After World War II, Germany lay in ruins – there were no state structures left. The victorious powers USA, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union divided the country into four occupation zones. From autumn 1945, new federal states with their own state parliaments and minister-presidents gradually emerged in the western zones.
The conflict between East and West intensified steadily. In March 1948, the Soviet Union left the Allied Control Council. The Berlin Blockade from late June 1948 cut off West Berlin from land-based supplies for almost a year – only via the airlift could the city be reached.
Mandate for a West German State
The Western Allies now pushed for the establishment of a West German state. On July 1, 1948, they tasked the minister-presidents of the western federal states with convening a constituent assembly. The goal was a democratic, federal state with a strong central authority that guaranteed individual civil liberties.
The Parliamentary Council began this task on September 1, 1948, in Bonn. The body consisted of 61 men and four women, delegated by the state parliaments. Five people from West Berlin participated without voting rights. The chair was held by Konrad Adenauer, later the first chancellor of the Federal Republic.
Vote and Entry into Force
On May 8, 1949 – exactly four years after the German surrender – the Parliamentary Council adopted the Grundgesetz with 53 votes in favor and 12 against. The Western occupying powers gave their approval on May 12. Subsequently, the elected representatives in the state parliaments consented.
On May 23, 1949, the Grundgesetz was signed in Bonn and came into force at the end of that day. The Federal Republic of Germany was founded. In the Soviet occupation zone, the GDR was established on October 7, 1949.
Deliberately Provisional
A central concern troubled the states in 1948/49: Would the founding of a West German state permanently seal the division of Germany? The mothers and fathers of the Grundgesetz therefore deliberately chose the name “Grundgesetz” instead of “constitution.” It was meant to be a provisional arrangement – with an eye toward a possible reunification of the divided country.
Source: Tagesschau
