may 8, 1949 - Basic Law

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Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany is the constitution of West Germany. It was approved on 8th of May 1949 with signature of the western allies on May 12th, but came into effect on May 23rd. It included the area of Trizonia but not West Berlin. It was created to ensure that no political dictator would be able to come into power in the country. Some of the Basic Law was based on the Weimar republic constitution but also ensured that human rights would play a core part in the law. There are no emergency powers such as those used by the Reichspräsident in the Reichstag Fire Decree of 1933 to suspend basic rights and to remove communist members of the Reichstag from power. The constitutional position of the federal government was strengthened, as the President of Germany has only a small fraction of the former power of the president of the Reich and is no longer in Supreme Command of the armed forces. The government now depends only on the parliament.

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