![Berlin, Mitte, Friedrichstrasse, Admiralspalast 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Berlin%2C_Mitte%2C_Friedrichstrasse%2C_Admiralspalast_02.jpg)
The Constitution of East Germany refers to the
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
of the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
(), commonly known as East Germany. Its original constitution was promulgated on 7 October 1949. It was heavily based on the "Weimarer Reichsverfassung", (
Weimar Constitution
The Constitution of the German Reich (german: Die Verfassung des Deutschen Reichs), usually known as the Weimar Constitution (''Weimarer Verfassung''), was the constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic era (1919–1933). The c ...
) and nominally established the GDR as a liberal democratic republic. In 1968 the East German government adopted a new, fully Communist constitution that was based on
Marxism-Leninism,
political unitarism
Political unitarism designates various theories, concepts or policies that advocate or enforce a fully unified and centralized system of government, with ultimate goal in creating a unitary state. In practice, unitarism is often manifested as a ...
, and
collective leadership
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together to achieve a common objective. Collectives can differ from cooperatives in that they are not necessarily focused upon an ...
. There were further amendments to the 1968 constitution in 1974. With the
political events of 1989, there were attempts to draft a new constitution for East Germany, but these efforts never materialized due to the
dissolution of East Germany and the accession of
its Länder (or states) into the neighboring
Federal Republic
A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. At its core, the literal meaning of the word republic when used to reference a form of government means: "a country that is governed by elected representatives ...
.
Background
In 1947 the German People's Congress met in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. The People's Congress was meant to be an alternative to the
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
London Conference of Foreign Ministers
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...
taking place at the same time. The People's Congress' aim was to establish an assembly which would represent the entire
German nation
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
and determine the nation's political future and prevent the division of
post-war Germany
In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period c ...
. In all there were 2215 delegates sent to the congress (664 of whom represented Germans in zones occupied by the Western Powers). The second Congress, which had by this point been outlawed in
Western occupied zones, met a year later and elected a Council (Volksrat). This council would seek to serve as an assembly representing the entire country, irrespective of occupying nation. This assembly designated a committee whose task it was to develop a constitution. Future Minister-President
Otto Grotewohl
Otto Emil Franz Grotewohl (; 11 March 1894 – 21 September 1964) was a German politician who served as the first prime minister of the German Democratic Republic (GDR/East Germany) from its foundation in October 1949 until his death in Septembe ...
was the chairman of this committee. An
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
was held in May 1949 to designate a People's Council. The German People's Congress met for a third time in 1949 and accepted the drafted constitution. The People's Council then became the
People's Chamber
__NOTOC__
The Volkskammer (, ''People's Chamber'') was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic (colloquially known as East Germany).
The Volkskammer was initially the lower house of a bicameral legislature. The upper house ...
of the East German Republic, and the Peoples' Congress was reformed into the
National Front political bloc
A political group is a group consisting of political parties or legislators of aligned ideologies. A technical group is similar to a political group, but with members of differing ideologies.
International terms
Equivalent terms are used differ ...
.
1949 Constitution
Fundamentals of State Authority
The constitution begins by declaring the indivisibility of the
German people
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
as a nationality, and primacy of the
Laender (states) in politics. The federal government is to be limited in its authority to issues which affect the whole of the nation, all other affairs falling to the states.
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
is declared as the capital of the Republic.
[(State Dept. 2015, p.2)]
The people are declared as the true source of political authority. Citizens therefore have the right to engage in political life at the local, county, and national level. This participation includes the
right to vote
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
in elections, referendums, and initiatives. Citizens also have the right to stand for election, and have the right to enter into public life whether it be political office or in the administration of justice. Citizens also have the right to petition the government.
Due to the authority emanating from the people, the constitution states the government must serve the common welfare of the people. This includes their personal liberty, providing for the general peace, and protecting democracy. Those people who are elected to office are ultimately responsible to their representative body and not to their individual party.
The constitution of the Republic is declared as the basis for all governmental action and the government must abide by its principles. The people have the
right to resist
The right to resist is a nearly universally acknowledged human right, although its scope and content are controversial. The right to resist, depending on how it is defined, can take the form of civil disobedience or armed resistance against a tyra ...
any action which takes place outside of these principles. The people of the Republic and the government are also subject to
international laws
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
and statutes.
