Verwaltungseinrichtungen in Elsass-Löthringen,' and 'Die Annalen des Deutschen Reiches,' by Hirth. To render the origin of the Constitution, and the cause which led to its establishment, clear to my readers, I found it necessary to give a rapid survey of the events which occurred in Germany from the year 1815 to the year 1871, and to avoid a break in the narrative I placed the sketch of the Constitution of 1867 after the chapter on the events from 1867-1871, though, chronologically speaking, it should have preceded it. The present Constitution is, with a few exceptions, identic with that of 1867; I have therefore devoted more space to the former, and then pointed out the alterations which were rendered necessary by the admission of the South German States into the North German Confederation, and by the transformation of the latter into the German Empire. I must, therefore, beg my readers to remember that in reading of the Constitution of 1867, they have the present Constitution before them, and not to imagine that, because I have been compelled to use the past tense throughout, the Constitution has been in any way altered, except in the instances which are afterwards mentioned. CONTENTS. Introduction-The Federal Act of 1815-The Diet-The Plenum Court of Austrägal Instanz-Representative Assemblies-Article XI. of Federal Act-Meeting of the Diet-Congress of Carlsbad- PAGE Meetings in Baden-The 'Vor Parliament '-Dissolution of the Diet-Revolts in Baden-Plans for a New Constitution-Election of Emperor-Refusal of King of Prussia to accept Imperial Crown-Appointment of Particularist Ministry-Resignation of Results of the Revolution of 1848-Three Great Questions-The Slesvig-Holstein Question-Reform of the Constitution-Congress Armistice of Nickolsburg-Treaty of Prague-The new Constitution -The South German States-The annexed provinces-The Lux- Laws of Central Power-Charter of the Constitution-Presidency of the Confederation-The Federal Council-Federal Court of Appeal-The Reichstag-Electoral Law-Railways and Finances SKETCH OF THE GERMAN CONSTITUTION. CHAPTER I. Introduction The Federal Act of 1815-The Diet The Plenum CHAP. Introduc ON the establishment of the Rhine Confederation B CHAP. I. The Federal these wide regions, it was clearly necessary to create something new.'1 The reorganisation of Germany formed then one of the principal subjects of negotiation at the Congress of Vienna, and the result of the labours of the statesmen and diplomatists engaged on this work was the Federal Act, bearing date June 8, 1815, and which was placed under the guarantee of eight great European Powers. Without examining the negotiations which led to the formulation of the Federal Act (Bundes-Akte), on which was based the German Confederation, we will turn to the Act itself, and sketch some of its principal features. The object of the Confederation was stated to be the maintenance of the external and internal security of Germany, and the independence and inviolability of the several German States. The affairs of the Confederation were entrusted to an assembly, of which Austria was president, and which is best The Diet. known under the name of the Diet. The Diet con sisted of seventeen members, the larger States having each one vote, and the smaller ones voting in groups. The votes were divided in the following ratio : Austria 1; Prussia 1; Bavaria 1; Kingdom of Saxony 1; Hanover 1; Wurtemburg 1; Grand Duchy of Baden 1; Electorate of Hesse 1; GrandDucal Hesse 1; Denmark, for the Duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg, 1; the Netherlands, for Limburg and Luxemburg, 1; the Duchies of Saxe-Mein 1 Sketches in European Politics, by Grant Duff, p. 257. |