Agrarian Capitalism and the Development of the Coffee Industry in Colonial Zimbabwe: 1900-1980

This book analyses the development of the coffee sector in colonial Zimbabwe within the broader context of agrarian capitalism in settler economies. It unpacks the central philosophy of statecraft based on the desire to develop Southern Rhodesia as a permanent white settler colony. The development of the coffee sector was designed to fulfil the objective of expanding economic opportunities for white settlers and to increase their incomes in order to inspire immigration and discourage emigration. Expanded incomes were similarly vital in sponsoring the highly eulogised civilised standards of living. The book casts the development of the coffee sector as an alternative prism through which the nature of the anatomy of colonial Zimbabwean political economy can be unpacked. The book departs from the dominant macro-approach in detailing the development of colonial Zimbabwean agrarian capitalism to the micro-twist which analyses sector specificities important in enhancing our understanding of the Southern Rhodesian economy. It will appeal to economic historians, historians and political economists, and explores various themes including labour, marketing and the role of the state in allocating productive forces.