The study of legal compromise can hardly be successful without a deep understanding of the nature of compromise as a complex social phenomenon. Her research in modern jurisprudence is carried out in a number of areas. In particular, signs, types, and functions of a compromise turned out to be in the field of view of specialists. One of the least studied aspects of this phenomenon was the history of its origin. Within the framework of the presented article, the author sets himself the task of filling this gap in legal science. He makes an attempt to trace the genesis of the compromise, to find out its causes.