Trials of war criminals before the Nuernberg military tribunals under control council law no. 10, volume IIIVarious
History
Trials of war criminals before the Nuernberg military tribunals under control council law no. 10, volume III
Various
Nuremberg Trial of Major German War Criminals, Nuremberg, Germany, 1945-1946; War crime trials -- Germany -- Nuremberg
If such an appeal would have been made to the nation--it never
happened, it got stuck in the beginning--then that had to be fought out
at the time between signature and promulgation. But the constitution
had provided for a special procedure, an act of absolute democracy
became possible--the people of the Reich, that is to say, at least
one-tenth of the whole electorate,--at that time, that was at least
four million voters--could join together and demand that a bill which
had to be drafted up to the very last [detail], was to be submitted
by the Reichstag, and, in that case, the Reichstag was not as free
toward the draft as in the other case. But it was under pressure of an
ultimatum. It was only left with the choice either to accept it as it
was or the government had to ask the nation. That was attempted a few
times but it was never carried out properly.
I should assume that those remarks were sufficient to show to the
Tribunal that on the one hand the Weimar constitution was very
democratic, with the intent to protect the people and its rights; but
that on the other hand the constitution was so complicated in the
structure of the bodies and in the legislative procedure, that one
need not wonder if an ever stronger movement urged for simplification.
Furthermore, the constitution in itself had something unclarified,
something provisional and that in severe respects and that always
happens if a dualism is created; for every dualism of power endeavors
at its own dissolution. * * * We had, furthermore, the small dualism
between Reich President and Reich Chancellor; and, I haven’t mentioned
that yet, there was the old grave German problem of dualism between
Reich and Laender; all these various problems of dualism were urging
for dissolution and they were in process of dissolution prior to
Hitler. Hitler then completed that development. May I explain that in a
few remarks?
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