The German nation has pronounced upon and passed this constitution through its National Assembly. It comes into force on the day of its proclamation.
(Signed) President Ebert.
Ministers Erzberger, Muller, David Noske,
Schmidt, Schlicke, Giesberts, Mayer, Bell.
Schwarzburg, 11th August, 1919.
Notes.
[1] Art. 1.—The whole character of this Constitution is contained in this provision that the "Reich" is a republic. It was introduced in order to convey that new Germany, while retaining the ancient title and tradition of "Reich," had given it a new significance, and that thereby no concession was intended either to Monarchists or Imperialists or Militarists.
Therefore "Reich" is not to be translated Empire. Commonwealth would perhaps be the best rendering, but Realm will be used here as more convenient.
[2] This clause is of crucial importance. Henceforward all sovereignty is of the German people and not of the princes or principalities. The German Bund of 1815 was a mere confederation between sovereigns or Staaten Bund. The North German Bund of 1866 was a federation of semi-sovereigns, or Bundes Staat. The present German Republic is still a Federal State, but sovereignty is inherent in the people, not in the constituent governments.
[3] Art. 2.—The transformation of this Constitution from a centralised republic into a confederation and back to a federation has been reviewed already. The word "lander" is literally translated for this and other reasons.
[4] Art. 3.—"Whether these colours black-red-gold, are really the colours of the ancient Reich, which historians dispute, or are those of the Lutzow Free Company, we look rather to the political ideals and aims associated with them during the nineteenth century. It was the idea of political freedom and of national unity that kept the black-red-gold, an honoured symbol in German Austria long after the black-white-red had flown over the German Empire. As the historian Constantine Franz has said, in mediæval times there was an Austro-Germany, in modern times a Prusso-Germany, and now there must be a German Germany."—Dr. Preuss, introductory speech, 24th February, 1919.