The Rights of the Citizen
The second section of the constitution deals with the rights of citizens. All citizens are declared equal before the law. However a citizen convicted of a felony is disqualified from certain rights and privileges, including the right to vote and hold public office.
Gender equality
Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
is enshrined and any law which limits the equality of women is abolished.
[(State Dept. 2015, p.3)]
Citizens have the right to personal liberty, privacy of the home and of the mail, and the right to live where they choose. Citizens have the right to
freedom of expression
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
within constitutionally applicable laws. This includes the freedom to assemble peacefully and unarmed. No person shall have these freedoms infringed based on their employment.
The constitution declares the
freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...
from censorship. No citizen may be
extradited
Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdict ...
, nor can non-citizens be extradited provided they are engaged in struggle similar in principle to the constitution. Citizens have the right to emigrate, and any changes to this law must be applicable to the whole nation and not on an individual basis. People have the right to free ethnic education and development. No person shall be deprived of using their native language in the judicial system, education, or politics.
Citizens are free to form societies and associations. Associations which are aligned with constitutional principles and which support democracy may be permitted to stand candidates for election.
The people have a right to
labor organizing
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
, and recognized
trade unions
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...
have the right to call a
strike action
Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to Labor (economics), work. A strike usually takes place in response to grievance (labour), employee grievance ...
. The
right to work
The right to work is the concept that people have a human right to work, or engage in productive employment, and should not be prevented from doing so. The right to work is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized i ...
is guaranteed. Every worker is entitled to recreation, annual
vacation leave,
sick leave
Sick leave (or paid sick days or sick pay) is paid time off from work that workers can use to stay home to address their health needs without losing pay. It differs from paid vacation time or time off work to deal with personal matters, because sic ...
and
old age pension
A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...
. Sundays, holidays, and
May 1st are protected by law as days of rest. Citizens also have by right social insurance which provides for
health
Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
, old age assistance, motherhood assistance, disability, etc. These rights shall be exercised through trade unions and work councils. All people have the right to a social insurance which provides for health, old age assistance, motherhood assistance, disability assistance, etc.
The Economic Order
The economy of the Republic is to be structured from the principles of social justice and the need to provide all people with an existence of human dignity. The constitution declares the economy must benefit the whole people and that each person will receive their fair share of the yield of production. Free enterprise is permitted as long as it fits within this scope.
[(State Dept. 2015, p.5)]
The government will support co-operatives and the development of farmers, traders, and craftsmen. The economy is to be overseen by legislative bodies and it is the task of public officials to supervise and implement this economic plan.
Private property
Private property is a legal designation for the ownership of property by non-governmental legal entities. Private property is distinguishable from public property and personal property, which is owned by a state entity, and from collective or ...
is guaranteed by the state if it can exist within this scope. Inheritance is also guaranteed with inheritance tax being determined by law. Any restrictions on private property must be imposed only for the benefit of the general public.
Property and enterprises owned by
war profiteers
A war profiteer is any person or organization that derives profit from warfare or by selling weapons and other goods to parties at war. The term typically carries strong negative connotations. General profiteering, making a profit criticized a ...
and
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
is to be appropriated by the state without compensation. All monopolistic enterprises which seek to control production are to be abolished and prohibited. Large estates over 100
hectares
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ab ...
are to be dissolved and redistributed without compensation.
Farmers are guaranteed ownership of their land, and intellectual workers are guaranteed rights by the state.
[(State Dept. 2015, p.6)]
All mineral and exploitable resources are to be
transferred to
public ownership
State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownershi ...
. The state shall ensure their use for the benefit of the whole of society.
![Bundesarchiv Bild 183-19204-3150, Otto Grotewohl (recorte)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-19204-3150%2C_Otto_Grotewohl_%28recorte%29.jpg)
Every citizen and family is entitled to a healthy and suitable dwelling. Considerations shall be made for victims of fascism, resettled people, severely disabled people, etc.
Property and income shall be
progressively taxed with consideration made for family obligations.
Family and Motherhood
The constitution declares the family as being the foundation of collective life and is thus protected by the state. All laws pertaining to the family which undermine the equality of women are abrogated. During a woman's pregnancy she has the right to
maternal care and protection from the state. The constitution outlines that institutions which protect a mother and children in their rights are to be created.
