The Constitutional Charter of Prussia of 1850 as an Instrument for Strengthening the Police State

The paper is devoted to the Constitutional Charter of Prussia of 1850 and the consequences of its creation. The author dwell on the reasons and conditions for the adoption of this act, touches on the main goals of the legislator. The author comes to the conclusion that the real purpose of the Prussian constitution was the removal of social tension and elimination of political instability that arose in the country after the March Revolution of 1848–1849. The author also studied the main characteristics of the police state. In general, they include a high level of control over the population by the state, as well as restrictions on the rights and freedoms of citizens. The paper analyzes the general content of the Constitutional Charter. It is assumed that, despite the outwardly democratic content, the declaration of a wide range of rights and freedoms of citizens and declaration of constitutional monarchy with social representation, the Constitution had a significant impact on strengthening the police state regime in 19th century Prussia. The author demonstrates contributing specific mechanisms and means, among which are the legal possibilities of restricting the rights and freedoms of citizens and the actual concentration of full power in the hands of the monarch. The author puts forward a position on the significant impact of the Constitutional Charter on world and national constitutionalism due to the legal consolidation of developed democratic institutions. The author concludes that it was the regime of the police state that allowed Prussia to win over Austria in the struggle for a dominant role in the unification of Germany, since it contributed to the elimination of political instability and the elimination of the crisis of power in the country.

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