National codification was prevented by provisions of the 1848 constitution that left problems of private law to the individual cantons. These difficulties were mitigated after 1872, when the federal government was empowered to deal with certain civil-law problems, primarily those involving commerce. The first result was the federal Code of Obligations of 1881, which regularized the law of commerce and exchange. There was still, however, no overriding code of private law. There were numerous types of succession laws. In some areas the place in which one resided took precedence over one’s birthplace, but in other areas the reverse was the case.