Girko Otto von (Gierke Otto Friedrich von)

(1841-1921)
Born in Stettin on Jan. 11, 1841. He taught at the universities of Berlin, Breslau and Heidelberg. As the leading representative of the school challenged the idea in Germanic historical school of Savigny and dogmatic school Vindsheyda, while ruling in Germany. School Germanist invited to examine the development of German law since its beginning, trying to find a basis for new national legislation. There were three main ideas: 1) the right derives from the people, and 2) there is a specific German understanding of the law, independent of the Roman law, 3) Germanic law did not disappear with the adoption of Roman law in Germany.
Gierke developed these ideas in a number of works, including a four-volume work Germanskoe cooperative law (Das deutsche Genossenschaftsrecht, 1868-1913). His work Germanskoe private law (Deutsches Privatrecht, 1895-1917) is the application of ideas Germanism to contemporary problems of law. Works Gierke had an impact on the sociological approach to law. Gierke died in Berlin on October 10, 1921.