Constitution of 1850
In 1850, in response to the events of 1848, the King of Prussia, Frederick William III, consented to creating a constitution in accordance with the demands of the populous.
“We, Frederick William, by grace of God, King of Prussia, etc., hereby declare and make known that, whereas the constitution of the Prussian State, promulgated by us on the fifth of December, 1848, subject to revision by the ordinary process of legislation, and accepted by both chambers of our kingdom, has been submitted to the prescribed revision, we have finally established the provisions of that constitution in agreement with both chambers.”
The Constitution set up a voting system in which the amount of taxes paid influenced the amount of relative voting power held by a certain person. The way it was set up, wealthy Prussian landowners, called Junkers, had a disproportionate amount of influence in the government, though they were not nearly as wealthy as some of the bourgeoisie. H
“For every 250 souls of the population, one elector shall be chosen. The primary voters shall be divided into three classes in proportion to the amount of direct taxes they pay, and in such a manner as that each class shall represent a third of the sum total of the taxes paid by the primary voters. This sum total shall be reckoned:
1. By communes, in case the commune forms of itself a primary electoral district.
2. By districts, in case the primary electoral district consists of several communes.
The first class shall consist of those primary voters, highest in the scale of taxation, who, taken together, pay a third of the total.
The second class shall consist of those primary voters, next highest in the scale, whose taxes form a second third of the whole.
The third class shall be made up of the remaining taxpayers, lowest in the scale, who contribute the other third of the whole.
Each class shall vote apart, and shall choose each a third of the electors.
These classes may be divided into several voting sections, none of which, however, must include more than 500 primary voters.
The electors shall be chosen by each class from the number of the primary voters in their district, without regard to the classes.”
“We, Frederick William, by grace of God, King of Prussia, etc., hereby declare and make known that, whereas the constitution of the Prussian State, promulgated by us on the fifth of December, 1848, subject to revision by the ordinary process of legislation, and accepted by both chambers of our kingdom, has been submitted to the prescribed revision, we have finally established the provisions of that constitution in agreement with both chambers.”
The Constitution set up a voting system in which the amount of taxes paid influenced the amount of relative voting power held by a certain person. The way it was set up, wealthy Prussian landowners, called Junkers, had a disproportionate amount of influence in the government, though they were not nearly as wealthy as some of the bourgeoisie. H
“For every 250 souls of the population, one elector shall be chosen. The primary voters shall be divided into three classes in proportion to the amount of direct taxes they pay, and in such a manner as that each class shall represent a third of the sum total of the taxes paid by the primary voters. This sum total shall be reckoned:
1. By communes, in case the commune forms of itself a primary electoral district.
2. By districts, in case the primary electoral district consists of several communes.
The first class shall consist of those primary voters, highest in the scale of taxation, who, taken together, pay a third of the total.
The second class shall consist of those primary voters, next highest in the scale, whose taxes form a second third of the whole.
The third class shall be made up of the remaining taxpayers, lowest in the scale, who contribute the other third of the whole.
Each class shall vote apart, and shall choose each a third of the electors.
These classes may be divided into several voting sections, none of which, however, must include more than 500 primary voters.
The electors shall be chosen by each class from the number of the primary voters in their district, without regard to the classes.”