Federalism in Germany

Federalism in Germany divides public authority between the federal government and 16 constituent states, called Länder. The Basic Law assigns responsibilities and gives the Länder a direct role in federal legislation.

Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany: Germany’s constitution, adopted in 1949, defines government institutions, rights, and the division of authority. It allocates powers between the federation and Länder and sets limits on both.
States of Germany: Germany’s 16 constituent states, each with its own government, parliament, and constitution. They are the constituent governments whose powers federalism distributes and protects.
Parliamentary Council: The assembly that drafted West Germany’s Basic Law in 1948–1949. Its deliberations set the original postwar balance between federal and state authority.
Unitary state: A state in which the central government holds ultimate constitutional authority over territorial units. Germany instead gives Länder constitutionally protected powers and a role in federal decisions.
Bundesrat of Germany: The Bundesrat is Germany’s federal legislative body through which Länder governments participate in federal lawmaking. Länder representatives can shape or block federal legislation affecting state powers and administration.
German state constitutions: The constitutions adopted by Germany’s Länder to organize their institutions and govern matters within their authority. They establish state institutions alongside the national Basic Law.
Konrad Adenauer: A German statesman who served as the first chancellor of the Federal Republic from 1949 to 1963. As president of the Parliamentary Council, he helped lead the Basic Law’s creation.
Confederation: A political union in which sovereign member states delegate limited powers to a common body. Germany’s Länder are not sovereign states and cannot withdraw from the federation.
Concurrent legislative powers in Germany: A constitutional category allowing federal legislation in specified fields where Länder may legislate until the federation acts. It explains how federal law can displace state legislation in shared policy areas.
Länderparlament: A state parliament in a German Land, responsible for legislation and oversight within that state’s jurisdiction. State legislatures exercise the lawmaking authority that remains with the Länder.

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