A double referendum took place in

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

on 28 September 1919.

Dieter Nohlen Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An exp ...

& Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1244 Voters were asked questions on their preferred head of state and whether there should be an economic union with either

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. The majority voted to retain

Grand Duchess Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approxi ...

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

as head of state, and for economic union with France.

Results

Head of state

Economic union

Outcome

Both results were seen as being highly indicative of the country's will, and were acted upon. The result in favour of the monarchy was seen to be a

Wilsonian Wilsonianism, or Wilsonian idealism, is a certain type of foreign policy advice. The term comes from the ideas and proposals of President Woodrow Wilson. He issued his famous Fourteen Points in January 1918 as a basis for ending World War I and p ...

act of

self-determination The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a '' jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It sta ...

, in opposition to the 'French' republic or the imposition of the Belgian dynasty. By defeating both of these prospects, the referendum result put a clear end to the Allied Powers' discussion of Luxembourg's destiny. The political result was to have settled the national question, left the Grand Duchess as the incarnation of the nation itself, and settled the republican issue once and for all, as although the monarchy still had its detractors, particularly amongst socialists, its importance as a political issue waned considerably.''The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia''
Spencer Tucker, Laura Matysek Wood, Justin D. Murphy, Taylor & Francis, 1999, page 450 An exception was the city of

Esch-sur-Alzette Esch-sur-Alzette (; lb, Esch-Uelzecht ; german: Esch an der Alzette or ''Esch an der Alzig'') is the second city of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the country's second-most populous commune, with a population of 35,040 inhabitants, . It lies ...

, in which the majority (55%) voted for becoming a republic.Gilbert Trausch (2003) ''Histoire du Luxembourg'', p240 In

Luxembourg City Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Gr ...

only 33% voted for a republic. The economic question was more difficult for the government to implement. Indeed, since 1917, France had promised Belgium free rein (economically) in Luxembourg, and had informally precluded a customs union, but negotiations with the French government proceeded nonetheless, before collapsing in May 1920. This prompted the government to turn to Belgium, and within a year, negotiations had been settled, and a treaty signed on 25 July 1921 to create the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (UEBL). Due to the referendum result, and a lingering distrust of Belgium's political motives, the public in Luxembourg greatly resented the treaty. However, the treaty was still successfully ratified by the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon Res ...

on 22 December 1922, with 27 votes for, 13 against, and 8 in abstention.''Fontana economic history of Europe''
Volume 6, Part 1, Carlo M. Cipolla, 1976, page 4

References

{{Luxembourgian elections Referendums in Luxembourg 1919 referendums Luxembourgish monarchy Republicanism in Luxembourg 1919 in Luxembourg 1919 in international relations Sovereignty referendums Constitution of Luxembourg History of Luxembourg (1890–1945) Monarchy referendums September 1919 events