34. What is Germany not?

Answer options

1. a democracy
2. a state governed by the rule of law (Rechtsstaat)
3. a monarchy
4. a social state (Sozialstaat)

Explanation

Under Article 20(1) of the Basic Law, the Federal Republic of Germany is a democratic and social federal state; the principle of the rule of law (Rechtsstaat) is likewise entrenched (Art. 20(3), Art. 28). Monarchy ended with the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II in November 1918 and the Weimar Constitution of 1919, which established a republic. These foundational choices are protected against abolition by the eternity clause in Article 79(3) of the Basic Law. Accordingly, Germany is not a monarchy.