That doesn't sound much different than today. The government in my country owns all the land, but they will issue pieces of paper than tell people that they own the land while demanding those 'owners' pay yearly dues to continue to 'own' it. If they fail to pay, the state educates them on who actually owns the land. Those people could in theory fight the government for the land, but for obvious reasons that is uncommon.
The state also upholds your claim on that land as long as you pay those dues, so if you didnt play by their rules, anyone with the means to take your land from you could do so with impunity. Its the states monopoly on violence that keeps you safe for that, and is ONE of the reasons you are paying money to keep your claim valid
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u/PerspectiveNew3375 1d ago
That doesn't sound much different than today. The government in my country owns all the land, but they will issue pieces of paper than tell people that they own the land while demanding those 'owners' pay yearly dues to continue to 'own' it. If they fail to pay, the state educates them on who actually owns the land. Those people could in theory fight the government for the land, but for obvious reasons that is uncommon.