THE CONTRACT IN THE MODERN ERA

Good day to all readers, today we will talk a bit about the contract and its historicity. Thank you for listening.

Dr. André Silveira

----------------------

THE CONTRACT IN THE MODERN ERA 

Modernity is characterized by the concentration of real power, weakening the nobility, rising bourgeoisie and the cult of reason of state, distinguished by culture and social organization that emerged in Europe in the seventeenth century. XVII, basing his mind the idea of ​​rationalization, ie, reason as a basic organizing principle of personal and collective life. [1] 

Modern Society, in view of Francisco Amaral, "was the world of individualism, security and certainty of law, formal equality, reason and individual freedoms" [2], at which the function of the law was to protect only the creative will and ensure the achievement of ones work by contractors. [3] 

This moment experienced by society is characterized, too, but mainly the important processes of political, economic, social, religious and cultural nature that it occurred, the main elements of impact on private law, the commercial revolution, religious reform the development of national states and the absolute governments, the intellectual revolution of rationalism and the development of individualism. [4] 

The commercial revolution that occurred in this period gave rise to capitalism, characterized by private ownership of production and consumer goods, bringing a change in the economic paradigm that hitherto lookout, paving the way for the expansion of trade, establishing a dynamic economic model and with profit [5] purposes, for it, using the proper institute to meet these goals, the contract, as you can see in the words of Orlando Gomes: 

Economic liberalism, the fundamental idea that all are equal before the law and should be treated equally, and the idea that the capital market and the labor market should function freely and conditions, however, favor the domination of one class on the economy considered as a whole is allowed to make the contract legal instrument par excellence of economic life. [6] 

The modern concept of contract was formed as a result of the confluence of several streams of thought, among which we can mention that of the canonists, who instituted the appreciation of consent, recommending that the will is the source of the obligation, and the current school Natural law, which from the rationalism and individualism directly influenced the historical development of the concept of contract, to defend the view that the rationale of the birth of the obligations was in the free will of the parties. [7] 

From this ideology contractual boiled down expectations of Western society, which sought to expand the boundaries of individual freedom, requiring the company to overcome the feudal vision was still present, it was necessary to reduce the inequalities that had an evolution. [8] 

Thus, the liberal state of law arose enshrined after the French Revolution, itself of economic liberalism and distancing themselves increasingly the feudalistic regime, entering the era of state [9] sovereignty, has as main characteristics the rule of law, the division of powers, the generality and abstraction of legal rules and the distinction between public law and private law. [10] 

The Liberal State [11] was consecrated as the state of legality and freedom of individuals, free and equal, citing the legal subjectivity and recognition of man as an abstract subject of law. [12] 

In this social setting emerged as a milestone for the law, and contract area, the French, the first great modern codification Civil Code, the contract appears to mean answering questions imposed by the less privileged classes, disciplined in the third book dedicated forms of acquisition of ownership by simply the contract. [13] 

Adduces as Francisco Amaral, the French Civil Code means "[...] the triumph of liberal individualism, expressed in absolute character of property rights and the principle of contractual freedom [...]". [14] 

With this, the contract became the means available to make the expansive circulation of wealth, why was advocated the necessity of freedom of contract, believing, society, the contract alone would bring a natural equality, providing harmony social and economic, as immortalized in the specific expression for the time:. "Who says contract just says" [15] 

Thus devoted himself to autonomy as an expression of the liberal state, binding to free initiative led by the bourgeoisie of the time, which had the contract as concretizing instrument of their wishes, especially under the canopy of the French Civil Code. [16] 

Besides autonomy, power given to individuals to negotiate or not, the contract also drew on other principles, namely the pacta sunt servanda, or the binding force of contracts, a result of the free exercise of the will, which makes the contract legally in "law" between contractors (art.1134 the French Civil Code); the effects of relativity, which states have the obligation to function effect only between the parties, not favoring or harming others; and consensualism, which arises from the manifestation of will directed the contractors. [17] 

Thus, it is clear that the French Civil Code has influenced various laws that came after its inception, bringing its general and abstract paradigm for encodings that helped in the evolution of the hitherto prevailing paradigm. [18] 

Later, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution (1860), the dimensions of the contract have changed radically, making this an indispensable tool for the articulation of the whole economic system legal mechanism. This occurred in the context of an enormous development of the productive forces and an extraordinary intensification of trade. [19] 

In Brazil, the advent of the Civil Code of 1916 came disciplinary Private Law and, in turn, the contract, it was founded on the idea of ​​expressing the will of the contractors, as the entire coding time, giving importance to what was agreed between the parts, overlapping the relevance of the will before distortions possible contract. [20] 

Therefore, the derivative contract of Modernity, expressed in the Liberal State, reflected the aspirations of the ruling class by the extreme valuation of autonomy, of formal equality and abstraction of the institute, aiming that the pact covering a varied content and a practice range [21]. 

