietes or SPM). The pro-German parliament often clashed with the pro-Lithuanian Klaipėda Directorate
Directorate of the Klaipėda Region
The Directorate of the Klaipėda Region was the main governing institution in the Klaipėda Region from February 1920 to March 1939. It was established by local German political parties to govern the region between the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and establishment of French provision...
(executive branch of local government) and the first three parliaments were dismissed before the end of their full three-year term. The parliament was disbanded after the ultimatum of March 1939
1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania
1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania was an oral ultimatum presented to Juozas Urbšys, Foreign Minister of Lithuania, by Joachim von Ribbentrop, Foreign Minister of Nazi Germany, on March 20, 1939...
and subsequent Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
takeover of the region.
History
According to the Treaty of VersaillesTreaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
of 1919, the Klaipėda Region
Klaipėda Region
The Klaipėda Region or Memel Territory was defined by the Treaty of Versailles in 1920 when it was put under the administration of the Council of Ambassadors...
(Memel Territory) was detached from East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
, German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, and placed under temporary administration of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. After the Klaipėda Revolt
Klaipeda Revolt
The Klaipėda Revolt took place in January 1923 in the Klaipėda Region . The region, located north of the Neman River, was detached from the East Prussia of the German Empire by the Treaty of Versailles and became a mandate of the League of Nations. It was placed under provisional French...
in January 1923, the region was transferred to Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
on condition that it would abide by the Klaipėda Convention
Klaipėda Convention
Klaipėda Convention was an international agreement between Lithuania and the countries of the Conference of Ambassadors signed in Paris on May 8, 1924. According to the Convention, the Klaipėda Region became an autonomous region under unconditional sovereignty of Lithuania...
, signed in May 1924 and fully effective in August 1925. The Convention included the Statute of the Klaipėda Region, which described region's legislative, judicial, administrative, and financial autonomy. The Convention also established the framework of the autonomous institutions – the local parliament and the Klaipėda Directorate
Directorate of the Klaipėda Region
The Directorate of the Klaipėda Region was the main governing institution in the Klaipėda Region from February 1920 to March 1939. It was established by local German political parties to govern the region between the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and establishment of French provision...
(executive branch). The parliament was to be democratically elected for three-year terms by the local inhabitants in the proportion of one representative per 5,000 residents. The parliament confirmed and dismissed the Directorate, appointed by the Governor. The Directorate and the Lithuanian-appointed Governor could dismiss the parliament; in such a case, the new elections had to be called within six weeks. The Governor could veto laws passed by the parliament, but only if they violated the Convention, Constitution of Lithuania
Constitution of Lithuania
The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania defines the legal foundation for all laws passed in the Republic of Lithuania. It was approved in a referendum on October 25, 1992.-History:...
, or other international agreements. Of the 165 laws passed between 1925 and 1938, 62 were vetoed. The parliament was in charge of region's education, religious affairs, public health and welfare, local infrastructure, civil, criminal, and economic legislature, finances, court organization, etc.
In all elections 29 representatives were elected, and pro-German parties won a clear supermajority
Supermajority
A supermajority or a qualified majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level or type of support which exceeds a simple majority . In some jurisdictions, for example, parliamentary procedure requires that any action that may alter the rights of the minority has a supermajority...
. The pro-German parliament often clashed with the more pro-Lithuanian Directorate. The first three parliaments were dismissed by the Directorate and the Governor. In the 1932 case, the Permanent Court of International Justice
Permanent Court of International Justice
The Permanent Court of International Justice, often called the World Court, was an international court attached to the League of Nations. Created in 1922 , the Court was initially met with a good reaction from states and academics alike, with many cases submitted to it for its first decade of...
ruled that the Lithuanians erred in dismissing the third parliament. After the crisis surrounding the trial of the Nazi activists, the 1935 election was postponed by the Lithuanians beyond the six-week period allowed by the Convention in hopes to build a pro-Lithuanian momentum. The election law was also changed – the voters now had to submit 29 separate ballots for each individual they preferred, rather than a single ballot for a party. The German parties submitted a single unified list, while Lithuanian parties presented six.
Speakers of the Parliament
| Name | Period | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Kraus | 1925–1927 | Memel People's Party |
| Konrad von Dressler | 1927–1935 | Memel Agricultural Party |
| August Baldszus | 1935–1938 |
Election results
| Election date | Total | Lithuanian Parties | Memel Agricultural Party | Memel People's Party Memel People's Party The Memel People's Party or MVP was a pro-German political party in the Klaipėda Region , autonomous region of Lithuania, from 1925 to 1938... |
Social Democratic Party of the Memel Territory |
Workers' PartiesIncluding Memel Worker's Party (Memelländische Arbeiterpartei or MAP) and Communist Party of the Memel Territory Communist Party of the Memel Territory Communist Party of the Memel Territory was a communist organisation in the Memel Territory in the 1920s. In the 1927 election, the party got 3900 votes and won two seats in the parliament of the territory. Little is known about the group, and its relations with the German and Lithuanian communist... (Kommunistische Partei des Memelgebietes or KPM) |
Other | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Turnout | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |
| 1925-10-19 | 62,517 | 83.5% | 3,761 | 6.0% | 2 | 23,824 | 38.1% | 11 | 23,082 | 36.9% | 11 | 10,010 | 16.0% | 5 | 1,564 | 2.5% | – | 276 | 0.4% | – |
| 1927-08-30 | 54,746 | 7,311 | 13.4% | 4 | 18,776 | 34.3% | 10 | 17,636 | 32.2% | 10 | 5,712 | 10.4% | 3 | 3,844 | 7.0% | 2 | 1,467 | 2.7% | – | |
| 1930-10-10 | 49,630 | 8,817 | 17.8% | 5 | 15,810 | 31.8% | 10 | 13,709 | 27.6% | 8 | 6,780 | 13.7% | 4 | 2,062 | 4.2% | 2 | 2,452 | 4.9% | – | |
| 1932-05-04 | 65,767 | 11,968 | 18.2% | 5 | 24,468 | 37.2% | 11 | 17,930 | 27.3% | 8 | 5,104 | 7.7% | 2 | 5,401 | 8.2% | 3 | 896 | 1.4% | – | |
| Lithuanian lists | Unified German listMemelländische Einheitsliste in 1935, Memeldeutsche Einheitsliste in 1938 | Part of the German list | None | |||||||||||||||||
| 1935-09-29 | 1,962,061 | 91.3% | 369,457 | 18.3% | 5 | 1,592,604 | 81.7% | 24 | ||||||||||||
| 1938-12-11 | 2,095,206 | 96% | 268,585 | 12.8% | 4 | 1,826,621 | 87.2% | 25 | ||||||||||||
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