Enabling Act (original) (raw)
The Enabling Act (in German: Erm�chtigungsgesetz) was passed by the Reichstag on March 23, 1933. It was the second major step after the Reichstag Fire Decree through which the Nazis legally established their dictatorship.
The full name of the Enabling Act was Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich (Law in order to remedy the misery of the people and the Reich).
As with most of the laws passed in the process of Gleichschaltung, the Enabling Act is quite short, considering its consequences. It shall therefore be reproduced in full:
| German | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 1. Reichsgesetze k�nnen au�er in dem in der Reichsverfassung vorgesehenen Verfahren auch durch die Reichsregierung beschlossen werden. Dies gilt auch f�r die in den Artikeln 85 Abs. 2 und 87 der Reichsverfassung bezeichneten Gesetze. | 1. Other than through the procedure prescribed by the constitution, laws of the Reich may be decided upon by the government of the Reich as well. This includes laws as referred to by articles 85 subsection 2 and 87 of the constitution. [These articles refer to the parliamentary budget rights.] |
| 2. Die von der Reichsregierung beschlossenen Reichsgesetze k�nnen von der Reichsverfassung abweichen, soweit sie nicht die Einrichtung des Reichstags und des Reichsrats als solche zum Gegenstand haben. Die Rechte des Reichspr�sidenten bleiben unber�hrt. | 2. Laws decided upon by the government of the Reich may deviate from the provisions of the constitution insofar as they do not affect the institutions of the Reichstag and the Reichsrat as such. The constitutional rights of the Reichspr�sident shall remain intact. |
| 3. Die von der Reichsregierung beschlossenen Reichsgesetze werden vom Reichskanzler ausgefertigt und im Reichsgesetzblatt verk�ndet. Sie treten, soweit sie nichts anderes bestimmen, mit dem auf die Verk�ndung folgenden Tage in Kraft. Die Artikel 68 bis 77 der Reichsverfassung finden auf die von der Reichsregierung beschlossenen Gesetze keine Anwendung. | 3. Laws decided upon by the government of the Reich shall be issued by the Chancellor [i.e. Hitler] and announced in the Reich Law Gazette. They shall take effect on the day following the announcement, unless they prescribe a different date. The articles 68 to 77 of the constitution shall not be applied to laws decided upon by the government of the Reich. [These articles regulate the ordinary procedure of legislation.] |
| 4. Vertr�ge des Reiches mit fremden Staaten, die sich auf Gegenst�nde der Reichsgesetzgebung beziehen, bed�rfen f�r die Dauer der Geltung dieser Gesetze nicht der Zustimmung der an der Gesetzgebung beteiligten K�rperschaften. Die Reichsregierung erl��t die zur Durchf�hrung dieser Vertr�ge erforderlichen Vorschriften. | 4. Contracts of the Reich with foreign states which affect matters of Reich legislation shall not require the approval of the bodies concerned with legislation. The government of the Reich shall issue the prescriptions required for the execution of such contracts. |
| 5. Dieses Gesetz tritt mit dem Tage seiner Verk�ndung in Kraft. Es tritt mit dem 1. April 1937 au�er Kraft, es tritt ferner au�er Kraft, wenn die gegenw�rtige Reichsregierung durch eine andere abgel�st wird. | 5. This law shall take effect with the day of its announcement. It shall become invalid on April 1, 1937 or earlier, if the present Reich government is succeeded by a different one. |
While there had been previous enabling acts in the history of the Weimar Republic, this one was far more reaching since Article 2 allowed for changing the constitution as well. The law therefore formally required a two-thirds majority in the Reichstag. Hitler had taken care of that though: by the powers provided of the Reichstag Fire Decree, most of the KPD deputies were already jailed, and those mandates were declared "dormant" through a change of the Reichstag rules of procedure. The remaining members of parliament were intimidated by the SA surrounding the parliament hall. In the end, only the Social Democrats voted against the bill.
It is symptomatic of the pains that the Nazis took to give their dictatorship an appearance of legality that the Enabling Act was formally prolonged twice by the Reichstag beyond the 1937 date.
After the Enabling Act, the KPD and SPD were outlawed. Another law from July 14, 1933 prevented the foundation of new political parties. See Gleichschaltung for more information about the subsequent steps.