1907 (in force 1912) · Civil codes

Swiss Civil Code (and Code of Obligations)

Switzerland

A short, clear code in plain language, written by the jurist Eugen Huber, with a separate Code of Obligations.

Why it matters

It was adopted almost whole by Turkey in 1926 and influenced several other countries.

Built on

1896 (in force 1900)

German Civil Code (BGB)

Germany

drew on German scholarship while keeping a plainer style

Went on to shape

1922

Soviet Civil Code (RSFSR, 1922)

Soviet Russia

also used the Swiss Code of Obligations

1925 to 1935

Thai Civil and Commercial Code

Thailand

drew on the Swiss code

1926

Turkish Civil Code

Turkey

adopted, in translation, with limited changes

1929 to 1931

Civil Code of the Republic of China

China (now in force in Taiwan)

drew on the Swiss code

1960

Ethiopian Civil Code

Ethiopia

used the Swiss codes as another

Countries in the Legal Families Atlas

Switzerland Turkey

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TheLawToKnow Tools’s timeline lists links of influence only where the borrowing is widely documented. Historians sometimes disagree about how much one text shaped another. It is an educational overview, not legal advice.