Colonial Land Reform

kernals12

Banned
One thing that's fascinated me is land reform. The land redistributions carried out in Postwar Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are widely credited with sparking those countries economic booms. What if, seeing the inevitability of decolonization and wanting to prevent the rise of communism, the colonial powers of Europe decided to do likewise in the 1950s?
 
You are overestimating the importance of land reform. India had land reform as part of the destruction of the zamindari system, and while it has done far better than, say, Pakistan, its economic boom has been very recent. This has to do with Indian economic autarky under Nehru and unsuccessful socialism under Indira Gandhi.
 

longsword14

Banned
You are overestimating the importance of land reform. India had land reform as part of the destruction of the zamindari system, and while it has done far better than, say, Pakistan, its economic boom has been very recent. This has to do with Indian economic autarky under Nehru and unsuccessful socialism under Indira Gandhi.
Land reform in India did not bring radical social change. The local political structure always had room for the socially dominant sectors of the society.
And despite the claims, many aread really did not have much reform or only had it at a superficial level (look at Bihar and other weak states). Agriculture was not going to clear itself of the excess labour despite all attempts because India simply sucked at dirigisme, and it still does.
 
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