West: Creation of Bonn Republic

What names are used to refer to west Germany?

• Bonn Republic.

• FRG (Federal Republic of Germany).

What names are used to refer to east Germany?

• German Democratic Republic (GDR)

• DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik).

When was a new constitution decided?

At London Six Power Conference in 1948.

But had 2 caveats.

What was the first caveat to the constitution?

Constitution to stay under strict control of Western occupying powers, outlined by Occupation Statute.

What was the second caveat to the constitution?

Was to be drawn up by a parliamentary council of 65 delegates from the Lander, not by an elected constituent assembly (as in 1919).

What did the constitution aim to create?

A strong and stable democracy that could not be overthrown.

Fathers of new constitution felt Weimar enabled Hitler through the constitution legally.

What was the constitution meant to be in many respects?

Meant to be made eager and to fend off future threats from the right or left.

When was the FRG founded?

May 1949.

What was the constitution recognised as when the FRG was founded?

Recognised as a provisional arrangement called the Basic Law.

What was a key part of the Basic Law?

That it could be changed when all parts of Germany were reunited.

What was Basic Law seen to be?

As being fundamentally built on Weimar’s Constitutional framework.

Both federal, parliamentary, democratic and republican, but with several significant differences.

What were human and civil rights seen as being in the basic law?

Seen as standing above constitutional laws, and were ‘inalienable’.

What were human rights like in Weimar?

Those rights had only been listed within constitutional framework and could be abolished by 2/3 majority.