German History Sources

NAZI ENABLING ACT

"Law Concerning the Solving of the Emergency of the People and the Reich, 24 March 1933"

The Reichstag has issued the following decree, which is hereby announced with the agreement of the Reich Council, after having ensured that the necessary legal constitutional amendments have been made:

Article 1 - Laws of the Reich can be passed by the government, in addition to the procedure laid down in the constitution of the Reich. This also applies to laws covered by Articles 85, para. 2, and 87 of the Reich constitution.

Article 2 - The laws passed by the Reich government do not have to adhere to the constitution provided that the institutions of the Reichstag and Reichsrat have no objection. The rights of the President of the Reich remain unaffected.

Article 3 - The laws passed by the government of the Reich will be drafted by the Chancellor and announced in the Law Gazette. They will apply, provided that no other provision is made, from the day following their publication. Articles 68-77 of the constitution do not apply to the laws passed by the government of the Reich.

Article 4 - Treaties agreed by the Reich with foreign states, which concern the constitutional affairs of the Reich, do not require the consent of the legislative institutions. The government of the Reich will issue the necessary instructions for the implementation of these treaties.

Article 5 - This law applies from the day of its publication. It will expire on 1 April 1937; it will also be annulled if the present government of the Reich is replaced by another.

Updated: July 12, 2023