What is Germany's Basic Law, and when was it proclaimed?

The Basic Law, and two German states

Das Grundgesetz und zwei deutsche Staaten

23 May 1949. On 23 May 1949 the Basic Law, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany, was proclaimed in Bonn.

Where: Germany

What happened

On 23 May 1949 the Basic Law, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany, was proclaimed in Bonn. The Parliamentary Council that drafted it, 61 men and 4 women, deliberately called it a 'Basic Law' rather than a constitution, because it was meant to last only until Germany was reunited. Its first article begins: 'Human dignity shall be inviolable.' Konrad Adenauer became the first chancellor in September. In the Soviet zone the German Democratic Republic was founded on 7 October 1949, a one-party state under the Socialist Unity Party. For forty years there were two German states.

Say it

Das Grundgesetz beginnt mit dem Satz: „Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar.“

The Basic Law begins with the sentence: "Human dignity shall be inviolable."