Everything about The Schleswig Plebiscites totally explained
The
Schleswig Plebiscites were two
plebiscites, organized according to section XII, articles 109 to 114 of the
Treaty of Versailles of
June 28 1919, in order to determine the future border between
Denmark and
Germany through the former duchy of
Schleswig. The process was monitored by a commission with representatives from
France, the
United Kingdom,
Norway and
Sweden.
The Danish Duchy of Schleswig had been conquered by Prussia and Austria in the
1864 Second War of Schleswig along with the Danish-ruled German provinces of
Holstein and
Lauenburg. Article 5 of the Austro-Prussian
Peace of Prague stipulated that a plebiscite should be held within 6 years to give the people of Northern Schleswig the possibility of returning to Danish rule, a provision ignored by Prussia and later
Imperial Germany. Only the defeat of Germany in
World War I forced Germany to accept a plebiscite.
The first plebiscite was held in
Northern Schleswig on
February 14,
1920. Northern Schleswig (
Zone I) voted
en bloc (for example as a unit) and the result was three quarters of the population voting for a return to Danish rule, although a small German majority existed in several towns, and a large German majority existed in
Tønder and
Højer.
Central Schleswig (
Zone II) voted on
March 14,
1920 and this time, each
municipality was to decide its own allegiance. Since a Danish majority in this zone was only produced in three small villages on the island of
Föhr not aligned with the coming border, the
Commission Internationale de Surveillance du Plébiscite Slésvig decided on a line almost completely identical to the border between the two zones. The poor result for Denmark in Central Schleswig - particularly in
Flensburg, Schleswig's largest city, triggered Denmark's 1920
Easter Crisis. A plebiscite wasn't held in the southernmost third of the province as there was no doubt about the outcome.
Northern Schleswig was returned to Denmark on
15 June 1920, and the territory regained was officially named the
South Jutlandic districts, more commonly
South Jutland, although this name is historically identical to the whole of
Schleswig.
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