Constitutional patriotism

Constitutional patriotism, citizenship is a comprehensive concept, which sees itself as an alternative to ethnic understanding of the state. The nationality according to this concept is based on shared political values ​​such as democracy and freedom of expression rather than lineage or language communities.

This concept was and is represented mainly by Dolf Sternberger and Jürgen Habermas. Outside Germany it is hardly known. The concept overlaps with the concept of the will of the nation.

Its underlying nation understanding

Constitutional patriotism is based on a republican nation understanding. This assumes that the nation was held together by a common will and a common history community of people. This look at each other as free and equal. Such a nation understanding was coined in modern times significantly during the Enlightenment and of Ernest Renan.

An active role of citizen arises for Habermas of popular sovereignty as a democratic self-legislation. Such a nation of citizens is held together by the " practice of citizens " and not by ethno - cultural similarities. In a back cross to Aristotle republican tradition Habermas sees the citizen as an integral part of the political community. Compared with this the state only on the outside, about services and considerations connected citizens.

Constitutional patriotism

Under constitutional patriotism is defined as the identification of the citizen with the basic values ​​, institutions and procedures of the Republican political base order and constitution and the active role of citizen of the citizen. The self- introduction in the political process is according to the nation believes in a central place in this concept. This means, in practice at least an interest in policy issues and goes up to select active policy making, for example in the form of citizens' groups or parties.

In such a nation, a purposive-rational attitude towards political issues in the context of rational discourse is demanded by the advocates of constitutional patriotism. With the basic political order should be present a rational identification. An affective identification is also possible. An unconditional acceptance of the state, the Constitution and any changes to it just is not meant by constitutional patriotism, he primarily describes but a commitment to the universal core values ​​of the nation and only secondarily an identification with the state and the Constitution that reflect these standards. In the Republican State considers that the political community is finally seen not as an end in itself from the nation out, but as a necessary framework for free and equal citizens.

For Sternberger is " the nature and tendency of the constitutional state [ ... ] securing freedom ". With the redemption of "human rights [ ... ] as a civil rights " to legitimize the monopoly of the state, as this ensures the protection of the rights. Democracy can finally provide this protection the most.

The Constitutional patriotism accompanied goes right to emigrate and rejection of citizenship. On the other hand, the concept offers also immigrants the opportunity to identify with the political culture of the country.

Debate

Constitutional patriotism is often criticized for its " experience poverty ". The required purposive-rational attitude towards political questions can not make it to address feelings of citizens. However, a sentimental attachment to the nation is necessary to form an active community. Advocate of constitutional patriotism respond with the question, whether because an affective bond was necessary at all. Other nation concepts, such as an ethnic nation, have as concrete reference only a common history, symbols (eg flags), myths and myths reminiscent of events ( eg holidays ). However, these covers are in a republic not incompatible with constitutional patriotism.

Another point of criticism is that constitutional patriotism has no relation to land, people and history. The contrary held that a political culture is grown. The constitutional process should be understood as a historical and dynamic process.

In the political culture and socialization to the past reflects the same. A nation as a community of will of people is defined, inter alia, on the common history, more precisely, the imaginary, " remembered " national history. The story finally took place in a certain territory. History and country go so as the basic values ​​of the citizens about their socialization into the Constitutional patriotism with a.

Critics of the concept complain that constitutional patriotism meant compatriots who reject the currently prevailing constitution to deny membership in the political community. The lack of respect for people in terms of ethnicity is of constitutional patriots, however just wanted to go but one of freedom and equality of all people. A nation konstituiere not on descent, but Wille and history. The category of people is to be understood here in the sense of the demos, that is, the set of all eligible voters, which is the basis of democracy.

Constitutional patriotism is not only a citizen of the normative option, connect to it, not least also normative demands and pedagogical intentions of the authors. Finally, a tension between the integration function on the one hand and the rule limiting function ( minority protection) of the Constitution it is stated on the other.

History of the term

The concept was originally developed from Dolf Sternberger and was later picked up by Richard von Weizsäcker, Jürgen Habermas and other politicians and political scientists. While historians dispute the term became more popular and since then appeared again and again in debates on defining culture, integration, European integration and the like.

It was not least against the background of the division of Germany. Since the German Empire was reorganized after the Second World War, the western-oriented Federal Republic and the real socialist GDR had politically and culturally distant from each other, which is why an identification with a " unified Germany " without further was not possible. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany saw in Article 116 continue a definition of nationality by parentage. This jus sanguinis was extended by the Red-Green coalition to jus soli in 1999.