ABSTRACT
Human history has been an endless struggle for control of the earth's surface; and conquest, or the acquisition of property by force, has been one of its more ruthless expedients. With the surge of population from the rural lands to the cities, a new type of conquest has been manifesting itself in the cities of the developing world. Its form is squatting, and it is evidencing itself in the forcible preemption of land by landless and homeless people in search of a haven. Unlike other forms of conquest that were propelled by the pursuit of glory, trade routes, or revenues, squatting is part of the desperate contest for shelter and land. Of all forms of illegal seizure, squatting is the most condonable.
