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The Directorate of the Klaipėda Region ((ドイツ語:Landesdirektorium); (リトアニア語:Klaipėdos krašto direktorija)) was the main governing institution (executive branch) in the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) from February 1920 to March 1939. It was established by local German political parties to govern the region between the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and establishment of French provision administration. Instead of replacing it, the French legitimized the Directorate. It mainly represented German interests and supported the idea of leaving the region as a free city, similar to the Free City of Danzig. Dismayed Lithuanian government and Prussian Lithuanian activists, who campaigned for incorporation into Lithuania, organized the Klaipėda Revolt in January 1923. The revolt was staged as a popular uprising against the unbearable oppression by the German Directorate. The revolt was successful and the region was incorporated into Lithuania as an autonomous region, governed by the Klaipėda Convention of May 1924. The Convention outlined organizational structure, competency, and relationship to the central Lithuanian government of the autonomous institutions – the Directorate, local parliament, governor. This enabled the directorate under Viktoras Gailius to conclude with the Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union the ''Agreement concerning the Evangelical Church of the Klaipėda Region'' ((ドイツ語:Abkommen betr. die evangelische Kirche des Memelgebietes)) on July 23, 1925, as to the organisation of the Protestant congregations.〔Cf. Ernst Rudolf Huber, ''Verträge zwischen Staat und Kirche im Deutschen Reich'', Breslau: Marcus, 1930, (=Abhandlungen aus dem Staats- und Verwaltungsrecht sowie aus dem Völkerrecht, No. 44), p. 82.〕 The Protestant congregations in the Klaipėda Region were disentangled from the old-Prussian ''Ecclesiastical Province of East Prussia'' and formed the Regional Synodal Federation of the Memel Territory (Landessynodalverband Memelgebiet) since, being ranked an ecclesiastical province directly subordinate to the ''Evangelical Supreme Church Council''. The relationship between the Directorate, which was more pro-Lithuanian as it was indirectly appointed by the President of Lithuania, and the local parliament, which was more pro-German, was tense. Of the six elected parliaments only two finished their full three-year term. The Directorate also often received votes of no confidence from the parliament and had to be replaced. A procedural dispute over the dismissal of the Otto Böttcher's Directorate in 1932 was only resolved by the Permanent Court of International Justice. The relationship stabilized in late 1930s when both the parliament and the Directorate supported pro-Nazi activities. The growing tension between Nazi Germany and Lithuania resulted in the ultimatum of March 1939. Klaipėda Region was incorporated into Germany and the autonomous institutions were dissolved. ==French administration== According to the Treaty of Versailles of June 1919, Klaipėda Region was detached from East Prussia and placed under provisional French administration. Even before the treaty was officially signed, German political parties held a congress ((ドイツ語:Vorparlament)) and formed the seven-member Executive Committee ((ドイツ語:Arbeitsausschus)) to govern the region on the interim basis.〔Gliožaitis (2003), p. 173〕 On February 10, 1920, the first French troops, commanded by General Dominique Joseph Odry, arrived to the region. A week later Odry recognized the Executive committee, transforming it into the Directorate.〔 Initially all its members were German, which caused protests among the Prussian Lithuanian activists. Two Lithuanians, Erdmonas Simonaitis and Mikelis Reidys, were co-opted on March 12, 1920.〔 Odry resigned on May 1, 1921, leaving Gabriel Jean Petisné the highest-ranking official in the region.〔Čepėnas (1986), p. 761〕 He appointed a new Directorate, presided by pro-German Prussian Lithuanian Wilhelm Stepputat. In September 1921, he also established 20-member advisory Council of State ((ドイツ語:Staatsrat); (リトアニア語:Valstybės taryba)).〔Gliožaitis (2003), p. 174〕 Petisné and the Directorate generally held anti-Lithuanian attitudes and supported turning the region into a free city, similar to the Free City of Danzig.〔Eidintas (1999), pp. 87–88〕 In February 1922, Simonaitis resigned in protest of such policies.〔 The Directorate was in charge of public institutions (railroad, postal service, customs, etc.), but its jurisdiction over of the police and courts was limited to financial matters.〔 The President of the Directory was the head of the administration and had extensive powers in his own right. The members of the Directorate were appointed and dismissed by the French commissioner.〔Krivickas (1937), p. 1007〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Directorate of the Klaipėda Region」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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