Modernization Poised Between History and Prophecy

Many personalities have contributed immensely towards the understanding of the concept of development. Economic development is one of the major pillars that are used in analysing the developmental status of a given nation or continent. A number of theories have been advanced to explain the general economic growth pattern.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Modernization Poised Between History and Prophecy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This paper seeks to provide a summary of the content of Chapter 6 in Gilbert Rist’s book, â€Å"The History of Development: From Western Origins to Global Faith†, written by Rostow. The essay will review Rostow’s theory of economic growth which he has categorised into five key stages. Furthermore, it will also highlight Rostow’s opinion on anti-communism versus Marxism without Marx. Finally, two more people, besides Rostow, with different perspectives o f economic growth will be mentioned; Francois Perroux and Dudley Seers. Rostow’s work, just like other theorists, was very influential on policy development especially in the early 1960s. His theory developed initially from lectures that he used to deliver at Cambridge University in 1958 (Rist 93). The focus of the work was on addressing the challenges that were faced then, including European economy, and the impact of the then decolonised states on economy and development. Rostow’s aim was to ensure that a clear pattern of progress was developed towards successful modernisation by the countries of the world. As a result, a philosophy of history focusing on Rostow’s stages of economic growth was developed (Rist 94). The five categories in which a given society can lie are: the traditional society, the preconditions for take-off, the take-off, the drive to maturity, and the age of high mass-consumption. His witty use of words to create ‘development’ jargon contributed to the success of the book. Firstly, according to Rostow, traditional society is a form of degree zero of history corresponding to a natural state of ‘underdevelopment’ (Rist 95). He claims that this stage is characterised by the negligence of modern technology by some countries or regions resulting in significantly low-level production compared to other industrialised societies. ‘Primitive’ societies are depicted as fighting against scarcity and thus their need to embrace modern technological means of production. Secondly, the stage of ‘preconditions of take-off’ is characterised by the spread of the idea of the possibility of economic prosperity which is a necessity for other desired societal conditions (Rist 96). This belief results in the disintegration of the traditional societies leading to the creation of a ‘modern culture’. Take-off is the third stage in Rostow’s economic growth model. This stage i s an interval between the old obstacles to steady progress and the eventual triumph (Rist 97). The take-off stage paves way for a steady economic growth in the society. The rise in commercialised production and extensive use of modern technology is a characteristic of the take-off stage.Advertising Looking for article on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fourthly, there is the ‘drive to maturity’ stage which comes immediately after the end of take-off with a period of about forty years in between before maturity is attained. At this level, the society has completely overcome the challenges faced at the traditional level, thanks to the use of new technologies (Rist 97). The last stage of economic growth, in Rostow’s opinion, is ‘the stage of high mass-consumption’. Here, most of the gains from increased productivity are distributed to workers with an aim of increasing consumption (Rist 98 ). Europe and Japan, according to Rostow, entered this stage in the 1960s, a time during which the Soviet Union was striving to achieve. With the belief that growth has no limit, Rostow attempted to superficially offer an explanation of what happens after the ‘final stage’. He said that the future of a given society should fall within the trajectory defined by past experiences. Furthermore, Rostow, in his book, tries to demonstrate how the situation in USSR in the late 1950s ‘deviated’ from the general theory of modernization (Rist 99). He believes that the Soviet Union disintegrated when, instead of entering the stage of mass-consumption, it tried to impose communism on its people. USSR resorted to investing 20% in arms race, and creating a police state to threaten its citizens (Rist 100). Such a situation was only possible for workers in a capitalist state, according to Marx. The response by the nationalists, according to Rostow, helped create the present day Russia. He goes ahead to explain the concept of Marxism and economic growth. Rostow’s stages of economic growth were very popular during his time and were perceived as a prophetic book for the world. However, there were other personalities, though not very popular, who had different perspectives on economic growth and related issues. Francois Perroux exerted significant impact on theories of ‘development’ in France. He criticised classical and neo-classical economics on the basis of their mechanistic concepts of equilibrium which disregards the inequality between actors (Rist 104). He contributed a method of analysing real economics rather than the use of abstract models.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Modernization Poised Between History and Prophecy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Dudley Seers is another individual who made notable contribution in the field of economic development. He argued that the economics taught in Universities were based on the state of ‘developed’ countries and thus could not be applied in examining the economic growth of ‘underdeveloped’ countries. He strongly objected the universal validity of some economic claims (Rist 106). Seer’s critique was so tough to such an extent that the corporation f economists opted not to respond and avoided controversy (Rist 108). The essay has summarized Rostow’s five stages of economic growth as well the concept of anti-communism versus Marxism in relation to economic growth. It has also mentioned the theoretical contributions of two individuals during Rostow’s time. Work Cited Rist, G. The history of development: from western origins to global faith. Zed Books, 2002, Pp. 93-108. This article on Modernization Poised Between History and Prophecy was written and submitted by user Karla Gibson to help you with your own studies. 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