The Theory of Contractual Solidarism

According to the traditional approach to contract law, autonomy of will is considered as the main basis, and parties' agreements are considered as the law of parties in contractual relationship, and given that it is the result of the free will of parties, so it will be necessarily just and fair. Nevertheless, the autonomy of the will in unequal contractual relationships, in which one party is in a position of weakness, has unfair effects and in effect makes a contract an instrument for securing the interests and realizing goals of a powerful party. Hence, in French law, the need to consider the weaknesses and inequalities between parties in contractual relations led to the emergence of the theory of contractual solidarism which provides a social concept of the contract and, instead of establishing the law of contracts on the freedom and equality of parties, is based on the existing inequalities between parties. The emergence of this theory dates back to the late nineteenth century, but after a relatively long silent period, in the late 20th century this theory was restored and played an important role in the new reform of the French Civil Code in 2016. In this paper, by examining the various aspects of the theory of contractual solidarism in French law, we will examine the necessity of changing or at least modifying the principle of contractual freedom, as the main rule of the contract law, in the light of the theory of the theory of contractual solidarism.