Atomistic View: The Modernization School

Atomistic View and the Modernization School

• The modernization school represented an atomistic perspective within social science and political economy.
• From the 1950s to the early 1960s, the field of development studies was dominated by the modernization school.

Post-World War II Geopolitical Drivers

• The emergence and prominence of the modernization school was a direct historical product of specific international events occurring after the Second World War:
  • Shift in Global Leadership: The United States replaced Western European nations to become a world-dominating superpower.
  • Cold War Geopolitics: The onset of the Cold War created an intense political, economic, and military competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, driving international development strategies and foreign policy agendas.