The German Civil Code of 1896: An Economic Interpretation

The 19th century has seen some large codifications, several of which such as the Code de Napoleon of 1804 and the German Civil Code of 1900 have shown remarkable longevity. This article deals with the economists' influence on the German Civil Code of 1900. It is argued that the economists played an important role in re-shaping the Code, that this was even a concerted effort, and that Otto von Gierke's legal doctrine proved to be particularly viable for the introduction of economic ideas into legal reasoning.