The Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany has been the foundation of German democracy for 75 years. At the time of its official promulgation on 23 May 1949, hardly anyone would have expected it to last for so long – least of all the members of the Parliamentary Council who passed the Basic Law on 8 May 1949 after nine months of intensive deliberation.

The foyer presentation “This is us! 75 years of Basic Law. A publication history” and the virtual exhibition are devoted to the basic law of our constitutional state, one key element of which is the protection of freedom of expression from extremist dissension. The exhibitions are the German National Library’s contribution to “Freedom of Speech Week”, in which attention will be drawn to the importance of freedom of speech in a free, democratic and diverse society and at the same time a step towards raising the profile of the German National Library as a democratic place.

Formulated as a counter manifesto four years after the demise of the National Socialist dictatorship, the Basic Law defines the conditions that govern our peaceful co-existence. It compels the state to protect its citizens from despotism and violence and is also an expression of concepts of social justice. The fundamental rights set forth in the first few Articles in particular protect the freedoms of each and every individual. The Basic Law is an expression of humanitarianism and respect towards a pluralist society and affords protection from the arbitrary use of power by the state.

Due not least to its effective expression of fundamental rights, the Germans have embraced this constitution like no other before it – even though the text was originally only intended to be a provisional until the division within Germany had healed. However, the Basic Law has proven to be astute, adaptable and enduring: when Germany was reunified in 1990, it became the definitive constitution for the whole state. It is the legal text on which all government action is based. Prosaic and low-key, almost austere in style, the Basic Law is nonetheless a “remarkably beautiful text” – as writer Navid Kermani says.

As Germany’s central archival library, the German National Library collects all text editions of the constitution along with the relevant secondary literature. These texts encompass a wide array of formats and textures, some of which may come as a surprise: along with specialised legal literature, there are children’s comics, artist’s books and literary adaptations. Some publications are subject to the cycles of contemporary history, others have been appearing with reassuring regularity since 1949. Together they make up the store of knowledge on our democratic constitution.

The exhibition “This is us! 75 years of Basic Law” offers a retrospective view of how the “best of all German constitutions” has been received over the last 75 years. Visit the exhibition virtually or in person at the German National Library’s German Museum of Books and Writing.

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