Freistaat Memelland

The Klaipėda Region, detached from the German Empire after the end of World War I and put under French administration, was not initially planned to be granted to Lithuania. The government of France and its governor in Klaipėda, Gabriel Jean Petisné, did not believe in the longevity of an independent Lithuania and saw it as an ephemereal state about to be incorporated into their primary Eastern ally, Poland.

From 1920 to 1923, the popularity of reorganizing the Klaipėda region into a Free State ("Freistaat Memelland") similar to Danzig grew among the population, both German and Lithuanian speaking - the Germans saw no desire to be incorporated into Lithuania, and that a Free State would be the first step towards rejoining Germany, while the Prussian Lithuanians feared that Klaipėda joining the republic of Lithuania would be not a "union", but "annexation", and their separate identity would falter in such a scenario. The Free State solution was endorsed by the French administration with Petisné at the helm and by 1923, the first foundations towards establishing a LoN-protected Free State were being laid.

The threat of Freistaat Memelland being formed was so large that Lithuania, with the secret support of the government of Germany (which, unlike the Germans in the Klaipėda Region, believed that a free state would be harder to retake than one which is held by a weak Lithuania), staged a rebellion in Klaipėda, mostly executed by Lithuanian soldiers out of uniform who infiltrated the region beforehand (which I guess makes this pretty ironic). Because France was dealing with the occupation of the Ruhr at the time, they couldn't defeat the uprising, and after a year of diplomatic crisis and discussions between Lithuania and the Entente, the region was handed to the Republic under autonomous status.

So, the alternate scenario is obvious. The Klaipėda Uprising is defeated one way or another, or its perpetrators are caught before it can take place, and the region is instead reformed into the Free State of Memelland.

Which would probably rejoin Germany even faster than the Saar, given that it, like Danzig, or even the autonomous Klaipėda Region of OTL, would likely see a NSDAP victory as early as 1933, but wouldn't have a strong nearby power like Poland preventing any incorporation of the region into Germany.

And Germany gaining full economic domination of Lithuania through controlling Nemunas and Klaipėda six years earlier and without the diplomatic conflict over Klaipėda between Germany and Lithuania would probably put Lithuania in the German sphere a lot faster and a lot more solidly.

Thoughts?
 
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Bison

Banned
41% of the population of the region identified as German in the 1925 census.
Any idea what it was ~1920? Was there any Lithuanian population there before the annexation, ever? Old Prussians, I assume would have dies out.
 
Any idea what it was ~1920? Was there any Lithuanian population there before the annexation, ever? Old Prussians, I assume would have dies out.
The majority of the population was Lithuanian speaking, yes. Almost 60 percent of it in the 1920s, though the majority of them didn't identify as "Greater" Lithuanians due to several centuries of cultural and religious differences.
 

BigBlueBox

Banned
When France occupies the Ruhr, could Lithuania try to annex the Freistaat? I imagine that Poland would endorse the annexation in exchange for normalization of relations and acceptance of Polish ownership of Vilnius.
 
When France occupies the Ruhr, could Lithuania try to annex the Freistaat? I imagine that Poland would endorse the annexation in exchange for normalization of relations and acceptance of Polish ownership of Vilnius.
That's what happened in OTL. The Klaipėda Revolt happened during the occupation of the Ruhr.

Well, besides the acceptance of Polish ownership of Vilnius. No government of Lithuania would ever do that except at gunpoint (again, like OTL)
 
Ironically french adminstration was really more apprecied by Mermelland than Saarland for a lot of reason.

In fact the local population wanted to stay under french administration, because it gave them a lot of advantages, french wanted to use this territory as a harbor for the baltic trade and Many warships, Polish, British and French often stop here, and the soldiers cooperate with local millitary to defend them. Also
The families of the french cadres were allowed to join them and for many live with the local inhabitants.

It was more an supervision of the territory with the cooperation of local notables

When the revolt happened, Lithuanians receveid no support of Lithuanian speaking population, so if the revolt is defetead, relations between both communities will be great after this territory would sill need to be adminstrated by the french to survive because when they will leave Poland or Lithuania will attack them right away.

IMO you will see the German regionalist party kept the power, but the relation with Lithuanian population will be friendly, nazi would not make great sccore here, but when Hitler will come in power , the local party would have a good opinion of him and even if they will not vote to join a greater Germany, when the nazi would invade them, they will surely be welcomed with cheers and applause.

Imo in your scenario except if France leave them alone and they would ask for German help i don't see them join Germany before 1939.
 
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If Lithuania is puppetized by Germany long before ww2, then Ribbentrop-Molotov plan would be implemented as planned. No Soviet Lithuania in 1940. Germans would invade Poland from Lithuanian territory, with support of Lithuanian army-1939 Lithuania would be northern analogue of Slovakia.
 
@Augenis , I get an idea for your idea to work, France could decide to let more armies in Memelland, but after few years decide to make their troop to come back, in the purpose to appease Polish and Lithuanians and court their favor, here the Mermelland could ask for German protection.

Hitler will accept and would be view more favorably by other people, but the problem is that it could push Lithuaniand and Polish as allies and Lithuania could join the little entente and Lithuanians view french favorabilly and would want to take back their "rightfully territories".

I don't see too much butterfly, but Lithuanians could seriously join Poland in the war and Hitler would surely make a deal with Staline that include a share of Lithuania, i don't think that it will change too much the war but you know better than me this theater.
 
@Augenis , I get an idea for your idea to work, France could decide to let more armies in Memelland, but after few years decide to make their troop to come back, in the purpose to appease Polish and Lithuanians and court their favor, here the Mermelland could ask for German protection.

Hitler will accept and would be view more favorably by other people, but the problem is that it could push Lithuaniand and Polish as allies and Lithuania could join the little entente and Lithuanians view french favorabilly and would want to take back their "rightfully territories".

I don't see too much butterfly, but Lithuanians could seriously join Poland in the war and Hitler would surely make a deal with Staline that include a share of Lithuania, i don't think that it will change too much the war but you know better than me this theater.
Lithuania is definitely not going to join Poland in any way because the Vilnius conflict is still unresolved. Klaipėda and it falling to the German sphere would be secondary to the ever constant hatred for the loss of their capital.
 
In this case i wonder if Ltihuania would be under German influence, it's true that they will be more dependant of German good will to their economy but they could join URSS influence zone since both Germany and Poland have the territories that they want.
 
In this case i wonder if Ltihuania would be under German influence, it's true that they will be more dependant of German good will to their economy but they could join URSS influence zone since both Germany and Poland have the territories that they want.
They could, and in a way, it's what happened in OTL. Lithuania and the USSR were fairly close partners and the Soviets were one of the few countries which endorsed their claim to Vilnius.
 
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