CONSTITUTIONAL CONTINUITY? A COMPARISON OF THE INTEGRATION OF THE GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC INTO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (1990) AND OF HAWAII INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (1959) WITH RESPECT TO ENTELECHY

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 15 Sayı: Prof. Dr. Peter HAY 90. Doğum Günü Özel Sayısı, 425 - 446, 23.01.2026

Markus Johannes Theodorus Schrijer

Öz

This article undertakes a comparative constitutional analysis of two historically and culturally distinct processes of territorial integration: the 1990 accession of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) to the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the 1959 incorporation of Hawaii into the United States of America (USA). While the contexts differ substantially, both cases illuminate broader questions concerning popular sovereignty, self-determination, and the constitutional mechanisms through which political communities absorb new territories and populations. The study examines how the German Basic Law and the U.S. Constitution, as preexisting normative frameworks, responded to transformative changes in the composition and boundaries of their respective political communities. In Germany, the Basic Law's provisional character (Art. 146) and its provisions for territorial expansion (Art. 23 - old version) permitted unification either through a new constituent process or through formal continuity. In the Hawaiian case, U.S. constitutional doctrine – particularly Congress’s broad discretion under the Admissions Clause – facilitated incorporation largely as an act of political will, with limited substantive realization of the Hawaiian people’s right to self-determination. The article argues that in both cases the integrated populations exercised only a passive, constituted power rather than an active, constituent one, as they did not collectively author or adopt the constitutional order to which they became subject. This reveals structural deficits in democratic legitimacy, especially where power asymmetries and constrained choice shaped the integration process. Drawing on Aristotle’s concept of entelechy (ἐντελέχεια), the article further contends that constitutional identity should be understood as an ongoing, self-realizing process rather than as a static inheritance. The conclusion calls for constitutions to incorporate not only mechanisms for amendment but also a normative commitment to continuous constitutional self-development, ensuring that the sovereign people remain active participants in shaping their evolving political order.

Anahtar Kelimeler

USA , Hawaii , Hawaii , Hawaii , Hawaii , US Constitution , incorporation , Federal Republic of Germany , German Democratic Republic , reunification , Basic Law , accession , annexation , constitutional continuity , entelechy

ANAYASAL DEVAMLILIK? ALMAN DEMOKRATİK CUMHURİYETİ'NİN ALMANYA FEDERAL CUMHURİYETİ'NE (1990) VE HAWAİİ'NİN AMERİKA BİRLEŞİK DEVLETLERİ'NE (1959) ENTELECHIA AÇISINDAN ENTEGRASYONUNUN KARŞILAŞTIRMASI

Öz

Bu makale, tarihsel ve kültürel açıdan farklı iki bölgesel entegrasyon sürecini karşılaştırmalı bir anayasal analizle ele almaktadır: 1990 yılında Alman Demokratik Cumhuriyeti'nin (DDR) Federal Almanya Cumhuriyeti'ne (FRG) katılması ve 1959 yılında Hawaii'nin Amerika Birleşik Devletleri'ne (ABD) dahil edilmesi. Her iki vaka da bağlamları açısından önemli ölçüde farklılık gösterse de, halk egemenliği, kendi kaderini tayin hakkı ve siyasi toplulukların yeni toprakları ve nüfusları bünyesine katması için kullandığı anayasal mekanizmalar gibi daha geniş kapsamlı soruları aydınlatmaktadır. Bu çalışma, önceden var olan normatif çerçeveler olarak Alman Temel Yasası ve ABD Anayasasının, kendi siyasi topluluklarının yapısı ve sınırlarındaki dönüştürücü değişikliklere nasıl tepki verdiğini incelemektedir. Almanya'da, Temel Yasanın geçici niteliği (146. madde) ve toprak genişlemesi (23. madde - eski versiyon) ile ilgili hükümleri, yeni bir anayasa yapım süreci ya da resmi süreklilik yoluyla birleşmeyi mümkün kılmıştır. Hawaii örneğinde ise, ABD anayasa doktrini – özellikle Kongre'nin Kabul Maddesi kapsamındaki geniş takdir yetkisi – Hawaii halkının kendi kaderini tayin hakkının sınırlı bir şekilde hayata geçirilmesiyle, büyük ölçüde siyasi iradeyle birleşmeyi kolaylaştırmıştır. Makale, her iki durumda da, entegre olan halkların, tabi oldukları anayasal düzeni toplu olarak yazmadıkları veya kabul etmedikleri için, aktif bir anayasal güçten ziyade pasif, anayasal bir güç kullandıklarını savunmaktadır. Bu, özellikle güç asimetrileri ve kısıtlı seçimlerin entegrasyon sürecini şekillendirdiği durumlarda, demokratik meşruiyette yapısal eksiklikleri ortaya koymaktadır. Aristoteles'in enteleşi (ἐντελέχεια) kavramından yola çıkan makale, anayasal kimliğin statik bir miras olarak değil, devam eden, kendini gerçekleştiren bir süreç olarak anlaşılması gerektiğini savunmaktadır. Sonuç bölümünde, anayasaların sadece değişiklik mekanizmalarını değil, aynı zamanda sürekli anayasal özgelişime yönelik normatif bir taahhüdü de içermesi ve egemen halkın gelişen siyasi düzenin şekillenmesinde aktif katılımcı olmaya devam etmesini sağlaması gerektiği belirtilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

ABD , ABD Anayasası , katılma , Federal Almanya Cumhuriyeti , Alman Demokratik Cumhuriyeti , yeniden birleşme , Temel Yasa , katılım , ilhak , anayasal devamlılık , entelechia , Hawaii

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