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

Summary/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.

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