Extramarital birth cannot not be ground for discrimination in any way, whether against the child or parents. Any former laws which go against this mandate are abrogated.
[(State Dept. 2015, p.7-8)]
Education
Every citizen has an equal right to an education, may freely choose their vocation, and the teaching of art and science shall be free.
The Laender will establish public school systems and the logistics for their operation, the Republic shall issue legislation to outline their basic function, and provide for the training of teachers.
It is the duty of the school to educate the students in the spirit of democracy and culture, to the end of making them responsible individuals who take part in their community. Parents shall be involved in the educational system through
parent's councils.
Education is
compulsory
Compulsion may refer to:
* Compulsive behavior, a psychological condition in which a person does a behavior compulsively, having an overwhelming feeling that they must do so.
* Obsessive–compulsive disorder, a mental disorder characterized by i ...
until the end of a student's 18th year. After finishing
primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
, students will enter into with vocational/training or public schools. All students will also be afforded an opportunity to prepare for their admission to university through use of
preparatory schools. These rights are extended to all the population.
Education is to be free. This means
tuition
Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spending (by governments and other public bo ...
, all
text books
A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textboo ...
, and instruction material that is used in compulsory education is to be furnished without cost. Scholarships will be provided to students as well based on need.
Religious education
In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion (although in the United Kingdom the term ''religious instruction'' would refer to the teaching of a particular religion, with ''religious education'' referring to te ...
is reserved for religious institutions. These institutions are guaranteed the right to conduct religious education.
Organization of State Authority
Popular Representative Body
![Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S89460, Berlin, Sitzung der Provisorischen Volkskammer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-S89460%2C_Berlin%2C_Sitzung_der_Provisorischen_Volkskammer.jpg)
Supreme governmental authority is vested in the
Volkskammer
__NOTOC__
The Volkskammer (, ''People's Chamber'') was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic (colloquially known as East Germany).
The Volkskammer was initially the lower house of a bicameral legislature. The upper house ...
. The members of the Volkskammer are the representatives of the German people and are to be elected in universal, equal, direct elections on a
secret ballot
The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote ...
. The term for these representatives is four years, and seats will be allocated according to
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
. The size of the Volkskammer is to be 400 members. Freedom of the ballot and secrecy of the ballot are guaranteed.
[(State Dept. 2015, p.11)]
All citizens over 18 years of age are eligible to vote and citizens over 21 years of age are permitted to stand for election.
The President will convene the assembly no later than 30 days after an election. Elections must take place no later than 60 days after a legislative term. In order for the assembly to dissolve (of its own power) more than half of the assembly must consent.
The Volkskammer will elect a Presidium. The Presidium will stay in office until the next legislative section. When the assembly is not in session 3 committees are to be elected to maintain government functioning, the Committee of General Affairs, the Committee of Economic and Financial affairs, and the Committee of Foreign Affairs.
A
quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...
consists of at least half members being present. Unless the constitution says otherwise legislation will be adopted by majority vote.
The deliberations of the assembly are open to the public unless two thirds of the assembly request an exclusion.
[(State Dept. 2015, p.11]
The functions of the Volkskammer are:
*Determine the principles of policy, and the implementation of policy
*The confirmation, supervision, and ability to
recall parliament
*Determine administrative policies and the ultimate supervision of government agencies
*Legislate, except in the event of referendums
*Control of the Republic's finances, including the
national budget
A government budget is a document prepared by the government and/or other political entity presenting its anticipated tax revenues (Inheritance tax, income tax, corporation tax, import taxes) and proposed spending/expenditure (Healthcare, Educat ...
,
economic planning
Economic planning is a resource allocation mechanism based on a computational procedure for solving a constrained maximization problem with an iterative process for obtaining its solution. Planning is a mechanism for the allocation of resources b ...
, loans and credit of the government, and ratifying treaties
*Granting amnesty
*Electing the
President of the Republic (along with the
Länderkammer
The Chamber of States (german: Länderkammer) was the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from its founding in 1949 until 1952, at which time it was largely sidelined, when the five Län ...
), the election and recall of the members of the Supreme Court and the Prosecutor General
[(State Dept. 2015, p.12-14)]
The Volkskammer will also convene a Constitutional Committee. This committee will represent all political parties (proportional membership of the committee corresponding to the composition of the Volkskammer), three members of the Supreme Court, three German professors of constitutional law who are not also members of the Volkskammer. The Constitutional Committee is the only authority which is allowed to review the constitutionality of legislation. If half of members of the assembly question the constitutionality of a law it can be reviewed. The Volkskammer confirms any decision of the Constitutional Committee.
