Right, so (I am not a professional translator, and stuff may be lost):
Preamble:
The German People (n.b. "Volk" also implies other things, and was later corrupted by the nazis), united in its tribes and animated by the will to renew and fortify its Reich
(n.b. "Reich" has multiple meanings, like "dominion", "area ruled over" or "the adminstrative apparatus of the Reich") in Freedom and Justice, to serve inwards and external peace and to promote societal progress, has given itself the following constitution:
First Part
Structure and tasks of the Reich
First paragraph
Reich and Länder
(n.b. "Länder" means "constituent countries/parts", and is familar to any german)
Article 1
The German Reich is a Republic
(n.b. no jokes please)
The power of state comes from the Volk
Article 2
The area of the Reich is composed of the area of the german Länder. Other areas can join the Reich by a law, if their inhabitants wish it by their right of self-determination.
Article 3
Stuff about the flag
Article 4
The commonly accepted rules of the law of nations are binding parts of the law of the Reich.
Articles 5-12
Who does what, defines which things are done by federal and which parts are done by Länder
Article 13
Reich law supercedes Länder law.
If there are doubts or differences of opinion if a something is compatible, the go to the highest court in the Reich
(...)
Article 17
Every Land must have a free-state constitution. The parliament must be elected in common, equal, direct and secret
(n.b. thats a legalistic formula for universal elections, don't know if got all connotations) by all reich-german men and women by the priciples of proportional representation. The government of the Land requires the trust of its parliament.
(and then comes some stuff for the town council elections)
Article 18
The division of the Reich into Länder shall serve the economical and cultural maximum performance while possibly considering the will of the people. A change in the area of Länder and the creation of new Länders within the Reich are done by a constitution changing law of the Reich.
If the directly affected Länder agree, only a simple Reich law is needed.
A simple Reich law is further sufficient in case one of the Länder affected does not agree, but the area change or new creation is demanded by the will of the populace or required by overwhelming interest of the Reich itself.
The will of the populace is to be determined by vote. The vote is ordered by the reich government, if at least one third of the voting people of the dividing country requests it.
(It then goes into detail about the qorums which is requried for what pieces of land)
Right. Skipping ahead to "constitution changing reich law", since that is the interesting bit. Although article 22 contains a provision that the election day has to be a bank holiday or a sunday. Also, Article 60ff. contain the provisions for the Reichsrat, which is the representation of the Länder.
Article 76
The constitution can be changed by the legislative process. However, resolutions of the Reichstag to change the constitution materialize only if two thirds of the lawful number of members are present and two thirds of the members agree to the change. Resolutions of the Reichsrat to change the constitution require two thirds of the cast votes. If a change of the constitution is to be decided by popular vote, this requires a majority of the popular vote.
If the Reichstag has decided on a change of the constitution despite of the Veto of the Reichsrat, the president may not promulgate this law, if the Reichsrat demands a popular vote within two weeks.
And thats' that. Note that you can change *everything*. Either popular vote or two thirds in the Reichstag and no objection by the Rat.
