AHC: Saarland Survives to at least 1989

[Uhura's Mazda]

Either the LoN Mandate (1920 - 1935) or the French Protectorate (1947 - 1956) lasts longer than OTL without being incorporated into France or (West) Germany. Extra points for an actualized Monnet Plan, de jure and de facto autonomy or surviving to the present day, and 10000x points for a monarchy

This would probably be damnably difficult. Let's take the 1st iteration. No legislative autonomy was allowed (unlike Danzig, IIRC) so the residents preferred a single-party state in which they had a pointless vote to a system where they had nothing. The referendum on statehood had an almost complete turnout and voted overwhelmingly to join Nazi Germany. Only 9% voted to continue as a Mandate.

The French Protectorate would be easier to make independent, as 32% voted for autonomy under the Council of Europe in 1955, but its still a bit of a challenge, and would probably require West Germany to be a failed state, IMO.

So, is it impossible? And what would be different if it did survive?

 

[garabik]

POD: Some time before the referendum, Konrad Adenauer says during an interview, when asked about how he feels about Saarland something to the effect of “Saarland and Alsace-Lorraine is historically a German territory”[1]. The shit hits the fan and is smeared by French press. Adenauer is discredited, credibility of Germany takes a hit, France does anything possible to obstruct and delay the referendum - which is held a few years later compared to OTL, and since there was an effective anti-German campaign going on for some time, people vote for independence.

[1] To his credit, he was sick and tired during the interview and it was an honest slip of tongue. Did he speak English? If so, it might happen during an English-language interview and he was trying to say something like Saarland & Alsace used to be German in the past, but let's let the people decide, but the command of the language failed him.

 

[Michel Van]

garabik is right
a more hostil relation between France and Germany could create a independent Saarland
another Pod is if Konrad Adenauer is killed on 27. March 1952 by Jews extremist group "Irgun"
His Hardliner successor could damage the French German relation better as Adenauer

 

[Simreeve]

Combine this with another recent thread: after WW2, move out the native Saarlanders and give the land to the Jews as a nation of their own...

 

[SlideAway]

Adenauer in real life was prepared for Saarland as an independent state under the Western European Union. Perhaps have the French not agree to a referendum, in which case Saarland remains an independent state and by 1989 it's well-established and remains a separate country within the EU.

 

[Uhura's Mazda]

Thanks for the replies; it looks like Adenauer makes or breaks this scenario. Any ideas on how the LoN Mandate can survive Hitler?