Introduction

For many legal positivists, law reflects the history of nation building. Indeed, the story of a nation’s development over many years can be depicted in the history of the development of its legal system. This is no exaggeration, since it is from the legal system that we can grasp the intellectual, social, economic, and political climate of a society at different times as well as the particular ideas and ideologies that form part of a distinctive tradition. It is a common belief that the law stands in close relationship to the ideas, aims, and purpose of the society to which it applies.