Landtag

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A Landtag (Diet) is a representative assembly, with some legislative authority, of a political entity called Land (i.e. state, country, territory) in German.

Contents

1 Ancien Régime

1.1 Austrian Crown lands

2 Modern legislatures

2.1 Germany
2.2 Austria
2.3 Italy
2.4 Liechtenstein

3 Sources and references

Ancien Régime

In the feudal society, the formal class system was reflected in the composition of the state's 'representative' assembly (The States), regardless of its name well described as estates: it was not intended as an elected reflection of the public opinion, but a fixed expression of the established power as recognized in formal privileges, including the right to seat in person (granted to many aristocrats and prelates, as well as certain cities) or be represented as elector in o college that is entitled to one or more seats. In some of the German states that were known as Land, the name of such estates assembly was Landtag, analogous to the Reichstag (imperial Diet, mainly comprising most princes of church and hereditary states plus the Imperial Cities). The precise composition obviously varied greatly, and could change over time, as the result of privileges granted or lost, entities split or merged, border changes etcetera.

As Austria and Prussia escaped the French 'exporting the revolution', and Napoleon was happy to maintain satellite monarchies in most German territories under his control (members of the Confederation of the Rhine), the more democratic principles of the Enlightenment would have less effect in the German-speaking lands, or only much later.

Austrian Crown lands

Modern legislatures

In several German speaking countries and regions the unicameral legislature on regional or national level is called Landtag.

Germany

The German states' legislatures are called

Landtag of Baden-Württemberg
Landtag of Bavaria (Bayern)
Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin (city-state)
Landtag of Brandenburg
Bürgerschaft of Bremen
Bürgerschaft of Hamburg
Landtag of Hesse
Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Landtag of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen)
Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate
Landtag of Saarland
Landtag of Saxony
Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt
Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein
Landtag of Thuringia

The nation's unicameral Parliament is called Bundestag sided by the unique Bundesrat.

Austria

The Austrian states' legislatures are called

Landtag of Burgenland
Landtag of Carinthia
Landtag of Lower Austria
Landtag of Upper Austria
Landtag of Salzburg
Landtag of Styria (Steiermark)
Landtag of Tyrol
Landtag of Vorarlberg
Gemeinderat of Vienna (city-state)

In seven cases the modern Landtage are the democratic successors of the Landtag of the corresponding imperial Kronland. Exceptions are the city of Vienna (that belonged to the Lower Austria Kronland) and Burgenland (that belonged to Hungary).

Austrias national bicameral parliament is called Bundesversammlung, consisting of a Nationalrat and a Bundesrat.

Italy

In Italy's predominantly German-speaking province of South Tyrol the provincial council is called

Landtag.

Liechtenstein

In Liechtenstein the national parliament is called

Landtag.

Sources and references

[Donaumonarchie] ()

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