German Poor Laws

The German Poor Laws are the laws concerning poor relief which existed in Germany and its predecessor states.

Prussia

Prussia conducted a review of its poor law system between 1842 and 1843. It is often claimed that this legislation granted federal government substantive powers over poor relief. In fact, the national law simply mandated that local government set up poor law unions to provide an existence minimum to the poor, but otherwise left the regulation and provision of the poor laws to local officials.

Abolition

The German Poor Laws were not formally abolished until the 1961 Federal Social Welfare Law.

See also

• English Poor Laws
• Scottish Poor Laws
• Irish Poor Laws

References

Further reading

• Frohman, Larry (2011). Poor Relief and Welfare in Germany from the Reformation to World War I. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-18885-2.

1. Poor law (disambiguation)
2. Historiography of the Poor Laws
3. Poorhouse
4. List of poor law unions in England
5. Palatines
6. Nazi Germany
7. Workhouse infirmary
8. Filial responsibility laws
9. East Germany
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11. West Germany
12. Vagrancy
13. Barbara Hutton
14. Jim Crow laws
15. The Holocaust
16. Administrative law
17. European Union law
18. Corn Laws
19. Alcohol laws of India
20. Poverty in Germany