Introduction

Abstract

Ever since the eighteenth century brought human social conditions under serious discussion, the land question has been one of the basic issues of any program for social and economic reforms. It has been looked at under almost all conceivable aspects, but in practically all socio-economic systems it retains its fundamental importance and originality. It has proved difficult to fit into general theoretical conceptions and always seems to call for special treatment. Some schools of thought, for example the Physiocrats and Georgeists, regard land as the basic source of human wealth; others look upon agriculture as the most important among the factors which retard progress. Individual ownership of land is one of the most important principles of Roman law and Liberal economic thought; other systems regard it as a theft from the community. Whichever the underlying general views were, most land policies have failed, more or less, to reach the goals set for them. Under the changing conditions of modern times, the land question shows itself in a new light, a continually changing riddle provoking new controversies.