Islamabad (Urdu Point. DW Urdu. May 24, 2024) The Basic Law came into effect on May 23, 1949, which is also the founding date of the Federal Republic of Germany. The 35th anniversary of the peaceful revolution in the former East Germany is also being celebrated on Thursday.
After the reunification of Germany in 1990, the temporary status of this law ended forever and it was implemented throughout the country, as the law had been successfully tested in West Germany for nearly fifty years.
During this time the Basic Law had attained a high status and its recognition and acceptance among the people had also increased.
According to a 2014 survey, 90 percent of Germans said they "to a great extent" trust the law and the country's constitutional court, seeing them as defenders of civil liberties in Germany.
Basic German law is also respected abroad.
"It is the most spectacular success story of post-World War II democracy," says American law professor Peter E. Quint. And some South American countries have also developed their own constitutions.
On the 75th anniversary of the German Constitution, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will also make a special speech today.
"This basic law ensures that freedom, democracy and justice determine coexistence in our state," the German president wrote in a message.
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According to the Federal German President, this constitution has proved to be stable and workable over the past 75 years and through this it has been possible to overcome many crises and problems.
Chancellor Olaf Schulz as well as top government figures will attend the ceremony in Berlin today. Before this event, a ceremony will also be held with religious leaders at St. Mary's Church in Berlin.
After the official ceremony on Thursday, the Democracy Festival will be held in Berlin from Friday to Sunday so that the public can also participate in this celebration.
On Saturday, the presidential residence in Bonn, the former capital of Germany, will also be opened to the public.
The Story of the Formation of the German Constitution
The Second World War ended on May 8, 1945. On the very next day, the Germans heard the news on the radio: "We the undersigned, acting in the name of the German High Command, declare the unconditional surrender of all our army, air and naval forces." Announce.
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The victorious Allies wanted to prevent Germany from becoming a threat to the world again. They divided Germany into four parts, controlled by the four major conquering powers. The US, Britain and France took control of the western zone and the eastern zone came under the control of the Soviet Union.
The Western powers decided to jointly administer their zone and tasked German politicians with drafting a democratic constitution.
The constitution specifically provided for the opening of a fourth zone occupied by the Soviet Union. Therefore, all major political parties agreed that the proposed state formation should be transitional in nature. The city of Bonn was chosen for the meeting of the Parliament. Located in the British zone, the city was easily accessible from the American and French zones.
West German parliamentarians, under the presidency of Konrad Odenauer, drafted a Basic Law, which was to serve as a provisional constitution but was not to become a final constitution. It included all the important pillars of freedom, human rights and democracy.
Some parliamentarians had to compromise. For example, they were conflicted about giving equal rights to women and men, but they had to agree to it. Then after the approval of the provincial assemblies and the western military governors, the implementation of this constitution was announced on May 23, 1949.
