Political economy of çiftliks: the redistribution of land and land tenure relations in the nineteenth century provinces of Ioannina and Trikala

Abstract

This work scrutinizes the relations of productions being employed in the çiftliks, large farms, of the northern Greece in the nineteenth century and the tensions emanating from them in a class-analysis method. The Tanzimat reforms and the redistribution of the çiftliks located in this region and their respective consequences are elaborated. Due to the reciprocity of landlords and the State, the lands belonging to landlords of Albanian origin with their militia forces impeded the State from enforcing the proclaimed reforms and ends of redistribution. This reciprocity culminated in the degradation of the status of the peasant çiftliks. While landlords resorted to further exploitation of sharecroppers’ labour along with arbitrary demands the State did not appear to materialise its proclamations concerning the reforms. Having lost protection by the State against the interests of the landlords in Northern Greece, the peasantry opted to stand for their rights on their own, making their voices heard often throughout the nineteenth century.