Free State of Anhalt

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This article is about the Free State after World War I. For the Duchy of Anhalt see Anhalt.

Freistaat Anhalt
Free State of Anhalt

State of Germany

←

1918 – 1945

→

Flag

Anthem
Anhaltlied

The Free State of Anhalt (red), within Germany

Capital

Dessau
51°50′N, 12°15′E

Government

Republic

Prime Minister

- 1918-1919 (first)

Wolfgang Heine

- 1940-1945 (last)

Rudolf Jordan

Historical era

Interwar period

- Established

12 November, 1918

- Abolition (de facto)

May 1932

- Abolition (de jure)

23 July, 1945

Area

- 1925

2,314 km² (893 sq mi)

Population

- 1925 est.

351,045

Density

151.7 /km² (392.9 /sq mi)

The Free State of Anhalt (German: Freistaat Anhalt) was formed after Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt abdicated on 12 November 1918, ending the Duchy of Anhalt. It was a state of Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. In May 1932 the Nazi Party came to power in Anhalt and, after the Nazis attained power at the federal level in 1933, Anhalt was abolished de facto by the federal Nazi government, becoming part of the Gau of Magdeburg-Anhalt.

At the end of World War II, when Germany was divided into zones of occupation, Anhalt was merged with the bulk of the Prussian Province of Saxony to form the Soviet-administered German state of Saxony-Anhalt. This state was then dissolved in 1952 but reformed in 1990 after the reunification of Germany.