Acceso usuarios
Cristiana Senigaglia
This article takes into consideration the most significant phases of the parliamentary debate after the foundation of the German state in 1871. The peculiarity of the German Constitution is that it allowed a very modern representative system based on universal suffrage on the one hand, and maintained the pre-eminence of the Executive and of bureaucratic power on the other hand. Furthermore, the new union required a complex balance between the former states that could hardly be attained by the federal system conceived at that time. These controversial issues gave rise to an intensive discussion looking for reforming proposals. Initially the debate was especially dominated by the claim to strengthen federalism and change the parliamentary system into representation on a regional and professional basis. In the course of time, trust in parliamentary institutions increased and was progressively considered as effectively mirroring society and its claims through mediation by political parties., Weaknesses were therefore rather attributed to German institutions than to the parliamentary system as such. During the First World War, after an initial claim for German uniqueness, the need to strengthen the parliamentary system was affirmed anew and related to democratic issues. Nevertheless it failed, with the exception of Max Weber's proposal, to integrate the parliamentary system and federalism.
