1968 East German constitution

1968 East German constitution was the second and final basic law of the German Democratic Republic. It formally replaced the 1949 Constitution and was designed to fully institutionalize the socialist character of the state under the leadership of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. Enacted during the tenure of Walter Ulbricht, it remained in force until German reunification in 1990, though it was significantly amended in 1974.

Historical context and development

The drive for a new constitution emerged in the mid-1960s, a period marked by the consolidation of Soviet-style socialism following the construction of the Berlin Wall. The leadership under Walter Ulbricht sought to legally codify the outcomes of the Cold War and the definitive separation from the Federal Republic of Germany. A constitutional commission, heavily influenced by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, drafted the document, which was subsequently approved by the Volkskammer on 6 April 1968. A public referendum was held, and it came into force on 9 April 1968, coinciding with a period of relative economic stability under the New Economic System.

Key principles and ideological foundations

The constitution was explicitly founded on the principles of Marxism–Leninism as interpreted by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. It declared the German Democratic Republic a "socialist state of the German nation" and an "inseparable component of the socialist community of states," affirming its allegiance to the Warsaw Pact and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. It formally established the leading role of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany in all spheres of society, a concept known as the party's "leading role." The document also emphasized socialist legality, collective ownership of the means of production, and the goal of developing a "developed socialist society."

Structure of state and government

The constitution established a centralized state structure with the Volkskammer as the supreme organ of state power. The Volkskammer elected the State Council as a collective head of state, the Council of Ministers as the government, and the National Defense Council. The judiciary was headed by the Supreme Court and the Attorney General. Local state power was exercised by assemblies such as the Bezirkstag and Kreistag. In practice, real political authority resided in the Politburo of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.

Fundamental rights and duties of citizens

The constitution guaranteed a range of rights, but these were explicitly tied to the fulfillment of socialist duties. It proclaimed the right to work, education, and leisure, as well as equality between men and women. Cultural rights were to be exercised in accordance with socialist principles. Crucially, it also enumerated duties, including the duty to work, to defend the socialist state—including service in the National People's Army—and to uphold socialist property. Freedoms of speech, assembly, and association were guaranteed only insofar as they served the principles of socialism, a limitation that was rigorously enforced by institutions like the Ministry for State Security.

Amendments and subsequent history

The most significant amendment occurred in 1974 under Erich Honecker, which removed all references to a single "German nation" and instead defined the German Democratic Republic as a "socialist state of workers and peasants" and an irrevocable part of the "socialist community of states." This change solidified the doctrine of separate statehood from the Federal Republic of Germany. The constitution remained formally valid throughout the Peaceful Revolution of 1989, but its authority collapsed. It was effectively suspended with the first free elections to the Volkskammer and was formally superseded by the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany upon German reunification on 3 October 1990. Category:German Democratic Republic Category:Constitutions of former countries Category:1968 in East Germany Category:1968 documents