ABSTRACT
The concepts of bona fides and boni mores originate in Roman law. Before examining their fate in the socialist Hungarian civil law, it is necessary to refer briefly to the relationship between Hungary and the Roman law tradition. The definitive end of the liberal period of the former decades was marked by a short communist intermezzo that took place in 1919, namely, the formation of the first communist regime in Hungary on the March 21, 1919. Hungary in the 1950s as well as other socialist countries in Europe experienced a dark era characterized by massive brutality from the communist party, which made use of the state organs. In the Novel of 1977, a more timely reference was substituted for the ‘working people,’ namely, ‘society.’ Drawing some general conclusions, the people can ascertain that the socialist transformation of some classical principles of civil law in Hungary did not cause extremely grave damage.
