A hundred years after its creation, the Weimar Constitution appears in many respects to be both modern and up-to-date. Only, the traditional image we have of it is quite different from how it really was. Christoph Gusy's retrospective reveals the actual lessons, opportunities and risks of the Weimar Constitution, and above all points out the achievements that the young Federal Republic was able to take advantage of.

So much about the Weimar Republic's constitution seems highly topical and pertinent for today. Yet looking at it still irritates because the image that has been handed down to us is quite different from the reality. The national assembly's aim was a democratic-parliamentary republic, and although it supported the Reichstag where possible and restricted the rights of possible "counterweights", its concept gradually turned into a presidential republic and ultimately perished as such. Christoph Gusy's retrospective follows the historical and legal path leading to the constitution and reveals its actual lessons, opportunities and risks. Above all though, he points to the achievements - such as new concepts of pluralism and awareness of the need for an assured and robust democracy - that the young Federal Republic of Germany was able to take advantage of.

Autorentext
ist Professor für Öffentliches Recht, Staatslehre und Verfassungsgeschichte an der Universität Bielefeld.