Question 20
The Federal Republic of Germany is a democratic and social …
German original: Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland ist ein demokratischer und sozialer …. In the test, all questions are asked in German.
Answer options
- a union of states.
- a federal state. — Correct answer
- a confederation of states.
- a centralized state.
Explanation
Art. 20 of the Basic Law defines Germany as a democratic and social federal state. These structural principles are protected by the eternity clause (Art. 79.3) and cannot be changed.
Key terms in this question
- Germany — Germany is a country in central Europe with a parliamentary democracy. It is a member of the European Union and its capital is Berlin.
- Federal Republic — The Federal Republic of Germany is the official name of the German state. It consists of 16 federal states and is a democratic republic.
- Federal state — A federal state is one of the 16 regions that together form Germany. Each state has its own government, parliament, and areas of responsibility.
- the Federal Government / the Federation — The Federation refers to the central level of government in Germany, as opposed to the individual federal states (Länder). It is responsible for matters that affect the whole country, such as foreign policy or national defense.
- Republic — A republic is a form of government in which political power belongs to the people, who elect representatives to govern the country. There is no monarch; the head of state is usually an elected president or similar figure.
- Democratic — Something based on the principles of democracy, where the people hold political power and decisions are made through free elections or elected representatives.
- more social / social (inflected form) — 'Sozialer' is an inflected form of the German adjective 'sozial', describing something that relates to life in society or to the well-being of others.
- social — 'Social' describes everything related to people living together and supporting each other in a society. Social institutions or services help people who are in need.