CHARACTERISTICS
61 This short period was exceptionally important. It saw the abolition of old legal traditions, the short-lived triumph of natural law, and the more lasting emergence of a belief in codes.
The period began around the middle of the eighteenth century, when criticism of Roman law and the rise of natural law began to be reflected in important codifications. By the beginning of the nineteenth century it had already ended; natural law had lost its power to inspire, and was overshadowed by positivism and the Historical School of law. None the less the legacy of this relatively brief period was lasting: faith in codes persists (albeit less fervently) to this day, and their practical importance is still considerable. In the space of a few decades, concepts and institutions which had taken shape gradually over the centuries were abolished and replaced. This was the result of a policy guided by new principles and new structures, some of which are still employed.