History
The Bundesrat had been the central body of the German federal state founded in 1867 as the North German Confederation and in 1871 became the German Empire. As this federal state comprised the various German kingdoms, principalities and free cities under the leadership of the King of Prussia, the Bundesrat comprised the delegates of the various states. Prussia sent almost half the representatives, being the largest state by far and so could block almost any decision. Also, the meetings of the Bundesrat were headed by the German chancellor appointed by the Emperor, who usually was identical to the Prussian prime minister. The Bundesrat was a very powerful institution, as its consent was needed for any legislation. Also before the chancellor's secretaries gained prominence in the 1890s, the Bundesrat together with the chancellor effectively formed the federal government.
The Weimar constitution at least de jure curbed the rights of the various states and the powers of their representation. The Reichsrat had no influence on the federal government. It could veto the Reichstag's bills unless the Reichstag overruled the veto by a two-thirds majority. In contrast to the Bundesrat, it comprised not only representatives from the state governments, since half of the Prussian delegation was appointed by this state's various provincial parliaments. But de facto the Reichsrat remained very powerful the Reichstag was splintered into many parties and frequently dissolved. In effect, bills vetoed by the Reichsrat very frequently died.
After Hitler came to power in 1933, the policy of Gleichschaltung first deprived the Reichsrat of its powers and later formally abolished it altogether, turning Germany into a centralized state.
After World War II, when the Federal Republic of Germany was founded the state's representation again was called Bundesrat and again became more powerful than the Reichsrat but not as powerful as the Bundesrat of the German Empire.
The number of votes in the Reichsrat, by state:
| 1919-08-15 | 1920-05-01 | 1921-07-14 | 1926-05-15 | 1929-04-01 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prussia | 25 | 22 | 26 | 27 | 26 |
| Bavaria | 7 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| Saxony | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Württemberg | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Baden | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Hesse | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Thuringia | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Hamburg | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Mecklenburg-Schwerin | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Oldenburg | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Brunswick | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Anhalt | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bremen | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lippe | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lübeck | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mecklenburg-Strelitz | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Waldeck | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| Schaumburg-Lippe | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| In total | 63 | 55 | 66 | 68 | 66 |
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Read more about this topic: Reichsrat (Germany)
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