ABSTRACT
The pattern of industrial development in the DRV was determined both by the general issues surrounding micro and macro policy and by circumstances peculiar to the sector. French studies point to the existence of a substantial rural artisanat during the 1930s that operated along traditional lines. This was made up of a great variety of small-scale producers, both craftsmen and ordinary peasants working in slack seasons. Families that concentrated primarily upon farming were often extensively involved in artisanal production. The survival and development of artisanal production during the colonial period is very interesting. In employment terms it was considerably more important to the colonial economy than modern industry. Industrial management remained heavily constrained by the limits placed upon the acquisition and disposal of economic resources. The neo-Stalinist model bases itself upon a reasonably effective control of the distribution of current inputs to production.
