Constitutional History as the History of Modern Constitutionalism: Germany since 1871

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Pubblicato

2026-01-13

Fascicolo

Sezione

Fondamenti

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63277/gsc.v37i.4493

Autori

  • Horst Dippel University of Kassel

Parole chiave:

Costituzione imperiale del 1871, Costituzione di Weimar del 1919, Legge fondamentale del 1949, costituzionalismo moderno, migrazione delle idee costituzionali, principi costituzionali

Abstract

In the twentieth century, Germany experienced three national constitutions: the Imperial (Bismarckian) Constitution of 1871-1918, the Weimar Constitution of 1919-1933, and the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) of 1949 to the present day. Customarily, these constitutions are treated as individual bodies of law in and of themselves, thus ignoring the embarrassing question why basic issues of constitutions often resulted in different provisions while addressing the same problems. This article, therefore, offers a different perspective. Putting at the centre modern constitutionalism as it came into being with the first modern constitutions drafted at the end of the eighteenth century. Their elaborate concept of fixed principles established a balanced and consistent basis guaranteeing liberty and political stability. Due to the migration of constitutional ideas it found its way into German constitutional law as this article undertakes to demonstrate 

 

Biografia autore

Horst Dippel, University of Kassel

Prof. Dr., Fachbereich 05 Gesellschaftswissenschaften.