Land Acquisition by the Peasants of Mid-Nineteenth Century Egypt: The Ramya System

Abstract

In studying peasant acquisition, or conversely dispossession, of land in mid-nineteenth century Egypt one realizes the prominent role of the state in these processes. The position of the current literature on this issue can be summed up accordingly. Repeated high tax increases combined with onerous corvee demands led to the peasants' impoverishment, which entailed the dispossession of many's lands. As the government insisted on resuming the collection of these lands' taxes as quickly as possible, these were placed with wealthy individuals of various social groups. The rural notables were quick to benefit from this situation, augmenting their landholdings at the expense of the poor. (2)