Sourcebook on German law, 2nd ed.

Book abstract:

This book provides a bilingual (English/German) explanation of important areas of German substantive law. These are, broadly speaking, the constitution, human rights, contract, tort, and crime. It also accommodates any recent changes in Basic Law and the Civil and Criminal Codes. New subjects include the mass slaughter of animals, drug-use, the East German legacy, and the question of computers and the internet.

The introduction incorporates a discussion of the book's general approach to the subject, in terms of selectivity, translation, and an explanation of specific words and expressions. It further contains a breakdown of sources of German law, such as its hierarchy, judicial decisions and academic writings, as well as European Union (EU) law. From there, the book is broken down into six other chapters. Chapter two, on the German constitution, has information on everything from the German state, through to political parties, international relations, citizens' rights, the legislature and the executive, as well as on administration and defence. Chapter three turns to human rights, chapter four deals with rights and obligations, like the Civil Code and cases like the land purchase mistake case, and chapter five concentrates on contract law. In chapter six, on tort, there is documentation on, for instance, the fowl pest case and the kite case, as well as on questions of liability and morality, while chapter seven concludes the book by looking at criminal law.

The book is aimed at students of both the German language and contemporary German politics and society.

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