Understanding the History of the Americas

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Understanding the History of the Americas

• The Story of The Rise of the West

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Rise of the West
1900-1950s Traditional Interpretation
Modernization Theory 1950s-1970s World Systems
Theory 1980s-Present Comparative Approach
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1900-1950S
Traditional Interpretation
EXPLAINS EUROPEAN GLOBAL DOMINANCE WITH EUROPES
DESIRE FOR TRADE WITH ASIA FUELED EXPLORATION
AND COLONIZATION ENDS WITH THE INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION AND IMPERIALISM
NORMAL HISTORY
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1950S-1970S
DECOLONIZATION
THE EXPECTATION OF THE WESTERN WORLD WAS THAT
THESE NEWLY DECOLONIZED COUNTRIES WOULD MODERNIZE
BY BECOMING MORE LIKE THE WEST
Modernization Theory
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Modernization Theory
Walter Rostow Economic development encouraged
Political economic openness fostered
urbanization the creation of a middle class the
downfall of traditional systems Modernization
Theory is State-Centric it focuses primarily on
individual states or countries for
analysis Universalistic Linear it implies a
degree of inevitability in development
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Critiques of Modernization
little has been written in direct support of
it thought to have a tremendous cultural bias
theory's applicability in other areas of the
world questioned Latin America Africa India
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World Systems Theory
Immanuel Wallerstein The Rise of the West was
based on the concept of a World System that
emerged with Europe as the core and its colonies
as the periphery
Dependency Theory
lack of development some countries faced was not
a result of their actions global system
discourages advances advanced economies had an
interest in the poor staying poor
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World systems theory is a theory developed in the
60s and 70s in the West, that attempts to look
at the entire world, and looks at the entire
world in terms of the present. So it tries to
explain why has the world become what it has
from 1500 onwards. And it sees it largely in
terms of the relentless drive of capitalism to
reshape the world, and as capitalism develops, so
does labor. -Anand Yang Chinese Historian
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karl marx Like Adam Smith before him, he was
fascinated with capitalism its
development WORLD SYSTEMS THEORISTS EXPLAIN
THE RISE OF THE WEST AS A PRODUCT OF CAPITALISM
AND THE EXPLOITATION OF LABOR BOTH WITHIN EUROPE
AND AROUND THE GLOBE
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The Divergence
CONTRASTING VIEWS OF TWO EMINENT SCHOLARS ANDRE
GUNDER FRANK AND DAVID LANDES. LANDES BOOK, THE
WEALTH AND POVERTY OF NATIONS, FRANKS,
RE-ORIENT GLOBAL ECONOMY IN THE ASIAN AGE
Landes view of Wealth and Poverty of Nations was
that the European nations had particular
technical strengths and institutional
organization that enabled them again and again to
develop new technologies, to build the markets
withof the goods that they sold and to expand in
their influence in the world economy in the
period from the first maritime voyages around the
world. And that the other parts of the world had
no equivalent contribution to make . . -Patrick
Manning
LANDES CLAIMS THAT EUROPEANS POSSESSED
INHERENT CHARACTERISTICSINCLUDING AN
EXTRAORDINARY WORK ETHICTHAT LED THEM TO WORLD
DOMINANCE.
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Frank World System
FRANK CONTENDS THAT SOME HISTORIANS ARE BLINDED
BY THEIR OWN ETHNOCENTRIC BIASESAND THEREFORE
FAIL TO SEE THE RECENT ERA OF EUROPEAN DOMINATION
IN ITS PROPER CONTEXT HE EMPHASIZES THAT CHINA
HAD LONG BEEN THE WORLDS PRIMARY SOURCE OF
WEALTH AND TRADEAND THAT EUROPEANS HAD LONG
SOUGHT ENTRY INTO THRIVING ASIAN TRADE NETWORKS
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Integral Approach
MOVING BEYOND THE POLARIZED POSTURES OF THE
LANDESFRANK DEBATE, Scholars from around the
Globe asking the Questions concerning the Rise of
the West HAD LITTLE TO DO WITH ANY PRE-EXISTING
SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, OR POLITICAL CONDITIONS. ON
THE WHOLE, IT APPEARS THAT CHINAS RELATIVE
STABILITY MAY HAVE MADE IT MORE RESISTANT TO
ADOPTING UNTRIED TECHNOLOGIES
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CONCEPTUAL TOOLS
THREE KEY CONCEPTS ARE USEFUL IN ANALYZING THE
CAUSES BEHIND THE RISEOF THE WEST
CONTINGENCY
CONTINGENCY, ACCIDENT, AND CONJUNCTURE ALL COME
TOGETHER TO CREATE A MORE COMPLEX LEVEL OF
UNDERSTANDING AND A MORE SOPHISTICATED
EXPLANATION FOR THE RISE OF THE WEST.
ACCIDENT
THE IDEA OF CONTINGENCYAS IT PERTAINS TO THE
WESTS RISE TO POWERIS THAT THE WESTS
ASCENDANCY WAS DEPENDENT ON OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
CONJUNCTURE
AN EXAMPLE OF A HISTORICAL ACCIDENT IS THE READY
AVAILABILITY OF COAL IN ENGLAND AT THE DAWN OF
INDUSTRIALIZATION.
A CONJUNCTURE IS A COMBINATION OF EVENTS
HAPPENING INDEPENDENTLY, THAT THEN INTERACT TO
CREATE A UNIQUE HISTORICAL MOMENT.