The concept of development is one of the lasting legacies of the late colonial era in Africa. Taking Sukumaland in Tanzania as a reference, this book explores British colonial ideas about rural development and examines the results of their application after 1945. Colonial attempts to change African systems of agriculture are discussed extensively and critically assessed. Other issues like the exploitative character of British colonial development policy in the postwar period, the role of cooperatives, and the connection between development policy and decolonisation are also addressed. This book is the published version of author Rohland Schuknecht's doctoral thesis.