Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany

Germany’s constitution, adopted in 1949 as a provisional framework for a divided country. After reunification in 1990, it continued to govern the whole republic without being replaced.

Human dignity: The inherent worth of every person, which Germany’s constitution makes inviolable. Article 1 places human dignity at the foundation of the constitutional order.
Parliamentary Council: The assembly that drafted and approved West Germany’s Basic Law in 1948–1949. Its members negotiated the constitutional text under conditions set by the Western occupying powers.
Constitutional complaint: A legal procedure allowing individuals in Germany to claim that public authority has violated their constitutional rights. It lets individuals bring alleged violations of Basic Law rights before the constitutional court.
German reunification: The 1990 process that ended Germany’s division and brought the former East German states into the Federal Republic. The Basic Law became the constitution for reunified Germany.
Weimar Constitution: The constitution of the German Republic established after the First World War, in force from 1919 to 1933. Its collapse informed postwar efforts to design stronger safeguards against authoritarian rule.
Bundestag: Germany’s federal parliament, elected by the public and responsible for federal legislation and government oversight. The Basic Law establishes the Bundestag’s central legislative and oversight roles.
Konrad Adenauer: A German politician who chaired the Parliamentary Council and became West Germany’s first chancellor. As council president, he guided the assembly that adopted the Basic Law.
Abstract judicial review: A court’s examination of a law’s constitutionality without requiring a dispute about its application to a specific person. The Basic Law authorizes review of federal and state laws through this procedure.
German Constitutional Court decisions on European integration: Rulings defining how European Union integration relates to Germany’s constitutional order. The Basic Law has framed disputes over the limits of transferring powers to the European Union.
German Democratic Republic Constitution of 1949: The constitution adopted by East Germany in 1949, establishing its formal state institutions. It governed the other German state while the Basic Law applied in the Federal Republic.

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