독일의 바이마르공화국은 1918년 1차 세계대전의 패배로 궁지에 몰린 독일제국을 무너뜨린 혁명에 의해 세워진다. 바이마르공화국의 국가구성의 원리로는 국가간 연합의 형태에서 개별국가의 권한을 대폭 축소하는 '중앙집권적 연방국가'가 채택되고 정치질서의 원리로는 의회민주주의가 채택된다. 이 논문은 바이마르공화국 건설의 주요한 두 원칙인 연방제와 의회민주주의를 역사적 변천과 이론적 각축 속에서 살펴보고자 한다. 연방제는 독일 역사의 운명이라 할만큼 독일 통일과정에서 중요한 수단이 되어왔다. 개별국가의 존재를 인정하면서 동시에 통일된 국민국가를 건설해야 하는 독일은 개별국가들이 여전히 봉건적 체제를 탈피하지 못할 때 비록 실질적인 권력을 갖지 못했지만 이념적으로 연방차원에서 먼저 진보적인 개혁을 단행함으로써 혁명을 억제하고 개혁의 방법으로 국민국가를 건설하는 역할을 한다. 한편 의회민주주의는 제국의회가 독일 최초의 남녀 모두의 보통선거에 의해 구성되고, 고유의 입법권을 행사하며 내각에 대해 책임을 지게 됨으로써 제도적으로 완성된다. 그러나 바이마르공화국의 의회민주주의는 전후의 긴박한 문제들에 대한 적절한 정치적 대응에서 그 역할을 다 하지 못하고 결국 존재위기를 맞는다.

The principle of state-building of Weimar Republic was a "unitarischer Bundesstaatnmified federal states)" that was designed to reduce the power of each state under the states-union. As a political principle the parliamentary democracy was put in force. This essay expounds the federal system and the parliamentary democracy of Weimar Republic in consideration of historical changes and theoretical debates. The federal system is a German fate which played the important role in the history of german unification. The federal government usually had not real political power, so could be more progressive than kingdoms and Fürstentümer which were yet feudal. The german federal system is a factor supporting the reform of each state as well as unification principle. The parliamentary system was institutionally accomplished with the constitution of Reichstag by universal suffrage. But the german parliamentary system did not work when it faced to the heavy problems such as reparation, the great inflation and the integration of nation. At last the system was perished by the totalitarian system. What were the causes of the failure of the Weimar parliamentary system? According to the analysis by Carl Schmitt, those were the excess of parliamentarism and the deficiency of democracy.

The principle of state-building of Weimar Republic was a "unitarischer Bundesstaatnmified federal states)" that was designed to reduce the power of each state under the states-union. As a political principle the parliamentary democracy was put in force. This essay expounds the federal system and the parliamentary democracy of Weimar Republic in consideration of historical changes and theoretical debates. The federal system is a German fate which played the important role in the history of german unification. The federal government usually had not real political power, so could be more progressive than kingdoms and Fürstentümer which were yet feudal. The german federal system is a factor supporting the reform of each state as well as unification principle. The parliamentary system was institutionally accomplished with the constitution of Reichstag by universal suffrage. But the german parliamentary system did not work when it faced to the heavy problems such as reparation, the great inflation and the integration of nation. At last the system was perished by the totalitarian system. What were the causes of the failure of the Weimar parliamentary system? According to the analysis by Carl Schmitt, those were the excess of parliamentarism and the deficiency of democracy.

nationstate-building, Weimar Republic, parliamentary democracy, federal system, Carl Schmitt