Land reform and collectivization in the Soviet Zone and the early GDR are among the most radical structural changes in German agricultural history. So far, they have mainly been examined from a political and socio-historical perspective. In contrast, Andreas Dix deals with the planning and structural implementation. He examines how and by which institutions the settlement and agricultural changes #A> were carried out and by which principles they were guided. # A> The author contradicts the thesis that the land reform had already begun with the aim of failure. Rather, it shows that against the background of older traditions, a settlement policy on a small-scale basis was represented. Ultimately, however, such efforts failed because of the great shortage of building materials. Concrete practical constraints - and not just power-political or ideological reasons - were thus a decisive factor for a switch to collectivization. As a result, the plans for villages and large business units led to industrialized agriculture.