‘The Expropriation of the Expropriators’: Soviet- Type Nationalization as Social Engineering in Selected East-Central European States - Acta Universitatis Sapientiae

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Volume 14, No. 2, 2025
‘The Expropriation of the Expropriators’: Soviet- Type Nationalization as Social Engineering in Selected East-Central European States
Bence Zsolt KOVÁCS

Acta Univ. Sapientiae, Legal Studies, 14, 2 (2025) 101–128

DOI: 10.47745/AUSLEG.2025.14.2.04

Abstract. Nationalization is a legal phenomenon that, while having earlier parallels, emerged under this designation in the 20th century. Its practice reached a peak in the aftermath of the Second World War, when almost every European state implemented some form of it. In Western countries, nationalization generally remained an exceptional legal measure, while in Soviet-type dictatorships it became a central instrument for transforming societies previously grounded in private ownership. These nationalization campaigns represented one of the most radical legal experiments of the modern era. This study seeks to clarify the concept of nationalization in both its historical and contemporary meanings, tracing its origins and evolution as a legal category. It examines the first nationalizations in the Soviet Union, which served as a model for satellite states within its sphere of influence. While the constitutional provisions on nationalization in other Eastern Bloc states are considered in comparative perspective, the analysis concentrates in detail on the process of nationalization in three East-Central European countries: Hungary, the German Democratic Republic, and Romania.

Keywords: nationalization, East-Central Europe, Eastern Bloc, Soviet-type dictatorship, people’s democracy

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Volume 14, No. 2, 2025
Rule of Law: Supranationalization from the Perspective of Slovakia, Lilla GARAYOVÁ Protecting Children against Digital Harm – Novelties and Challenges of the Romanian Regulatory Framework, Zsolt KOKOLY Poland’s Experience in the Face of the Rule of Law Dispute: From 2015 to 2024, Artur KOTOWSKI ‘The Expropriation of the Expropriators’: Soviet- Type Nationalization as Social Engineering in Selected East-Central European States, Bence Zsolt KOVÁCS Rule of Law: Supranationalization from the Perspective of Central and Eastern European Countries. The Case of Hungary, Péter KRUZSLICZ Rule of Law: Supranationalization from the Perspective of Bulgaria, Deyana MARCHEVA Re-evaluated or Just Old-New? The Fundamental Social Rights Dimension of the Right to Work under Article 15 CFREU and in the Case-Law of the CJEU, Zsófia PAPP The Experience of Certain Central European Countries with the Rule of Law Procedures. The Case of the Czech Republic, David SEHNÁLEK Rule of Law: Supranationalization from the Perspective of Central and Eastern European Countries (Ukraine), Stanislav SHEVCHUK The Rule of Law: Supranationalization. The Case of Serbia, Bojan TUBIC Legal Challenges of Hybrid Warfare: Accountability of Mercenaries and Private Military Companies, Csongor Balázs VERESS Rule of Law: Supranationalization from the Perspective of Central and Eastern European Countries – Montenegro1, Nebojša VUČINIĆ, Sanja GRBOVIĆ Front pages in PDF, Inside covers in PDF,
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