The German Land Thuringen was created in 1920 when 7 Thüringian states were merged
into a new member state of the German Empire.
Chronology of the formation of Thüringen 1918 - 1920
1918 :
Nov : Although there had already been some attempts to unify the territory (1)
future Thüringen was still divided into the following principalities :
Reuss Ältere Linie (also Reuss-Greiz)
Reuss Jüngere Linie (also Reuss-Gera)
Sachsen-Altenburg
Sachsen-Coburg und Sachsen-Gotha (two separate states united in a personal
union until nov 14 1918)
Sachsen-Meiningen
Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (both Schwarzburg states united in a personal
union since mar 28 1909)
After the revolution all states became republics and strongholds of the
leftist parties, the German Socialist Party (SPD) and the German Communist
Party (KPD)
Dec 23 : Delegates of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils of the Thuringian states and
of the Prussian district of Erfurt established a Council (Chairman : Albert
Rudolph) which was entrusted with the preparation of the unification of
the territory.
1919
Mar 24 : Delegates of the Thüringian governments and of the Prussian district of
Erfurt met at Weimar and decided to form a (Great) Thüringian Community.
Apr 17 : Both Reuss states merged to form the People's State of Reuss.
May 20 : Treaty of Union between the Thüringer states. After further negociations
with Prussia about the adhesion of Erfurt failed and Sachsen-Coburg decided
to join with Bavaria, the union finally only included :
- Reuss, Sachsen-Altenburg, Sachsen-Meiningen, Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach,
- Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Jul 14 : A Council of State [Staatsrat von Thüringen, Chairman : Arnold Rudolf Otto
Paulssen (1864 - 1942)] was entrusted with the elaboration of a common
constitution and with the provisional administration of the Union.
1920
Jan 04 : The treaty about the formation of the Thüringian Community (Thüringer
Gemeinschaft) came into effect.
Mar 14 : MajGen. Gustav von Hagenberg (1862 - 1946), the commander of the imperial
army in the region, rallied to the rightist Kapp administration established
in Berlin and tried to seize power.
He was immediately opposed by the powerful leftist groups [Chairman of
the common Executive Council : Hermann Duncker, secretary of the KPD in
Thüringen, 1874 - 1960)] and was expelled on mar 17. The leftist groups
now toke actual control over the region.
Mar 22 : The German central government appointed Arnold Rudolf Otto Paulssen (s.a.)
Imperial Commissioner for Thüringen (Reichskommissar für Thüringen) to
restore law and order.
This was done by early april, except in Sachsen-Gotha where a new Imperial
Commissioner, Wilhelm Holle (1866-1945), was placed in charge until jul 07.
May 01 : The German central government confirmed the formation of Thüringen. (2)
Jul 31 : August Frölich (1877 - 1964) was appointed first prime minister of the new
land, but he was unable to form a government.
Nov 11 : The first Thüringian government headed by Paulssen (s.a.) toke office.
(1) The idea of re-unifying the ancient land of Thüringen gradually toke shape
in the 19th century :
1833 : The Thüringer states formed a Customs - and Commerce Union, the
Thüringischer Zoll- und Handelsverein.
1848 : Attempt to form a Thüringian state (either as a republic or as a
kind of union headed by Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach). It failed as at
that moment there still wasn't a common "Thüringian feeling", as
there was a strong Prussian opposition and as local dynastic
interests still prevailed.
(all that remained of the attempt was a common criminal law code
adopted by some states in 1850)
(2) Until 1923 - when Thüringen was divided into Circles (Kreise) - all
former states continued to have their own separate territorial governments
(Gebietsregierungen).
The division into circles had actually already occured in 1922 and didn't
always take account of the frontiers of the former states :
Landkreis Altenburg : part of Sachsen-Altenburg
Landkreis Arnstadt : part of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Landkreis Eisenach : parts of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, of Sachsen-Gotha and
of Sachsen-Meiningen
Landkreis Gera : parts of Reuss, of Sachsen-Altenburg and of Sachsen-
Weimar-Eisenach
Landkreis Gotha : part of Sachsen-Gotha
Landkreis Greiz : parts of Reuss and of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
Landkreis
Hildburghausen : part of Sachsen-Meiningen
Landkreis Meiningen : parts of Sachsen-Meiningen, of Sachsen-Gotha and of
Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
Landkreis Roda : parts of Sachsen-Altenburg, of Reuss, of Sachsen-
Meiningen and of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
Landkreis Rudolstadt : parts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, of Sachsen-Altenburg
and of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
Landkreis Saalfeld : parts of Sachsen-Meiningen, of Reuss, of Sachsen-
Altenburg, of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach and of
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Landkreis Schleiz : parts of Reuss, of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach and of
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Landkreis
Sondershausen : parts of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, of Sachsen-Gotha,
of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach and of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Landkreis Sonneberg : parts of Sachsen-Meiningen and of Schwarzburg-
Rudolstadt
Landkreis Weimar : parts of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, of Sachsen-Altenburg,
of Sachsen-Gotha and of Sachsen-Meiningen
Stadtkreis Altenburg : part of Sachsen-Altenburg
Stadtkreis Apolda : part of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
Stadtkreis Arnstadt : part of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Stadtkreis Eisenach : part of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
Stadtkreis Gera : part of Reuss
Stadtkreis Gotha : part of Sachsen-Gotha
Stadtkreis Greiz : part of Reuss
Stadtkreis Jena : part of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
Stadtkreis Weimar : part of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
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MINISTERS
(N) = Minister member of the NSDAP
Presidents of the Ministry of State - Leading Ministers of State
Vorsitzender des Staatsministeriums - Leitende Staatsminister
1920 - 1921 Arnold Rudolf Otto Paulssen s.a.
