Volksherrschaft

Volksherrschaft is a German term that translates to the rule or governance by the people. It denotes the idea that political authority ultimately rests with the population and that government should be based on the will of the people. The phrase is mainly historical and appears in political discourse as a general description rather than as a fixed doctrine in modern constitutional law.

In liberal-democratic thought, Volksherrschaft is closely tied to the principle of popular sovereignty and constitutional government. Under this view, the legitimacy of rulers derives from the consent of the governed, typically expressed through elections, representation, and the protection of individual rights. Government authority is constrained by law and subject to democratic oversight.

In other historical contexts, the term has been used by various movements to claim popular legitimacy for centralized or authoritarian rule. Some regimes have invoked Volksherrschaft to present the state or a ruling party as the authentic voice of the Volk, even when pluralism, civil liberties, or independent institutions were curtailed. In such uses, the phrase often functioned as political propaganda to legitimize power rather than to describe genuine popular participation.

Today, Volksherrschaft is rarely employed as a formal term in constitutional theory. Contemporary discussions more often distinguish Volksherrschaft from Volkssouveränität (sovereign power of the people) and emphasize democratic processes, accountability, rule of law, and civil rights as the practical foundations of legitimate governance.