abstract
| - Historically ruled by various Celtic tribes, the territory of the Saar was conquered by the Roman Empire in the first century BCE, and was subsequently occupied by and annexed into the Carolingian Empire. Divided amongst many states of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, the territory was invaded by French revolutionaries and annexed to the French Republic in 1792. Restored to various German states by the Congress of Vienna in 1815, it was part of Prussia within the German Empire from 1871 until 1918. Following the First World War, the region was unified for the first time as a distinct entity, the Saarbeckengebiet. Occupied by France until 1935, the people voted overwhelmingly - over 90% in favor - to join the Großdeutsches Reich in a plebiscite. Although this is attributed to a variety of regions, including the economic stability that Germany had seen compared to that of France, the most likely reason is because of the German ethnicity of the majority of the population. Reoccupied by France at the end of the Second World War, the Saar once again became a French protectorate. It was restored to Germany in 1956. In 2008, the Association of Germanic States was founded, with Germany as a member. The government of the Saar, which did not support the Association, attempted to declare independence from Germany in March of that year. Despite its attempts, the population largely did support the newfound autonomy from the European Union, and the state government of Peter Müller was brought down by a popular revolution. To promote stability, German military troops were moved into Saarbrücken and ordered new elections, in which Müller was not allowed candidacy. Sophia Reinhardt was elected as Ministerpräsident, and became Chancellor of the Saar following its incorporation into Großgermania on 12 December 2008.
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