“No member of Reichstag or of a Landtag may, without approval by the house the person in question is member of, for the term of session, be arrested or interviewed in the investigation of an punishable activity, unless the member was caught in the act or at least the day after.
The same approval is required for any other limitation of personal liberty which might harm the member's ability to fulfil his mandate.
Any criminal procedure against a Reichstag or Landtag member, any detention or otherwise limitation of his personal liberty will be, at the house's request, suspended for the duration of the legislative period.”
Article 37 states that members of the general parliament (Reichstag) and the members of the provincial parliament (Landtag) who were elected for a term of four years could not be investigated or arrested for any suspected criminal offences during their term of office. The only way they could be arrested or investigated was if they were caught in the act or if the house (parliament) gave approval for this to occur. This approval was also necessary in the event of any action that could restrict their personal freedom and hence prevent the member from carrying out their duties as an elected member of the parliament. For all intents and purposes they were immune from punishment for any perceived or actual wrong doing committed during their tenure of office.
I choose this article because it shows how this provision could have and most probably worked against the then government as its members of the “Reichstag” could have used this immunity to carry on covert and subversive activities which eventually resulted in its demise.
“ The distribution and usage of real estate is supervised by the state in order to prevent abuse and in order to strive to secure healthy housing to all German families, especially those with many children. War veterans have to be given special consideration in the homestead law to be written.
Real estate, the acquisition of which is necessary to answer the demand for housing, to promote settlement and cultivation of the soil and to elevate agricultural cultivation, may be expropriated. Fideicommissa are to be abolished.
The owner of the soil is obliged to the community to cultivate and exploit the soil. Any increase in the value of the real estate which does not result from the investment of labour or capital has to be made utilizable to the community.
All mineral wealth and all economically utilizable natural energy sources are under state supervision. Private rights are to be transferred into state property by the means of legislation.”
Article 155 states that the state supervised the distribution and use of real estate as a means of ensuring that every German family had appropriate housing, especially large families with many children and war veterans. In order to achieve this, the government when necessary expropriated real estate for the public’s welfare and the good of the community. Private owners of land had to utilize their property in ways that ensured it also benefited the community and was not solely for their personal enrichment. In certain circumstances private property with mineral wealth and natural energy sources were taken over by the state.
I choose this article because it highlights the good intentions of the German government during that period. It shows that they genuinely wanted to alleviate the hardships and suffering of the people and to ensure that no one would be homeless.
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