As time passed by, the Basic Law proved to be a solid foundation for democracy. Its requirement of national
reunification was fulfilled in 1990. The preamble and concluding article of the Basic Law were amended in
accordance with the Unification Treaty, which formed the basis for the accession of the German Democratic
Republic (GDR) to the Federal Republic. They now state that, by virtue of the GDR’s accession, the
German people have achieved their unity. Since 3 October 1990 the Basic Law has been valid for the
whole nation.

The Basic Law’s content was greatly influenced by the personal experience of its authors under the National
Socialist dictatorship. In many parts it clearly indicates that they were trying to avoid the mistakes that had
been partly responsible for the demise of the Weimar democracy. The framers of the constitution in 1948
were the state parliaments of the states that had been formed in the Western occupation zones and the Par’
liamentary Council elected by the state parliaments- This Council, which was chaired by Konrad Adenauer adopted the Basic Law on 8 May 1949. After ratification by the state parliaments, the Basic Law was promulgated by the Parliamentary Council on 23 May 1949.