1921 - 1924 August Frölich (3) s.a.
1924 - 1928 Richard Leutheusser 1867 - 1945
1928 - 1930 Arnold Rudolf Otto Paulssen (2x)
1930 - 1932 Erwin Baum 1868 - 1950
1932 - 1933 SA-Gruführer Ernst Friedrich
Christoph "Fritz" Sauckel (N) 1894 - 1946
(3) In oct 1923 Frölich formed a new government that also included some KPD
members. This so-called Government of Republican and Proletarian Defence
(Regierung der republikanischen und proletarischen Verteidigung) was not
appreciated by the central government, who dispatched troops [Commander :
MajGen. Paul Hasse (1864 - 1945)] to occupy the land and to administer
martial law (nov 1923).
The government of Thüringen offered no resistance and the KPD ministers
fled or resigned, while the others continued in office as care-takers
until the elections of feb 1924.
Ministers of State for the Interior
Staatsminister des Innern
1920 - 1921 Karl Eduard Emil Franz Moritz,
Freiherr von Brandenstein 1875 - 1946
1921 - 1924 Karl Hermann 1885 - 1973
1924 - 1927 Georg Sattler 1879 - 1975
1927 - 1928 Arnold Rudolf Otto Paulssen s.a.
1928 - 1930 Karl Riedel 1883 - 1949
1930 - 1931 Wilhelm Frick (N) 1877 - 1946
1931 Erwin Baum s.a.
1931 - 1932 Wilhelm "Willy" Kästner 1888 - 1974
1932 - 1933 SA-Gruführer Ernst Friedrich
Christoph "Fritz" Sauckel (N) s.a.
Ministers of State of Justice
Staatsminister der Justiz
1920 - 1921 Arnold Rudolf Otto Paulssen s.a.
1921 - 1923 Karl Eduard Emil Franz Moritz,
Freiherr von Brandenstein s.a.
1923 Karl Korsch (KPD) 1886 - 1961
1923 - 1924 none.
1924 - 1928 Richard Leutheusser s.a.
1928 - 1930 Karl Riedel s.a.
1930 - 1932 Wilhelm "Willy" Kästner s.a.
1932 - 1933 Otto Erich Gottfried Weber (N) 1894 - 1973
Ministers of State of Finance
Staatsminister der Finanz
1920 - 1921 Ottomar R. Benz 1880 - 1960
1921 - 1924 Emil Hartmann 1868 - 1942
1924 Paul Stolze 1874 - 1958
1924 - 1927 Wilko von Klüchtzner 1877 - 1955
1927 - 1929 Wilhelm Toelle 1876 - 1965
1929 - 1930 Arnold Rudolf Otto Paulssen s.a.
1930 - 1932 Erwin Baum s.a.
1932 - 1933 Wilhelm "Willy" E. K. Marschler (N) 1893 - 1952
__________________________________________________________________________________
ENVOY TO THE GERMAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Ausserordentlicher Gesandter und bevollmächtigter Minister
1920 - 1934 Hermann Münzel 1873 - 1945
THÜRINGEN 1933 - 1945
After the formation of a NSDAP German central government in 1933, Thüringen lost
its selfgovernment and was degraded to a merely territorial and administrative
division.
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE GERMAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
Reichsstatthalter
1933 - 1945 SS-Obergruppenf. (1942) Ernst Friedrich
Christoph "Fritz" Sauckel s.a.
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MINISTERS
Minister President - Minister of Finance
Ministerpräsident - Minister der Finanz
1933 - 1945 SA-Obergruppenf. Wilhelm "Willy"
E. K. Marschler s.a.
Ministers of the Interior
Minister des Innern
1933 - 1936 Fritz Wächtler 1891 - 1945
1936 - 1945 SS-Brigadeführer (1943) Walter
Ortlepp 1900 - 1971
Minister of Justice
Minister der Justiz
1933 - 1934 Otto Erich Gottfried Weber s.a.
1934 : Ministry abolished. Tasks taken over by the Imperial Ministry of Justice.
__________________________________________________________________________________
PARTY LEADER
GAULEIER OF THE NSDAP
Gau Leader of the Gau Thüringen
Gauleiter der Gau Thüringen
1927 - 1945 SS-Obergruppenf. Ernst Friedrich
Christoph "Fritz" Sauckel s.a.
In 1920 the Evangelical Lutheran Land Churches of Reuss-Jüngere Linie, Sachsen-
Altenburg, Sachsen-Gotha, Sachsen-Meiningen, Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, Schwarzburg-
Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen merged to form the Thüringian Evangelical
Church, to which the Church of Reuss-Ältere Linie also adhered in 1934.
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CHIEF OFFICIALS OF THE CHURCH
[spiritual as well as administrative leaders (= Chairmen of the Church Council)]
Land Supreme Pastor
Landesoberpfarrer
1920 - 1933 Wilhelm Reichardt 1871 -
Land Bishops
Landesbischöfe
1933 - 1934 Wilhelm Reichardt s.a.
1934 - 1942 Martin Sasse
Church President
Kirchenpräsident
1943 - 1945 Hugo Rönch
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