Over time, the content of the materiae constitutionis has not changed significantly, so even in the oldest constitutional texts, we can find provisions regarding the organization of power, a catalog of constitutional rights and freedoms, and finally, provisions about constitutional amendments. However, in the period after the Second World War, an indispensable part of the materiae constitutionis became those provisions that relate to the constitutional recognition and guarantee of human dignity as one of the core principles of the constitutional order. In this paper, the author will, through a comparative analysis, attempt to determine how constitutions increasingly include provisions on human dignity in their texts. Finally, special attention will be given to the role such provisions play within modern constitutional orders.
References
Albert, R. (2014). The Structure of Constitutional Amendment Rules. Wake Forest Law Review, 49(4), 913.
Aristitotles Politics. (1916). Translated by Jowett, B., Introduction, Analysis and Index by Davis, H. W. C., Oxford at the Clarendon, 1916., Retrieved June 2, 2025 from https://ia601308.us.archive.org/34/items/aristotlespoliti00aris/aristotlespoliti00aris.pdf - 20.6. 2025.
Bačić, A. (2017). Ustavno pravo Republike Hrvatske – Praktikum. Split: Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Splitu.
Bačić, A. (2021). Ustavno pravo i političke institucije – Studijski izvori. Split: Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Splitu.
Bačić, P. (2007). Zaštita prava čovjeka u europskim organizacijama. Split: Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Splitu.
Baer, S. (2009). Dignity liberty, equality: a fundamental rights triangle of constitutionalism. University of Toronto Law Journal, 59(4), 417–468.
Brownsword, R. (2014). Human dignity from a legal perspective. In: Düwell, M., Braarvig, J., Brownsword, R., Mieth, D. (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Human Dignity Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Cambridge University Press.
Burgess, J. (1902). Political Science and Comparative Constitutional Law - Vol. I Sovereignty and Liberty, Baker and Taylor Company, New York, 1902. .
Colón-Ríos, J. I. (2012). Weak Constitutionalism – Democratic legitimacy and the question of constituent power. Routledge. London and New York.
Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. (2025). Report. Retrieved June 18, 2025 from https://www.ohr.int/ohr-dept/legal/laws-of-bih/pdf/001%20-%20Constitutions/BH/BH%20CONSTITUTION%20.pdf.
Constitution of the Republic of Croatia. (2014). Official Gazette No. 85/10, 5/14.
Constitution of United States. (2025). Report. Retrieved June 18, 2025 from https://www.senate.gov/about/origins-foundations/senate-and-constitution/constitution.htm .
Dicey, A. V. (1895). Constitutional Revision. Law Quarterly Review, 11(4), 387.
Dreier, H. (2014). Human dignity in German Law in Düwell, M., Braarvig, J., Brownsword, R., Mieth, D. (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Human Dignity Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Cambridge University Press.
Farrand, M. (1911). The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787 - Vol. 1. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1911., Retrieved June 9, 2025 from https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/farrand-the-records-of-the-federal-convention-of-1787-vol-1 .
French Constitution of 1791 . (2025). Retrieved June 18, 2025 from https://wp.stu.ca/worldhistory/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2015/07/French-Constitution-of-1791.pdf.
Friedrich, C. J. (1950). Constitutional Government and Democracy – Theory and Practice in Europe and America. Gin and Company.
Horvat Vuković, A. (2015). ʼU ime ustavaʼ - Materijalne granice promjene ustava. Zbornik Pravnog Fakulteta u Zagrebu, 65(3–4), 481–507.
Kalyvas, A. (2005). Popular Sovereignty, Democracy, and the Constituent Power. Constellation, 12(2), 223.
Kostadinov, B. (2011). Ustavni identitet, in: Dvadeseta obljetnica Ustava Republike Hrvatske, Bačić, A.(ed.), Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti – Znanstveno vijeće za državnu upravu, pravosuđe i vladavinu prava. Zagreb.
Lutz, D. S. (1995). Toward a Theory of Constitutional Amendment, in: Levinson, S. (ed.), Responding to Imperfections- The Theory and Practice of Constitutional Amendment. . New Jersey: Princeton University Press. .
Mahlmann, M. (2010). The Basic Law at 60 – Human Dignity and the Culture of Republicanism. German Law Journal, 11(1), 9–31.
Omejec. (2016). Veliki njemački ustav i nepromjenjiva ustavna načela u praksi Saveznog ustavnog suda. Retrieved June 22, 2025 from https://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/792156.OMEJEC_-_GRUNDGESETZ_-_Zbornik_PRAVO_I_PRAVDA_ 2015_PFBgd.pdf .
Poland Constitution of 1791. (2025). Retrieved June 18, 2025 from https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Poland_1791 (June 18, 2025).
Posavec, Z. (1994). Thomas Jefferson: neke karakteristike američkog načina političkog mišljenja. Politička Misao, 31(2), 70–76.
Roznai, Y. (2017). Unconstitutional Constitutional Amendments: The Limits of Amendment Powers. Oxford: Oxford University Press. .
Sartori, G. (1962). Constitutionalism: A Preliminary Discussion. The American Political Science Review, 56(4), 853–864.
Shulztiner, D., & Carmi, G. (2014). Human Dignity in National Constitutions: Functions, Promises and Dangers. The American Journal of Comparative Law, 62(2), 461–490.
The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. (2025). Retrieved June 18, 2025 from https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_gg/englisch_gg.html .
Trajkovska-Hristovska, J. (2019). The Political concept of the Constitution and the Concepts of Hidden Constitution, Modest Constitution and, Behind –the-Scenes” Constitution. Proceedings International Conference on Advanced Research in Social and Humanities, Prague.
Zlatić, V. (2021). Modifikacije i stabilnost ustava. Doktorska disertacija. Zagreb: Pravni Fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu.