The Länder and German Federalism (Issues in German Politics)
Arthur Gunlicks
Language: English
Pages: 422
ISBN: B00ZCOQ0GC
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
An illuminating introduction to how the Lander (the sixteen states of Germany) function not only within the country itself but also within the wider context of European political affairs. Looks at the Lnader in the constitutional order of the country, and the political and administrative system. Their organization and administration is fully covered, as is their financial administration. The role of parties and elections in the Lander is looked at, and the importance of their parliaments. The first work in the English language that considers the Lander in this depth.
January 1934 the autonomy of the Länder was transferred to the Reich. The Länder became administrative districts of the Reich, acting only on behalf of the central administration. As a result the Reichsrat became superfluous, and it was dissolved in February 1934. The Land parliaments were also dissolved, and the Land governments were appointed by the Reich. In the meantime the two Mecklenburg Länder were consolidated, Lübeck was absorbed by Prussia, and the Saarland was placed under the
January 1934 the autonomy of the Länder was transferred to the Reich. The Länder became administrative districts of the Reich, acting only on behalf of the central administration. As a result the Reichsrat became superfluous, and it was dissolved in February 1934. The Land parliaments were also dissolved, and the Land governments were appointed by the Reich. In the meantime the two Mecklenburg Länder were consolidated, Lübeck was absorbed by Prussia, and the Saarland was placed under the
disagreement over the location of sovereignty between two tiers of government or, at the very least, over the proper distribution of powers between them.5 When Ronald Reagan claimed in his inaugural presidential address in 1981 that the states created the Union, thus implying state sovereignty, few legal scholars agreed. But just where sovereignty does lie is still an unresolved question. Daniel Elazar, for example, insists that in a democratic federal system sovereignty is shared; each arena or
federal administration of military forces; air transportation; railroads, post office and telecommunications (railroads, many post office functions and telecommunications were privatized in whole or in part in the mid-1990s); the Bundesbank (federal reserve bank); and federal waterways.52 Bundesauftragsverwaltung A second method is administration by the Länder of federal laws delegated to them (Bundesauftragsverwaltung), that is, administration by the Länder according to federal instructions
Organisation und Enturicklung der Verwallung in den Ländern und in Berlin,” in Deutsche Verwaltungsgeschichte, Band 5: Die Bundesrepublic Deutschland, edited by Kurt G. A. Jeserich et al. (Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, 1987), p. 243. Figure 3.5 Organization plan of Lower Saxony Administrative structures in Germany 97 such as concert halls and museums; the construction and maintenance of general schools, retirement and nursing homes; hospitals and ambulance services, etc. Mandated tasks