States of Germany - Politics

Politics

Germany
This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Germany
Constitution
  • Constitution
  • Human rights
Executive
  • President
    • Joachim Gauck
  • Chancellor
    • Angela Merkel
  • Cabinet
Legislature
  • Federal Convention
    (Bundesversammlung)
  • Federal Council
    (Bundesrat)
  • Federal Diet
    (Bundestag)
  • Joint Committee
    (Gemeinsamer Ausschuss)
Judiciary
  • Judiciary
  • Federal courts
    • Constitutional Court
    • Administrative Court
    • Court of Justice
    • Finance Court
    • Labor Court
    • Social court
Divisions
  • States (Länder)
  • Administrative regions
    (Regierungsbezirke)
  • Districts (Kreise)
  • Collective municipalities
  • Municipalities (Gemeinden)
Elections
  • Elections
  • Political parties
Foreign policy
  • Foreign relations
  • European Union politics
  • Other countries
  • Atlas

Politics portal

Germany is a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic. The German political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1949 constitutional document known as the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). By calling the document Grundgesetz, rather than Verfassung (constitution), the authors expressed the intention that it would be replaced by a proper constitution once Germany was reunited as one state.

Amendments to the Grundgesetz generally require a two-thirds majority of both chambers of the parliament; the fundamental principles of the constitution, as expressed in the articles guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the rule of law are valid in perpetuity. Despite the original intention, the Grundgesetz remained in effect after the German reunification in 1990, with only minor amendments.

Read more about this topic:  States Of Germany

Famous quotes containing the word politics:

    “The real grounds of difference upon important political questions no longer correspond with party lines.... Politics is no longer the topic of this country. Its important questions are settled... Great minds hereafter are to be employed on other matters.... Government no longer has its ancient importance.... The people’s progress, progress of every sort, no longer depends on government. But enough of politics. Henceforth I am out more than ever.”
    —Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)

    “The Germans—once they were called the nation of thinkers: do they still think at all? Nowadays the Germans are bored with intellect, the Germans distrust intellect, politics devours all seriousness for really intellectual things—Deutschland, Deutschland Über alles was, I fear, the end of German philosophy.”
    —Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)

    “Politics is repetition. It is not change. Change is something beyond what we call politics. Change is the essence politics is supposed to be the means to bring into being.”
    —Kate Millett (b. 1934)