Scientific journal
Scientific Review. Historical sciences

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“IMPERIAL REFORM” AND MONARCHICAL IDEAS OF H. BRUNING

Лопатина М.В.
This article describes monarchical ideas of Chancellor of the Weimar Republic Heinrich Bruning, that are closely related to his plans on “imperial reform” implementation. This reform should have led to the union of the administrative authorities of Lands and Reich, and ultimately to the formation of the decentralized unitary state. In view of the resistance to these plans by the President of the Republic Hindenburg, who had a great political influence, all the attempts of conspicuous statesmen of Prussia to merge a number of Berlin ministries had come to naught. But Bruning managed to carry out some reforms, that affected only the sphere of finance. By means of the emergency decrees for public finances unloading the Chancellor led the Lands and Communities to the self-government: they could reduce any budgetary expenditures by means of decrees also. According to Bruning’s reckoning, Land authorities were meant to shift the responsibility for the “unpopular” measures to imperial government and voluntarily resign their commissions to Reich, making it possible to reform the state structure according to his plan.