The Paulskirchenverfassung (Constitution of St. Paul’s Church) might have been Germany’s very first Constitution, had it not been for Friedrich Wilhelm IV, reigning King of Prussia. Drawn up by the National Assembly in December 1848, the Paulskirchenverfassung called for basic civil rights, freedom of the press and the abolishment of the existing privileges of the nobility. The King himself had ordered it to be drawn up. But it hadn’t been his desire for democracy that had led him to take this step.
Who was King Friedrich Wilhelm IV?
Friedrich Wilhelm IV reigned from 1840 to 1861 and was the eldest son of Friedrich William II of Prussia. Friedrich Wilhelm IV was known as a romantic who had been responsible for the erection of many beautiful edifices in Berlin and Potsdam. He had also sponsored the completion of the cathedral in Cologne. But politically he seemed out of step with the times. When revolution broke out in Prussia, having spilled over from France, Friedrich Wilhelm IV feared that it might cost him the throne. After first trying to repress it with the army, he quickly decided to recall the troops instead and place himself at the head of the movement.
Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia from 1840 to 1861
King Friedrich Wilhelm IV refused
Friedrich Wilhelm IV convened a National Assembly in 1949, and ordered a Constitution be drawn up. He hoped that the move would shore up his position. But when the National Assembly elected him as emperor of Germany, the king flatly refused. His refusal did not stem from modesty however. To the contrary. Friedrich Wilhelm supposedly responded by saying, “I do neither want the consent of the princes nor the crown. This so-called crown is not a crown but a dog collar. It bears the smell of the gutter of the revolution–the silliest, stupidest and worst of this century.” Feeling secure again in his position, he then dissolved the assembly and ordered the army to reoccupy Berlin.
Failed Paulskirchenverfassung
The adoption of the Paulskirchenverfassung had failed. Three months later, the military disbanded the remaining parliament. In keeping with the king’s motto, “Only soldiers can help stop democrats,” fundamental rights were abolished again and popular uprisings squashed.
When one hundred years later, the Grundgesetz (The German Basic Law or Constitution) was created, much of the wording of the Paulskirchenverfassung of 1948 was incorporated.
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Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
Tags: Constitution of St. Paul's Church, Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, German Basic Law, Grundgesetz, Paulskirchenverfassung