Laender
The Laender will be represented in a legislative chamber known as the Chamber of States (
Länderkammer
The Chamber of States (german: Länderkammer) was the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from its founding in 1949 until 1952, at which time it was largely sidelined, when the five Län ...
). Each Laender will be represented by at least one member and there will be one representative for every five hundred thousand inhabitants. These representatives will be elected by the legislatures of the Laender (
Landtag
A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non- ...
). This will be done proportionally to the strength of the political parties represented within these legislatures. These representatives will be drawn from the members of these Laender parliaments, their terms will correspond to the terms of the parliaments. The members shall represent the wishes of their respective Laendar but will follow freely their own conscience.
[(State Dept. 2015, p.15)]
The chamber will elect a Presidium, consisting of the President, the deputies, and associate members. The President shall convene the chamber whenever it is necessary, or when one fifth of the members wish to.
The meetings of the chamber will be open to the public, certain agenda topics may necessitate exclusion of the public.
All decisions will be decided by majority vote, unless the constitution declares otherwise.
[(State Dept. 2015, p.15-16)]
The Länderkammer may introduce legislation to the Volkskammer and may reject legislation from the Volkskammer. The Volkskammer and Länderkammer may present their opinion to the other chamber.
1968 Constitution
At the Seventh Party Congress of the SED in April 1967, Ulbricht called for a new constitution, declaring that the existing constitution no longer accorded "with the relations of socialist society and the present level of historical development".
A new constitution was needed to conform with the Marxist–Leninist belief in the progression of history and the role of the working class led by the SED.
The new constitution would also reflect the role of the state as the party's main instrument in achieving the goal of a socialist and eventually communist society.
A commission in the
Volkskammer
__NOTOC__
The Volkskammer (, ''People's Chamber'') was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic (colloquially known as East Germany).
The Volkskammer was initially the lower house of a bicameral legislature. The upper house ...
was tasked in December 1967 to draft a new constitution.
Two months later the commission produced a document, which, after "public debate", was submitted to
a plebiscite on April 6, 1968.
Approved by a 94.5 percent margin, the new Constitution went into effect three days later on 9 April 1968.
While the 1949 constitution was at least superficially a liberal democratic document, the 1968 constitution was a fully Communist document. Modeled closely on the
1936 Soviet Constitution
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King ...
, it integrated all the constitutional changes that had taken place since 1949 into a new "socialist" framework, but it reduced certain
rights
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical the ...
provided in the earlier version.
Article 1 of the 1968 constitution began with the words, "The German Democratic Republic is a socialist state of the German nation. It is the political organization of the workers in the cities and in the countryside, who jointly under the leadership of the working class and their Marxist-Leninist party will realize Socialism."
While the old document made no mention of the SED, Article 1 of the new constitution unequivocally declared that "the leadership of the state is to be exercised through the working class and its Marxist-Leninist party"—the SED.
The 1949 constitution had declared Germany a "democratic republic", whereas the new one described East Germany as a "socialist state of the German nation".
Under the old constitution, power derived from "the people", while Article 2 of the new Constitution stated that power emanated from "the worker in city and country".
Significant changes introduced into the 1968 document included:
* Article 6, which committed the state to adhere to the "principles of socialist internationalism" and to devote special attention to its "fraternal ties" with the Soviet Union
* Article 9, which based the national economy on the "socialist ownership of the means of production"
* Article 20, which granted
freedom of conscience
Freedom of thought (also called freedom of conscience) is the freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of others' viewpoints.
Overview
Every person attempts to have a cognitive proficiency by ...
and belief
* Article 21, which maintained that the "basic rights" of citizenship were inseparably linked with "corresponding obligations"
* Article 47, which declared that the principle of "
democratic centralism
Democratic centralism is a practice in which political decisions reached by voting processes are binding upon all members of the political party. It is mainly associated with Leninism, wherein the party's political vanguard of professional revo ...
" is the authoritative maxim for the construction of the socialist state
The 1968 document effectively codified the actual state of affairs that had prevailed in the GDR for two decades. It was one of Ulbricht's last significant victories before his ouster in 1971.
