Includes bibliographical references and index.

Reynolds presents a history of expropriation of land for the common good in Europe and North America from mediaeval times to 1800. It contextualises the history of an important legal doctrine regarding the relationship between government and the institution of private property. The book concentrates on western Europe and the English colonies in America. As it argues, expropriation was a common legal practice in many societies in which individuals had rights to land. It was generally accepted that land could be taken from them, with compensation, when the community, however defined, needed it.

Specialized.

Description based on print version record.