Land concentration has been a central feature of the history of nearly all empires, regions, and countries, and has underpinned the creation of the state and of inegalitarian and elitist societies. It is the key feature of the "monopolization model", whereby a small group attains access to the great bulk of available land, labor, and capital to achieve a high level of income and wealth. The degree and means of land concentration, as well as the elite control of labor, have varied across cultures and time, but are responsible for an enormous amount of economic and social damage. In The Great Curse, Albert Berry reviews the main episodes of agrarian reform undertaken in the twentieth century to remedy land concentration, including those of major communist and capitalist countries. He provides an understanding of when landholding inequality arises, what implications it has for development in the short and long term, and what potential policies can fix it. Berry makes the case that agraria