Socialism and Legal History: The Histories and Historians of Law in Socialist East Central Europe

This book explores how legal historians and legal scientists used the past to legitimize, challenge, explain, and familiarize socialist legal orders backed by dictatorial governments in Eastern European countries after the Second World War. It investigates whether there was a unified form of socialist legal historiography and its common features, focusing on East Germany, Russia, the Baltic states, Poland, and Hungary. The approach is transnational, examining the interaction and intertwinement of the hegemonic communist ideology and the ideas of law and justice in the writings of legal historians. The book will be valuable for academics and researchers in Legal History, Jurisprudence, Philosophy of Law, and European Studies.

Format: Hardback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 27 November 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the fascinating realm of how legal historians and legal scientists have approached the study of socialist legal orders, which were supported by dictatorial governments. It explores the intricate ways in which these scholars have utilized the past to justify, challenge, explain, and familiarize these systems of law.

The volume specifically focuses on legal historians and legal histories written in Eastern European countries during the socialist era following the Second World War. It seeks to investigate whether there existed a cohesive form of socialist legal historiography, and if so, what characteristics can be identified among its common features.

The individual chapters within this volume delve into the regimes that straddle the Russian and later Soviet legal culture, as well as the area covered by the German Civil Code. Thus, the geographical scope of the book encompasses East Germany, Russia, the Baltic states, Poland, and Hungary. The approach adopted is transnational, emphasizing the interplay and interconnectedness of the dominant communist ideology and the ideas of law and justice as they manifested in the writings of legal historians of the socialist legal orders. This approach enables a deep exploration of the dynamics between politics and law, as well as the interplay of identities and legal history.

By examining the socialist interpretations of legal history, the book sheds light on the strategies employed by 20th-century legal scholars, who navigated the crossroads. This era marked a period of legal renewal and political guidance, as scholars sought to legitimize, grapple with, and envision the future of socialist legal orders.

This book will be an invaluable resource for academics and researchers engaged in the fields of Legal History, Jurisprudence, and Philosophy of Law, as well as European Studies. The Open Access version of this book, accessible at https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/socialism-legal-history-ville-erkkil%C3%A4-hans-peter-haferkamp/e/10.4324/9780367814670?context=ubx&refId=2db6d49f-af1c-4b5, ensures widespread accessibility and dissemination of knowledge to a broader audience.

Weight: 442g
Dimension: 159 x 241 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367414757