1974 amendments
![Bundesarchiv Bild 183-N0930-0317, Berlin, Gesetz zur Änderung DDR-Verfassung](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-N0930-0317%2C_Berlin%2C_Gesetz_zur_%C3%84nderung_DDR-Verfassung.jpg)
With the rise of
Erich Honecker
Erich Ernst Paul Honecker (; 25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He held the posts ...
in May 1971 and the increasing international recognition of the GDR, the regime attempted to abandon the concept that the GDR was the sole legitimate government of the entire German nation. Instead, the policy of ''
Abgrenzung'' (demarcation) was instituted, with the desired effect of creating a separate GDR national identity. As a result, the 1968 constitution was amended by the
Volkskammer
__NOTOC__
The Volkskammer (, ''People's Chamber'') was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic (colloquially known as East Germany).
The Volkskammer was initially the lower house of a bicameral legislature. The upper house ...
on 27 September 1974 to delete the reference to the German nation; indeed, the use of the word "German" was cut back almost to a bare minimum. The amended document increased the emphasis on solidarity and friendship with the Soviet Union. In practice, however, ties between East Germans and their West German countrymen increased, in part due to the policies of
Ostpolitik
''Neue Ostpolitik'' (German for "new eastern policy"), or ''Ostpolitik'' for short, was the normalization of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, or West Germany) and
Eastern Europe, particularly the German Democratic Republ ...
and
détente
Détente (, French: "relaxation") is the relaxation of strained relations, especially political ones, through verbal communication. The term, in diplomacy, originates from around 1912, when France and Germany tried unsuccessfully to reduc ...
followed by both East and West during the 1970s.
Article 1 of the 1974 constitution began with the words, "The German Democratic Republic is a socialist state of workers and farmers. It is the political organization of the workers in the cities and in the countryside under the leadership of the working class and their Marxist-Leninist party."
1989–90 proposals
In the wake of the
Peaceful Revolution
The Peaceful Revolution (german: Friedliche Revolution), as a part of the Revolutions of 1989, was the process of sociopolitical change that led to the opening of East Germany's borders with the West, the end of the ruling of the Socialist Unity ...
and the fall of the
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
, the constitution was significantly revised in November 1989 to prune out its Communist character. Most notably, Article 1, which effectively gave the SED a monopoly of power, was deleted.
In April 1990, the democratic forum ''Runder Tisch'' (Round Table) developed a proposal for a new GDR constitution to reflect the democratic changes that swept across the GDR. However, by that time, the newly freely-elected ''
Volkskammer
__NOTOC__
The Volkskammer (, ''People's Chamber'') was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic (colloquially known as East Germany).
The Volkskammer was initially the lower house of a bicameral legislature. The upper house ...
'' (parliament) was moving in the direction of outright unification with the Federal Republic, and so the draft constitution went nowhere.
See also
Constitutions of Germany
*
Constitution of the German Empire
The Constitution of the German Empire (german: Verfassung des Deutschen Reiches) was the basic law of the German Empire of 1871-1918, from 16 April 1871, coming into effect on 4 May 1871. German historians often refer to it as Bismarck's imper ...
(1871–1919)
*
Weimar Constitution
The Constitution of the German Reich (german: Die Verfassung des Deutschen Reichs), usually known as the Weimar Constitution (''Weimarer Verfassung''), was the constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic era (1919–1933). The c ...
(1919–1933)
*
Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany
The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The West German Constitution was approved in Bonn on 8 May 1949 and came in ...
(
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
, 1949–)
Others
*
History of East Germany
The German Democratic Republic (GDR), german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik (''DDR''), often known in English as East Germany, existed from 1949 to 1990. It covered the area of the present-day German states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenbur ...
References
* "Constitution of the German Democratic Republic (7 October 1949)" United States Department of State, 7 March 2015. Web
Constitution of the German Democratic Republic (7 October 1949)*
External links
1949 Constitution of the GDR (full text in English)*
ttp://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-5108.html East Germany – Constitution of 1949
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Government of East Germany
East German law
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
1949 in East Germany
1968 in East Germany
1974 in East Germany
Constitutions of Germany
1949 in politics
1968 in politics
1974 in politics
1949 in law
1968 in law
1974 in law
1949 documents
1968 documents