This perception prevailed contract, the business relationship, the individual contractual principles, because the state intervened minimally to regulation and protection, ie, the contract was valid, but unevenly, leading often a party to unjust enrichment and another ruin [22] by introducing a gross injustice, because the State admitted these inequalities, immoralities and disproportionalities in contractual ambience. [23] 

As a result, the socially weak succumbed to the rules imposed by the strong contracting, since the equity factor was above social issues, a fact which radiated the need for an appropriate legal and contractual vision to reality in which they lived.

-----------------

[1] AMARAL, Francisco. O Direito Civil na Pós-Modernidade. In: FIUZA, César; SÁ, Maria de Fátima Freire de; NAVES, Bruno Torquato de Oliveira (Org.). Direito civil: atualidades. Belo Horizonte: Del Rey, 2003. p.66.

[2] Ibid. p.72.

[3] MARQUES, Cláudia Lima. Contratos no Código de Defesa do Consumidor: o novo regime das relações contratuais. 5. ed. São Paulo: Revista dos Tribunais, 2006. p.37.

[4] AMARAL, Francisco. Direito civil: introdução. 7. ed., rev. modificada aum. Rio de Janeiro: Renovar, 2008. p.153.

[5] AMARAL, Francisco. Direito civil: introdução. 7. ed., rev. modificada aum. Rio de Janeiro: Renovar, 2008. p.153.

[6] GOMES, Orlando. Contratos. 26. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Forense, 2007. p.7.

[7] Ibid. p.6.

[8] BARROSO, Lucas Abreu. Evolução histórica. In: MORRIS, Amanda Zoe; BARROSO, Lucas Abreu (Coord.). Direito dos contratos. São Paulo: Revista dos Tribunais, 2008. p.33.

[9] BONAVIDES, Paulo. Teoria do estado. 3. ed. São Paulo: Malheiros, 1995. p. 41.

[10] AMARAL, Francisco. O Direito Civil na Pós-Modernidade. In: FIUZA, César; SÁ, Maria de Fátima Freire de; NAVES, Bruno Torquato de Oliveira (Org.). Direito civil: atualidades. Belo Horizonte: Del Rey, 2003. p.70.

[11] TJRJ. Apelação Cível 2008.001.46249. 12ª Vara Cível da Capital. Rel. Des. Fernando Foch: “Isso é instrumento de igualdade material e por si derruba o conceito de pacta sunt servanda como regra intangível, tornando definitiva a força vinculante dos contratos. A finalidade social do contrato não é mais aquela se concebia sob o Estado liberal, qual seja a de se manter a estabilidade das interações pela submissão recíproca de cada qual das partes à vontade da outra [...]”.

[12] AMARAL, Francisco. Direito civil: introdução. 7. ed., rev. modificada aum. Rio de Janeiro: Renovar, 2008.p.156.

[13] VENOSA, Sílvio de Salvo. Teoria geral dos contratos. 2. ed. São Paulo: Atlas, 1996. p.376.

[14] AMARAL, op. cit., p.160.

[15] MARQUES, Cláudia Lima. Contratos no código de defesa do consumidor: o novo regime das relações contratuais. 5. ed. São Paulo: Revista dos Tribunais, 2006. p.44.

[16] FROTA, Pablo Malheiros da Cunha. Os deveres contratuais gerais nas relações civis e de consumo. 2008. 271 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Direito) – Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito. Faculdade Autônoma de Direito de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2008. p.33.

[17] CATALAN, Marcos Jorge. Descumprimento contratual: modalidades, consequências e hipóteses de exclusão do dever de indenizar. 1. ed. Curitiba: Juruá, 2010.

[18] BARROSO, Lucas Abreu. Evolução histórica. In: MORRIS, Amanda Zoe; BARROSO, Lucas Abreu (Coord.). Direito dos contratos. São Paulo: Revista dos Tribunais, 2008. p.33.

[19] ROPPO, Enzo. O contrato. trad. Ana Coimbra e M. Januário C. Gomes. Coimbra: Almedina, 2009. p.25.

[20] NALIN, Paulo. Do contrato: conceito pós-moderno. Curitiba: Juruá, 2001. p.79.

[21] BARROSO, Lucas Abreu. Evolução histórica. In: MORRIS, Amanda Zoe; BARROSO, Lucas Abreu (Coord.). Direito dos contratos. São Paulo: Revista dos Tribunais, 2008. p.33.

[22] DONNINI, Rogério Ferraz. Responsabilidade civil pós-contratual. 2. Ed. São Paulo: Saraiva, 2007. p.34-35.

[23] Id. A revisão dos contratos no código civil e no código de defesa do consumidor. 2. ed. São Paulo: Saraiva, 2001.p.8.