Modernization Theory Of The Post War Years - 1324 Words

In his inaugural speech in 1949, Truman captured the United States’ optimistic sentiment with regards to development following the Second World War. The United States found themselves in a unique position where they had shown their military and technological prowess, were the only victor whose infrastructure had not been damaged by the war and saw themselves as the technological leader of the world and a model to be emulated. Along with growing fears about Cold War tensions and the threat of communism, the domestic post-war environment contributed to the emergence of the predominant American sociological and economic theory of the post-war years: modernization theory. Though many new theories have emerged since the development of modernization theory, of which Walt Whitman Rostow was one of the leading figures, and it has seen fluctuations in its popularity, it has remained a part of the discourse on development to this day. Over the years, it faced harsh criticism, notably fr om the Latin American dependentistas of which Andre Gunder Frank was one of the main voices. This paper will focus on Rostow’s Stages of Economic Growth and Andre Gunder Frank’s critique of modernization theory in The Development of Underdevelopment and Sociology of Development. These two authors offer a limited view of the broader debate between modernization and dependency theory in the second half of the twentieth century and thus this paper does not claim to be a comprehensive study of these twoShow MoreRelatedThe World Of World War I1293 Words   |  6 PagesPrior to the beginning of World War I, the world economy was held up by four pillars: the gold standard, free trade, communication and transportation, and capital and labor labor mobility. After facing two world wars and a worldwide economic depression, economists and governments from around the world implemented several development strategies. Some strategists tried to rebuild the order from before World War I in a more flexible and stable way while others bucked the traditional world order allRead M oreAmerican Political Scientist Samuel Huntington1401 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican political scientist Samuel Huntington once pointed out that although modernity breeds stability it is modernization that breeds instability. Many of the world’s greatest economists forecast that China will overtake the United States as the world’s economic powerhouse in the near future. However, that will largely depend on how well the Chinese government can control its modernization both politically and economically. China’s rapid ascension through its distorted economic reforms has underminedRead MoreModernization Theory Of India s Democracy1722 Words   |  7 Pagesincreases the probability that any given society will have democratic politics. Although this theory is widely spread it does not seem to account for all cases, such as India. Due to the large population of India, the defying factors against modernization theory are not easily overlooked. Many scholars have been a nalyzing the deviant case for years, trying to find out how they defied the modernization theory. India is considered a deviant case because it only recently began to see notable economic developmentRead MoreA Research Study On The United States Method Of Survey Research2772 Words   |  12 PagesBrandon Koch Jean Converse in her work Survey Research in the United States historicizes the method of survey research from the years of 1865-1960. The value and legitimatization of the survey research method stems from the wartime experiences of WWI and WWII. Early wartime research was a small scattered field prior to WWI consisting of a small tight knit group of a few hundred researchers (163). â€Å"Most of those who had major responsibilities for wartime opinion research were, at some time or otherRead MoreThe Problem Identified:. Every Day People Are Faced With1648 Words   |  7 Pagesin order to help women and provide justice. Background of the Problem: Some scholars argue that violence is prevalent in Guatemala because of the Civil War the country endured from 1960 to 1996 (La Violencia). Infact, some would even say that it was the â€Å"longest civil war in modern Latin American history† (La Violencia). These years of war related violence also spread to acts of violence against women. For instance, were routine and systematic-part of soldiers’ instructions’† (La Violencia). ThereforeRead MoreThe Developments Of The Twentieth Century Essay1603 Words   |  7 PagesThe developments of the twentieth century either enhanced the quality of life for people or diminished it. From the industrial revolution providing jobs and creating an economic base, to the World Wars aiding political conflicts and disrupting ways of life and modern capitalism giving rise to popular culture. There have been significant changes to the art world, as the changing environments and culture led traditional modes of art to become mo dernized and radical. The emergence of the anti-aestheticRead MoreExploring The Individual Experiences Of An Older Adult878 Words   |  4 PagesIn order to explore the individual experiences of an older adult in the United States, we conducted an interview of a 78-year-old white male living in Silver Spring, Maryland. Throughout this paper, the interviewee will be referred to as Edgar; this is not his real name. The interview was conducted in the home of one of the interviewers because it is close to Edgar’s home. Throughout the interview, we discussed Edgar’s personal experiences with ageism, the physical and psychological effects of agingRead MoreModernization: Afghanistan vs India Essay1845 Words   |  8 PagesSemester Modernization in Afghanistan vs. India The political scientists, economists, philosophers, and other scientists have different views and ideas about development and modernization such as, Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Lenin, Baron, and Frank are the different scientist that introduced development theory. Similarly, this paper offers a discussion of modernization theory between two Asian countries; which is Afghanistan modern era duringRead MoreU.s. Foreign Policy History2175 Words   |  9 Pagescaused, exacerbated or illuminated by several critical events. Through this lens, the Spanish-American War, Pearl Harbor, the Vietnam War and 9/11 are critical points that added the impetus to shift the cycle of U.S. foreign policy in the other direction. The Spanish-American war paved the way for American Imperialism, illuminating a shift towards interventionist policies. Emerging from post-WWI isolationism, the attack on Pearl Harbor created an immediate national consensus, realigning foreignRead MoreA Study On Norwich Universi ty Essay1087 Words   |  5 PagesUniversity Application Requirements The Norwich University admissions process is quite simple. Norwich admissions offers looks at high school transcripts to ensure that candidates have completed four years of English, four years of math, three years of laboratory science, three years of social science and two years of a foreign language. Resumes are optional, but they help to introduce the applicant’s interests, activities, sports participation, volunteer work and community leadership history. Admissions