Poverty and the integration of refugees characterize the post-war period in Schleswig-Holstein. A great challenge for the country that officially emerged from the province of the same name on August 23, 1946.
by Janine Kuehl
Schleswig-Holstein after the Second World War:People suffer from food shortages and a lack of housing, and there is hardly any work. A massive population increase from refugees and displaced persons increases misery and leads to tensions in the northern part of the British occupation zone.
One million people seek refuge in Schleswig-Holstein
After the Second World War, Schleswig-Holstein took in more refugees than any other western German state.As early as 1944, transports of refugees and wounded people from the eastern parts of the German Reich reached the region. After the end of the war, more refugees and expellees streamed to Schleswig-Holstein, a total of around 1.1 million people between 1944 and 1949. There are also numerous so-called "displaced persons", former forced laborers and liberated camp inmates.
Brits set up appointee parliament with advisory function
Initially appointed by the British as chief president of the province, Theodor Steltzer was Schleswig-Holstein's first prime minister from 1946 to 1947.In this tense situation, the British military government and its "Regional Commissioner for Schleswig-Holstein", Hugh Vivian Champion de Crespigny, have to shape the political reconstruction. After the dissolution of the state of Prussia in 1945, Schleswig-Holstein is formally a Prussian province without overriding state authority. The British appoint the CDU politician Theodor Steltzer as senior president of the provincial government. To do this, they appoint 60 people from various areas of society as members of the so-called appointed state parliament, which has an advisory function and meets for the first time in February 1946.
23. August 1946:Schleswig-Holstein is born
The Provincial Diet became the Diet on 23 August 1946 by British Military Government Order No. 46, which now allows the formation of Länder. Hugh Vivian Champion de Crespigny appoints Theodor Steltzer Prime Minister. The state of Schleswig-Holstein was born. On October 13, the British hold local elections, from which the SPD and the CDU emerge as the strongest parties. The military government takes the election results as a benchmark for a new appointed state parliament, which continues to have a primarily advisory function.
First free state elections in Schleswig-Holstein
Results from April 20, 1947
in percent of the votes cast
SPD:43.8%
CDU:34.0%
SSF:9.3%
FDP:5 .0%
KPD:4.7%
DKP:3.1%
Center:0.1%
Election campaign topic:The displaced persons question
The first free elections to the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament are to take place on April 20, 1947. The main focus of the election campaign is the question of displaced persons:How are the numerous refugees and displaced persons to be integrated and to do justice to the entire population? "Get out of misery!" is the SPD's election campaign slogan. Many locals join the South Schleswig Association of the Danish Minority as so-called New Danes. Their demands include the expulsion of the refugees and their union with Denmark, where they hope for better economic conditions.
SPD forms first elected state government
The SPD politician Hermann Lüdemann sat in the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament from 1946 to 1958.The SPD emerged as the winner with a share of the vote of 43.8 percent. It forms a one-man government under Prime Minister Hermann Lüdemann. At the behest of the British, Kiel became the seat of the state government - against the will of many politicians from the Schleswig part of the state, who advocated the city of Schleswig as the state capital. The reason given by the proponents is the historical importance of the city. In addition, from 1879 to 1917, Schleswig was the seat of the provincial government and the chief president.
Lüdemann resigns after two years - among other things because his plan to merge with Hamburg and Lower Saxony to form a northern state called "Lower Elbe" cannot be realized. He was succeeded in office by his party comrade Bruno Diekmann, who was replaced in 1950 by Walter Bartram (CDU). It was not until Björn Engholm (SPD) took office in 1988 that the SPD was able to appoint the prime minister again. Finally, on January 12, 1950, the state statutes that make Schleswig-Holstein a federal state of the Federal Republic of Germany come into force.