Baron vom Stein, the Prussian Law on Municipal Government of 1808 and the Creation of the German Tradition of Participative Self-Government

Authors

  • Martin Will

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4335/55

Abstract

Most European States have their own particular form and tradition of local self-government. The German concept of local self-government goes back to the Prussian reformer Baron vom Stein who introduced local self-government 200 years ago in Prussia by means of the Prussian Law on Municipal Government. In essence, the then promoted concept of self-government meant that citizens with voting powers had the right to elect a representative assembly which in turn formed a central legislative as well as an administrative organ duly representing the whole citizenship of the town. The fundamental principle of self-government was later transferred to other areas such as the self-government of trade and industry, the self-government of liberal professions or the self-government of universities. As self-government was applied to ever more fields, various scholars contributed to a general concept of self-government or self administration which can now be seen as one of the basic structural principles of the constitutional system of the Federal Republic of Germany. Key words: • Prussian Law • municipial government • local self-government •constitutional system

Published

2009-09-02

Issue

Section

Article