It can be said that the most important difference between constitutions is their strength on the rule of law and the rigidity of the fundamental laws and principles enshrined in them. Some constitutions are amended by an absolute majority of Parliament, while some require refendums and others give full legislative power to parliament. The only feature that the three constitutions I will talk about have in common is their liberal-democratic nature, but the rigidity of their fundamental laws and the way in which they are changed are all very different. I will explain and analyze the constitutions of Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom, three constitutions that have varying degrees of rigidity, and offer theories as to why these constitutions are structured the way they are. The German ConstitutionThe German Constitution known as The Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany is a constitutional model of higher law that was formally approved on 8 May 1949 and entered into force on 23 May. “Mainly influenced by the sad lessons of the immediate past” (Jeffrey 1999, p34), the occupying Allies, eager to ensure that Germany would never be in a position to start another major war, began to change Germany's internal structure. Initially it included only the West German states in the Federal Republic. However, within a few years it came to include all of West Germany and “the proclamation of the Basic Law marked the beginning of an unprecedented era of constitutionalism in Germany” (John and Koch 2009). During the constitutional conference of 1948, the main shortcomings of the Constitution of the Weimar Republic were identified, which ultimately “allowed the democratic system to be dismantled from within by extremist forces” (John and Koc...... half of sheet... ...land and New York, USA. A Cassell Imprint.Stone Sweet, A. 2000. Governing with constitutional judges in Europe New York, USA Oxford University Press.JournalsFlinders, M. Shifting the Balance Parliament, the Executive and British Political Studies Vol. 50, 23-42 Available at: http://www.politicalstudies.org/pdf/flinders.pdf Online sources Bunreacht na hÉireann Available at: http://www.constitution.ie. /constitution-of-ireland/default.aspBasic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (Grundgesetz, GG) Available at: http://www.iuscomp.org/gla/statutes/GG.htmJohn, T and Koch, C The Genesis of the German Constitution: from total devastation to the dawn of a new era Schriftenreihe Öffentliches und Internationales Recht. Peter Land Publishing Group. 2010. Available at: http://www.ssrn.com/abstract=1520819