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Full-Text Articles in Legal History
The Code Napoléon, Buried But Ruling In Latin America, M C. Mirow
The Code Napoléon, Buried But Ruling In Latin America, M C. Mirow
Faculty Publications
Following Maitland's famous observation on the place of the forms of action in English law at the beginning of the twentieth century, this essay argues that the Code Napoleon has had a similar effect on Latin American law. It examines various factors that have served to bury the Code and those that have served to continue its rule in Latin America. For Latin America, the author paraphrases Maitland to assert that the Code Napoleon we have buried, but it still rules us from its grave.
The Power Of Codification In Latin America: Simón Bolívar And The Code Napoléon, M C. Mirow
The Power Of Codification In Latin America: Simón Bolívar And The Code Napoléon, M C. Mirow
Faculty Publications
Codification can be an effective means to centralize and to consolidate state power. The use of codification in this manner runs against the commonly perceived notion that it promotes republican and egalitarian values. As Simon Bolivar's dictatorship quickly crumbled around him, he turned to codification based on the Code Napoleon as part of an attempt to unify Gran Colombia. Factors leading him to this undertaking and source were the need for legal reform, his emulation of Napoleon, his exposure to the works of Jeremy Bentham, and, speculatively, the influence of Andres Bello. Boivar's attempt at codification was not to complete …