This essay will focus on his work in the beginning of series of events that changed the perspective of development forever. I want to analyse the impact of the content of this time on the book of Rostow. I suggest that he was influenced by contemporary history of his time. First I want to explain Rostows idea of different stages of economic growth in the development process. Following I am going to define several contemporary events that could be influenced the work of Rostow, as well as the personal background of Rostow. I might suggest that the personal background as well as context of scientific debate influences an author and his work. Jim Marlow would call this "influence of intertextuality". Concluding I will summarize if my argument, that Rostows work was influenced by his time is valid or not.
Table of Contents
Walt Rostows book “The Stages of Economic Growth” was a product of its time. Discuss
I. Introduction
II. Explaining modernization theory.
III. The Stages of Economic Growth
III.1. The traditional society
III.2. The Preconditions for Take-Off Stage
III.3. The Take-Off
III.4. The Drive to Maturity
III.5. The Age of High Mass-Consumption
IV. Influence on his book
IV.1. Historical-Scientific influence: economic thoughts of Keynesianism and Marxism
IV.2. Historical-scientific stream: The Cold War and the end of imperialism
IV.3. Historical- scientific stream: Realism of Hans Morgenthau (Politics among Nations, 1948)
IV.4. Technical and methodological influence of his time
V. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This essay analyzes whether Walt Rostow's seminal work, "The Stages of Economic Growth," was significantly shaped by the historical, political, and scientific context of its era. By examining Rostow's development model alongside contemporary intellectual and geopolitical trends, the author seeks to determine the validity of the intertextual influence of the 1950s and 1960s on Rostow’s theoretical framework.
- The conceptual foundations of modernization theory.
- The five distinct stages of economic growth as defined by Rostow.
- The influence of Keynesian economics and Marxist thought on Rostow’s work.
- Geopolitical impacts of the Cold War and the end of colonial imperialism.
- Methodological contributions of contemporary scientific frameworks like the Harrod-Domar model.
Excerpt from the Book
III.1. The traditional society
A traditional society is one whose economic structure has limited production functions. They are limited by the inaccessibility of modern science. A ceiling exit on the level of attainable output per head. Family and clan connexions play an important role; the value system is influenced through long-run fatalism. Generally speaking, these societies, because of the limitation on productivity, had to devote a very high proportion of their resources to agriculture, and flowing from the agricultural system there was a hierarchical social structure, with relatively narrow scope- but scope for vertical mobility (Huntington 1971, 5).
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: The introduction establishes the historical context of 1960 as a pivot point in world history, introducing the modernization approach as a lens to view development.
II. Explaining modernization theory.: This chapter defines modernization as a systemic, revolutionary, and phased process of transition from traditional to modern societal structures.
III. The Stages of Economic Growth: This section details Rostow's five-stage model, ranging from the traditional society through the preconditions for take-off, the take-off itself, the drive to maturity, and finally, high mass-consumption.
IV. Influence on his book: This chapter analyzes how external historical and scientific currents, specifically Keynesianism, the Cold War, and political realism, influenced the content and framing of Rostow’s arguments.
V. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the evidence for the influence of contemporary history on Rostow's work and reflects on the continued relevance and critiques of the modernization paradigm.
Keywords
Modernization theory, Rostow, economic growth, traditional society, take-off, Cold War, Keynesianism, colonialism, imperialism, development, political science, historical influence, intertextuality, industrialization, welfare state.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this essay?
The essay explores the correlation between the socio-political context of the mid-20th century and the creation of Walt Rostow’s work "The Stages of Economic Growth."
What are the central thematic areas discussed?
Key themes include modernization theory, the economic stages of development, the impact of the Cold War, and the influence of major intellectual frameworks like Keynesianism.
What is the core research question of the work?
The author investigates whether Rostow’s book was a product of its time and to what extent external "scientific and historic streams" influenced his development model.
Which scientific methods are applied in the analysis?
The author uses a qualitative historical analysis, applying the concept of "intertextuality" to compare Rostow’s theories with contemporary economic models like the Harrod-Domar model and the political theories of Hans Morgenthau.
What content is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section outlines the five stages of Rostow’s growth model and provides an in-depth analysis of how specific historic and scientific influences, such as the end of imperialism and Cold War politics, shaped these ideas.
What are the characterizing keywords of this study?
Key concepts include modernization, economic growth, Rostow, Cold War, Keynesianism, imperialism, and historical influence.
How does the author characterize the "traditional society" in Rostow's model?
The author describes it as a society limited by the inaccessibility of modern science, characterized by long-run fatalism and a dependency on agricultural production.
Why did Rostow include the subtitle "a non-communist manifesto" in his work?
The subtitle was added to highlight the ideological differences between his modernization approach and the communist approach to societal development, reflecting the tensions of the Cold War era.
What is the significance of the "African Year" (1960) mentioned in the essay?
The "African Year" signifies the geopolitical context of decolonization that pressured scholars to rethink existing development models for newly independent states.
What conclusion does the author draw regarding the relevance of Rostow's work?
The author concludes that while the modernization theory has faced critique and been superseded by other models, Rostow’s work remains a significant historical tool for understanding the influence of previous eras on modern political and economic thought.
- Quote paper
- Andreas Michaelis (Author), 2014, Was Walt Rostows book "The Stages of Economic Growth" a product of its time?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/471608
