WHEN WEIMAR CAME TO THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WORLD: THE EARLY RECEPTION OF GERMAN CONSTITUTIONAL IDEAS IN PERU (1919-1939)

This paper explains how the reception of the Weimar Constitution in the Spanish-speaking world began with the discussion of the Peruvian case in the 1920s. Arthur Schmidt (doctoral student of Richard Thoma in Heidelberg) and Friedhelm von Rauchhaupt (professor in Heidelberg) argued that the Peruvian constitution of 1920 had been inspired by the Weimar Constitution. This prompted a discussion among Peruvian and German scholars in the 1930s about whether assuming such an early transatlantic reception could be verified. Parallel to this transatlantic discussion, between 1919 and 1939, Manuel Vicente Villarán and León Barandiarán commented on the Weimar Constitution in Peru.