Review: German Constitutional History (Willoweit/Schlinker/Schwarz) – Jurios

From the Franconian Empire to the European Union

A revised and expanded ninth edition of the book was published in 2024 “German Constitutional History – From the Franconian Empire to the European Union” By Dietmar Wilhoit, Stephen Schlenker, and Kirill Alexander Schwartz.

In 527 pages, the authors manage to provide a comprehensive and organized overview of German constitutional history.

“The task of legal and constitutional history is always to take into account the differences between eras, to determine the practical nature of history, and to determine the stages of the development of law in their correspondence with the intellectual and social environment.”, Willoweit is quoted in the introduction.

An extensive examination of German constitutional history

This book lives up to that principle. It is suitable for an extensive examination of German constitutional history and manages to show the relationship between influential developments at different levels. At the same time, (quick) identification of the sub-area is recommended.

The timetable with overview in the Appendix is ​​particularly useful for an initial overview and for recurrent guidance as part of intensive work in different subject areas. This tabular overview is divided into the areas of constitutional history, political events, and rulers/governments. In addition, historical[n] Maps help with geographic classification and visualization of national borders at any given time.

The book initially deals extensively with the concept of the constitution, constitutional history, and the state of research.

Beginning in 482, this book shows the development of German constitutional history up to the present day, highlighting the interactions between internal social developments, the importance of the church, and the influence of the Enlightenment on constitutional (politics).

Ease of use

Three indexes make it easy to find specific information. In addition to the list of names, there is a list of places, regions and landscapes as well as an index of topics. Especially if knowledge of a subarea is required for a lecture or research paper, it is possible to identify important passages in the text.

In addition, a look at the Table of Contents illustrates the overall structure and subdivision of the subject areas in this book, and the first level of the structure is shown here as an example:

introduction. Subject and method

• Part one. From an association of people to an imperial organization
• Part Two. Imperial system and state formation
• Part Three. Monarchical constitutional state
• Part Four. Between democracy and dictatorship

Literary sources and references, including contemporary literature, are provided extensively and thus enable a far-reaching and more detailed discussion of individual sub-fields.

Cover text

This modern standard work covers the entire period of German constitutional history:

• Political organization of medieval society
• Changes of the ancient state in the modern era
• The monarchical constitutional state in the nineteenth century
• German republics and dictatorships in the twentieth century
• German reunification
• Germany's membership in the European Union

For students of law, history, political and social sciences with comprehensive literary references and indexes.