The article discusses the issue of land reforms in the Maghreb, their statements and actions taken in connection with the colonial agrarian history of these countries. Recalling the legacy of the land settlement, it outlines the initiatives undertaken towards solving the problem of agrarian dualism during the colonial period. Providing an overview of the circumstances prevailing in each country and their strategic choices, the study examines the contents and objectives of the land reforms carried out shortly after independence. It describes the processes and steps that have been taken in this regard, and the provisional outcomes. It attempts to analyze the major causes of the failure of the reforms, focusing on the depeasantization process, social alliances and socio-economic changes induced by the implementation of programs for economic development. These causes led to the breakdown of political coalitions in favor of these reforms. Lastly, the article analyzes how these countries gave up on the agrarian issue, leading all the powers to take up the political challenge of the modernization promoted by a class of wealthy farmers, rural entrepreneurs and new economic urban and rural elites.