Grundgesetzes

Grundgesetz, or Basic Law, is the constitutional framework of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was adopted by the Parliamentary Council in Bonn on 23 May 1949 and entered into force on 24 May 1949. Drafted as a provisional constitution under Allied occupation, it aimed to secure a democratic, federal state and to provide a framework for eventual reunification. In 1990, with German reunification, the Basic Law was extended to the entire nation and remains the constitutional foundation of Germany. Article 146 contemplates replacing it with a new constitution, but it has not been carried out.

Its core norms anchor human dignity as inviolable (Article 1) and guarantee fundamental rights, including equality before the law, freedom of expression, religion, assembly, and due process. It also establishes a liberal, social, federal order grounded in democracy, the rule of law, and the separation of powers. The Basic Law structures the state through the Bundestag (lower house), the Bundesrat (representing the states), the Federal President, and the Federal Chancellor, and defines federal–state powers.

Fundamental rights are enforceable before the Federal Constitutional Court, which has the authority of constitutional review. Amendments to the Basic Law require broad cross-party consensus and must preserve core principles under the eternity clause of Article 79(3), which protects the dignity of persons and the democratic, federal constitutional order from alteration.

The Basic Law has shaped postwar German politics by providing a stable framework for governance, civil liberties, and the rule of law. It accommodates participation in the European Union while preserving constitutional guarantees, as interpreted by the Federal Constitutional Court.