After the appointment of Hitler as the new chancellor, the Nazis used the opportunity of the absence of Franz von Papen to appoint Hermann Göring federal commissioner for the Prussian ministry of the interior. The Reichstag election of March 5, 1933 strengthened the position of the National Socialist Party.
Because the Reichstag building had been set on fire a few weeks earlier, the new Reichstag was opened in the Garrison Church of Potsdam on March 21, 1933 in the presence of President Paul von Hindenburg. In a propaganda-filled meeting between Hitler and the Nazi Party, 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 of 1933.
In the centralized state created by the Nazis in the "Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich" and the "Law on Reich Governors" the states were dissolved. The federal state governments were now controlled by governors for the Reich who were appointed by the chancellor. From 1934 almost all ministries were merged and only a few departments were able to maintain their independence. Hitler himself became formally the governor of Prussia. His functions were exercised, however, by Hermann Göring, as Prussian prime minister.
As provided for in the "Greater Hamburg Law", certain exchanges of territory took place. Prussia was extended on April 1, 1937, for instance, by the incorporation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck.
The Prussian lands transferred to Poland after the Treaty of Versailles were re-annexed during World War II. However, most of this territory was not reintegrated back into Prussia but assigned to separate Gaue of Nazi Germany.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
History of Prussia
For centuries, Prussia had a significant influence on German and European history. In 1701, he union of Brandenburg and Prussia in 1618 led to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Prussia. The last capital of the state of Prussia was Berlin. During the 18th century, it became a great European power under the reign of Frederick II and during the 19th century, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck pursued a policy of uniting the German principalities into a "Lesser Germany" which would exclude the Austrian Empire. Prussia became the dominant power in Germany in 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars and Prussia finally became part of the German Confederation. Prussia dominated northern Germany politically, economically, and in terms of population. In 1919, after World War I, Prussia became part of the Weimar Republic as a free state. The long struggle in Germany between liberals, who wanted a united, federal Germany under a democratic constitution, and conservatives, who wanted to maintain Germany as a patchwork of independent, monarchical states, with Prussia and Austria competing for influence. Because of Prussia's size and economic vitality, smaller states began to join its free trade area. In regards to size and capability, Prussia was incredibly successful and powerful. Its population capsized that of bordering countries and states and therefore made Prussia stronger economically.
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