French policy towards the Saar 1945-1955

Abstract

The study deals with the evolution of French policy towards the Saar from 1945, when the first concepts of an economic union between France and the Saar, to the refusal of the Saar to become an international territory governed by the Council of Europe in 1955. Analyzing the developments within the French administration in Paris and in Saarbrücken, the aim of the study is to prove that the failure of France to secure an annexation of the Saar resulted from a variety of internal and external forces, the most notable being the lack of interest, co-ordination and competence of the French bureaucracy regarding the Saar. Shortly after the conclusion of World War II, France justified its claims in the Saar by a dire need of coal and the necessity of curbing future German economic potential. The creation of an economic union between France and the Saar was based on superficial and irresponsible planning, which proved to be the stumbling block of future French-Saar relations. The troubled partnership, initially a cause for optimism, resulted in the alienation of both countries. At the same time the rebirth of Western Germany caused the pragmatic view of the Saar to doubt the future of a union with a fragile and economically weak France. Following the rejection of the Saar Statute, a French plan of..