Land, its ownership, and the emergence of the feudal system 1869-1914

Abstract

Land is the primary and vital resource in pre-industrial societies. Land tenure (i.e., how land is owned, controlled, and used) determines the economic, social, and political structure of a society. In most cases, vast land holdings equated to political power and military authority, allowing owners to exert control over those who worked on their land.

Feudalism emerged historically in Western Europe (in the Middle Ages) as a reaction to the collapse of the central authority of the Roman Empire and waves of invasion and chaos. The feudal system is a historical embodiment of a system of ownership in which land ownership and power are concentrated in the hands of a small class (the feudal lords) who impose subordination and service on the working class (the serfs) who live on and cultivate this land, before it was dismantled with the rise of the central state and the modern capitalist economy.

Land and its produce are a source of economic wealth for individuals and the state. The Ottoman Empire in Iraq relied on land as a source of economic wealth, adopting a system of taxes and customs duties. It also sought to acquire these lands, which were in the hands of tribal leaders at the time, and sought to pass the Land Law of 1858, the aim of which to delegate the authority of the tribes over these lands.