The modernization perspective of human development has hampered true growth in the countries known collectively as the Third World. With its roots in European colonialism in the late eighteenth century, the modernization perspective ethnocentrically holds that human development must occur in a unilinear manner, regardless of a society's history or culture. In colonial times, this view was used to justify the exploitation of entire peoples, claiming that colonization of overseas societies was a civilizing mission. This unilinear view of development was popularized by modernization theorists such as Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and Walt Whitman Rostow, with disastrous consequences for the developing world.
The most vivid illustration of how the modernization perspective hurt the developing world is the evident in the politics of the Cold War, in which two opposing modernization theories fought a global battle for influence. From the ashes of the Cold War, capitalism emerged as the triumphant model of human development. Since then, neo-liberal institutions have sought to stimulate growth in the developing world by following this model of development. However, after decades of failed attempts, it is time for the world to reconsider its approach to development. This paper will illustrate the inadequacies of the modernization thought in three different case studies- Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau, and Burkina Faso. In each case, modernization thought in the form of colonialism. communism, and capitalism have hampered attempts at real development in these countries.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:honorstheses1990-2015-1867 |
| Date | 01 January 2009 |
| Creators | Yu, Shelly |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | HIM 1990-2015 |
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