The present work was published as the fifth part of the series "Systematic Handbook of German Legal Science" edited by Karl Binding and is divided into two volumes. In this work, legal scholar Albert Hänel addresses German constitutional law. The first volume is divided into two parts: In the first part, Hänel discusses the foundations of the German state. The topics covered range from the existence of the German constitution to the fundamental state relationships. The significantly more extensive second part is titled "The Imperial Power." It addresses, among other things, governmental authority, administration, and competence-competence.