Why Landlords Are Leeches

Why Landlords Are Leeches: A Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Perspective

Landlords, as a class, have long been viewed by Marxist, Leninist, and Maoist thinkers as parasitic entities that thrive by exploiting others’ labor and denying workers their rightful access to land and housing. In this newsletter, we’ll examine why landlords are inherently exploitative, how their existence perpetuates systemic inequality, and what a revolutionary perspective offers as a solution.

The Historical Role of Landlords in Exploitation

Historically, landlords have been a dominant class that profits from the labor of others without contributing to production. In feudal societies, landlords held ownership of the land while peasants toiled to produce food and resources. The landlord reaped rent or a portion of the harvest, leaving the peasantry in a state of perpetual poverty. This extractive relationship was a foundational feature of feudal economies and remains fundamentally unchanged under capitalism.

Karl Marx identified landlords as part of the ruling class who, alongside capitalists, perpetuate class oppression. Landlords control a resource—land—that workers need to survive, turning housing into a commodity rather than a basic human right. Lenin and Mao later emphasized the landlord class's role in maintaining semi-feudal or colonial systems, where rural peasants were oppressed through exorbitant rents, indebtedness, and the violent enforcement of property rights.

The Nature of Landlordism Under Capitalism

Under capitalism, landlords serve as an extension of private property. They do not produce value; instead, they extract surplus value from tenants in the form of rent. Here’s how this works:

1. Housing as Commodity: Housing, a basic human necessity, is commodified and subject to market forces. Landlords purchase property and rent it out at rates far above the actual cost of maintenance or mortgages.

2. Unearned Income: Rent is a form of unearned income. Landlords profit from the productive labor of tenants, who must work to pay rent, while the landlord contributes nothing of substance to the value of the property.

3. Scarcity and Speculation: Landlords artificially limit access to housing by hoarding property or keeping units vacant to drive up rental prices. In speculative markets, they treat housing as an investment vehicle rather than a place for people to live.

From a Marxist-Leninist perspective, this arrangement is inherently parasitic. Landlords extract wealth from workers while contributing nothing to production, further entrenching economic inequality.

Landlordism in Semi-Feudal and Semi-Colonial Societies

Mao Zedong’s analysis of landlordism in semi-feudal societies, such as pre-revolutionary China, sheds further light on the oppressive nature of this class. In these societies, landlords owned the majority of arable land, leaving peasants with little choice but to rent land under exploitative terms. High rents, interest on loans, and predatory contracts kept the peasantry in a state of perpetual dependency.

Mao recognized that the landlord class was not merely an economic force but also a political one. Landlords maintained their power through coercion, often backed by state violence. Thus, for Maoists, the overthrow of landlords was a key revolutionary objective. Redistributing land to the peasantry was central to dismantling feudal and semi-feudal systems and laying the groundwork for socialism.

The Modern Landlord Class

While the landlord class has adapted to capitalism, its exploitative essence remains unchanged. In urban centers worldwide, landlords continue to profit from housing shortages, gentrification, and tenant vulnerability. Consider the following aspects of modern landlordism:

Gentrification: Landlords displace working-class communities by raising rents and catering to wealthier tenants, thereby erasing cultural and economic diversity.

Evictions: Landlords hold the power to evict tenants, often for reasons rooted in profit maximization. This power dynamic leaves tenants in precarious housing situations.

Corporate Landlords: The rise of corporate landlords, such as real estate investment trusts (REITs), has exacerbated housing inequality. These entities prioritize shareholder returns over tenant welfare, driving up rents and reducing affordability.

The landlord class thrives on scarcity, fear, and economic coercion, creating a system where housing insecurity is a widespread reality for millions.

Why Reformism Fails

Some reformist policies, such as rent control or tenant protections, aim to mitigate the worst abuses of landlords. While such measures provide temporary relief, they fail to address the root cause of housing inequality: the commodification of housing itself. Marxist-Leninist-Maoists argue that reforms under capitalism are insufficient because they leave the landlord class intact.

By allowing landlords to maintain ownership of housing, reforms merely slow the rate of exploitation without eliminating it. True liberation requires a revolutionary approach that abolishes landlordism entirely.

The Path Forward: Abolition of Landlordism

From a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist perspective, the solution to landlordism lies in dismantling the private ownership of land and housing. This requires revolutionary change, including:

1. Expropriation: Housing and land must be seized from landlords and placed under communal or state control. In urban areas, this means converting private rental properties into public housing. In rural areas, it involves redistributing land to those who work it.

2. Collective Ownership: Housing should be treated as a public good, not a commodity. By removing profit incentives, society can ensure that everyone has access to safe, affordable housing.

3. Tenant Empowerment: Workers and tenants must organize to resist exploitation. Tenant unions, rent strikes, and community action are essential tools in the struggle against landlordism.

4. Long-Term Revolution: Abolishing landlordism is part of a broader revolutionary struggle against capitalism and imperialism. Only through socialism and eventually communism can housing become a guaranteed right for all.

Lessons from Revolutionary Movements

Throughout history, revolutionary movements have successfully dismantled landlordism. The Soviet Union, China, and Cuba implemented land reforms that redistributed land and housing to the working class. These efforts demonstrate that landlordism is neither inevitable nor insurmountable. However, such victories require organized struggle and unwavering commitment to revolutionary principles.

Conclusion: Landlords Are a Symptom of a Larger Problem

Landlords are not merely individuals with a penchant for exploiting tenants; they are representatives of a broader system of exploitation rooted in capitalism. By commodifying housing, capitalism enables landlords to thrive at the expense of the working class. From a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist perspective, the fight against landlordism is inseparable from the struggle against capitalism itself.

As revolutionaries, it is our duty to expose the parasitic nature of landlords, organize tenants and workers, and build a society where housing is a human right, not a privilege. The abolition of landlordism is not an idealistic dream—it is a necessity for a just and equitable world.