Latest / The History of Germany: Kingdoms, War, and Rebuilding Europe — Fexingo History
Bismarck's Constitution: How Germany Was Engineered
In 1871, Otto von Bismarck didn't just unite Germany — he designed a constitution that balanced monarchy, federalism, and a revolutionary universal male suffrage. This episode unpacks the Verfassung des Deutschen Reiches: the Bundesrat's power over the Reichstag, the Chancellor's dependence on the Kaiser, and the loophole of Article 68 that allowed a state of siege. We explore how the North German Confederation's constitution became the blueprint, why Bismarck rejected British-style parliamentary sovereignty, and how the military's 'blank cheque' operated…
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