| Summary: | Zimbabwean people were exploited and marginalised in the colonial era. But the quality of life improved considerably after independence, the country achieving successes in the provision of health, education and other services for the Zimbabwean majority. The economy overall however did not perform as well as expected in the first ten years of independence. The author, an economic historian, accepts that an economic reform programme was needed in 1990. His study contends however that the government's decision to implement the IMF/World Bank economic reform programme was misguided, for not only did it impact negatively on the welfare of the people, it also effectively reversed most of the gains made in education and health. He further contends that such structural adjustment programmes are hostile to the poor and have adverse effects on economies and societies of such countries as Zimbabwe.
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