Advantages and disadvantages o the establishment of local self-government in the Federal Republic of Germany during the First World War

Abstract

The scientific article is devoted to the issue of researching the advantages and disadvantages of the formation and development of local self­government in Germany in the period before the First World War, when it was Germany that chose the model of local self-government. The article reveals the main issues of the genesis of local self-government in Germany. The article reveals the issues of legislative regulation of local self­government in Germany at various historical stages. The scientific article states that by the end of the 19th century. only Prussia retained open voting, and other parts of the German Empire implemented secret voting; the principles of counting votes also differed; with the same number of votes, a draw was held; in Bavaria and Baden at the beginning of the 20th century. the system of proportional representation was introduced. The article stated that the specified period included demands for universal secret direct suffrage for all German citizens aged 20 and over, proportional elections, full provincial, district and community self-government through officials elected on the basis of universal suffrage, and stipulated the abolition of all local governments appointed by the state. The struggle for universal suffrage is revealed, gender policy in the field of local self­government is given, in particular, the possibility of women to participate in the work of executive commissions that dealt with issues of care, public education and sanitation at local authorities, and the legislative prerequisites for this are indicated. It was determined that during the creation of the German model of local self-government in the 19th century. English local self-government was taken as a model. The article examines the implementation of bureaucratic decentralization and integration of local self-government into the system of state authorities. It was stated that the corresponding period in Germany was spent in search of a suitable model of implementation of local government, the choice of English or French in particular.