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rfmcdonaldUp until 1864, the twin duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, at the southern base of the Jutland peninsula in northern Europe, were ruled under the Danish Crown. Although they were separate entities, the two territorial units shared a long and complex history on the fringes of the Danish empire. In the early 19th century, the Danish kingdom tried to assimilate these two duchies directly into itself, but even in Schleswig--which had acquired a mixed Danish-German population after the Reformation--this centralization was resisted. Ultimately, Danish tendencies towards centralization provoked the Danish War, which removed Danish sovereignty over the two duchies. Their subsequent history was tumultuous:
The result of the referendum, held in 1920, was that the northern third of Schleswig broke away from Germany, to become Denmark's South Jutland County. The long history of ethnic pluralism in Schleswig meant that a substantial Danish minority remained in Germany even after 1920. Now, The Guardian reports that this Danish community--together with the länd's Frisian minority--holds the balance of power in Germany, thanks to its political organization, the South-Schleswig Voters' Association (SSW).
I'll be watching the outcome fo this closely. What's particularly interesting about this situation is that Schleswig-Holstein's Danes have, as a result of various German-Danish treaties and diplomatic exchanges, guaranteed representation in the state's Landtag in order to ensure that a distinct Danish voice will be heard. This model has obvious applications to Germany's other concentrated indigenous minorities, particularly the Sorbs of Saxony and Brandenburg in the former East Germany, as well, perhaps, to indigenous and even immigrant minorities in other circumstances.
By the 1864 Treaty of Vienna, Schleswig and Holstein were granted jointly to Prussia and Austria. Prussia occupying and administering Schleswig and Austria occupying Holstein. However Prussia's Chancellor Prince von Bismarck, seeking to break Austria's dominant position in the German Confederation, precipitated a crisis in Holstein which triggered the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. It is also called "The Seven Weeks War" because in less than 2 months the Austrian defeat at Koniggratz in Bohemia caused Austria to sue for peace. Provisions in the Treaty of Prague (August 1866) provided That Schleswig and Holstein were ceded outright tp Prussia, and all Austrian troops and civil administrators evacuated the provinces.
This was the situation in 1914 at the outbreak of World War One. Schleswig, a province of mixed ethnic German and Danish population had been an integral part of Prussia, the German Empire's dominant state for 48 years. With the end of the world war, Denmark (which had maintained neutrality) pressed its claims with the victorious allies, which were receptive. The fate of Schleswig was therefore directly and minutely addressed in the formal 1919 Treaty of Versailles. Section XII Articles 109 - 114, provided that German troops and civil authorities would vacate the plebiscite area, that an International Commission would immediately administer the province and that a plebiscite would be held to determine its national disposition. The 1864 Treaty of Vienna is what formed the legal basis for the mandated plebiscite. That treaty contained a provision for a popular plebiscite to be held in Schleswig to determine the wishes of the people. That plebiscite was never held. Therefore officially the Allies were not seeking to reward Denmark at the expense of Germany, but rather to make good the promise that Prussia and Austria had made, but not fulfilled, some 55 years earlier.
The result of the referendum, held in 1920, was that the northern third of Schleswig broke away from Germany, to become Denmark's South Jutland County. The long history of ethnic pluralism in Schleswig meant that a substantial Danish minority remained in Germany even after 1920. Now, The Guardian reports that this Danish community--together with the länd's Frisian minority--holds the balance of power in Germany, thanks to its political organization, the South-Schleswig Voters' Association (SSW).
[C]reated by the British military authorities in 1948 to represent ethnic Danes after Schleswig was divided between Germany and Denmark after plebiscites in 1920.
The SSW, dedicated to maintaining "the peculiarity of Danish life", is hardly a major political force. Speaking for the 50,000 Danes and 40,000 Friesians among the state of 2.8 million people, it currently holds three seats in Kiel's Landtag (parliament).
Yet with the gap between the main leftright groupings standing at 3%, the SSW's projected 4% of the vote on Sunday looks likely to make it the state's political arbiter.
In short, history has come full circle and Danish mastery of Schleswig-Holstein could be restored for the first time since King Christian IX's soldiers were ignominiously turfed out in 1864.
The SSW spokesman Lars Erik Bethge is keeping a level head. "No, we don't see this as revenge on Bismarck. We're not seeking reunification with Denmark, nothing like that," he said.
But Mr Bethge is certainly relishing the prospect of holding the balance of power in his windswept land of cows and coastlines straddling the Baltic and North Sea. "For us the crucial issue is schools - we want to adopt the Danish model. And we want equal treatment and equal rights for all cultures in south Schleswig," he said.
I'll be watching the outcome fo this closely. What's particularly interesting about this situation is that Schleswig-Holstein's Danes have, as a result of various German-Danish treaties and diplomatic exchanges, guaranteed representation in the state's Landtag in order to ensure that a distinct Danish voice will be heard. This model has obvious applications to Germany's other concentrated indigenous minorities, particularly the Sorbs of Saxony and Brandenburg in the former East Germany, as well, perhaps, to indigenous and even immigrant minorities in other circumstances.
