Third World, Economically Developing Nations and their Events - Assignment Example

Third World Section A The Bandung Conference of 1955 was held to endorse economic and cultural development in the participating third world countriesof Africa and Asia and also to voice against colonialism by the imperialist nations. It symbolized the first international conference that had no participants from the imperialist countries (The Bandung Conference of 1955). The Non-Aligned Movement was founded in 1961 and is defined as the policy followed by nations of not joining any of the major power blocs. This movement was instigated by the first prime minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru and joined by the Egyptian and Yugoslavian presidents, Gamal Abdul Nasser and Josip Broz Tito (Profile: Non-Aligned Movement). Colonialism is defined as a process by which the mother country takes control of another country by subduing its sovereignty and making it economically dependent on the mother country. More often it is associated with the European and later, American imperialistic missions of setting up colonies in the third world nations (Parekh). Neo-Colonialism is defined as the practice of third world nations of economic reliance on the mother nations even after their independence from colonialism. In other words, the economic control of the developing nations remains in the hand of the colonial powers even after their independence (Smith). Pan-Africanism is a movement to politically unify the Africans and fosters the values originating in the African history involving its civilization and resistance against slavery, apartheid, colonialism and neo-colonialism. It is mainly an outcome of the movements against colonialism and slavery by the European nations (O. Ihonvbere). Kwame Nkrumah was one of the important campaigners of Pan-Africanism. He was an active participant in the struggles against African imperialism and the unification of Ghana from the former God Coast territories. He was one of the most significant leaders of Africa and served as the president of independent Ghana (Smertin). Comprador Bourgeoisie is a phrase used as a concept of economic globalization to label groups of developing nations that reorganize themselves with headquarters of different multinationals and advocate its interests. This is mostly done with the belief that such actions would benefit their own countries Comprador Bourgeoisie). Congress of Berlin (1884-1885) was a conference called by Otto von Bismarck which led to the increase in colonialization by the European powers and particularly to the annihilation of African sovereignty. It was instigated by the increasing interest of European’s interest in Africa and also the insurgence of Germany as a colonial power (The Scramble for Africa). Monoculture is defined as the practice of growing the same kinds of crop over a large area of agricultural land. It is often associated with the practice of producing plantation crops (mostly cash crops) in the colonies for generating raw materials and huge scale profits for the mother nations (Lampkin). Walt Rostow was American economist who propagated the ideas of growth in any economy through his conception of the take-off model of growth. He described a five-step growth process. His work is especially significant with respect to the third world countries because of his theories of modernization and social evolution (Rostow) Andre Frank is a German born American historian and economist who worked on the social, economic and political of the developing world and the third world, particularly Latin America. He was one of the propagators of dependency theory and the world system theory (Santos). Immanuel Wallerstein is a sociologist and historian who has mainly worked in the fields of colonialism and its after effects. He was done several work sand founded theories relating to post-colonial Africa and criticism to global capitalist economy (The Development of a World Economic System). Developmental State is used to address the developing economies with a fairly extensive state intervention in the economic and political aspects of the country. It is also used for countries that underwent a late process of industrialization which have mission of sustained development and economic progress (Mkandawire). Globalization is defined as the phenomenon of integrating the world into one single economy through trade and communication. It eases the flow of resources from one nation to the other and fosters foreign investments and trade all across the world. Section B 1. Explain the origins, meaning and evolution of the term “Third World’ and the different interpretations put forth by French scholar Alfred Sauvy and Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong. The name third world is used to identify the economically weak countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America which are characterized by a common set of features like poverty, illiteracy, high birth rates and economic dependency on the developed nations. This term originated during the period of Cold War and was used to describe the poorer nations that gained independence and were not willing to join any of the power blocs but instead represented themselves as non-aligned Third world nations. The expression was first used by French demographer Alfred Sauvy in 1952 to address the common mass (Tiers Monde or third estate) of France in contrast to the priests and the nobles who constituted the first and the second estates during and prior to the French revolution. It compares that the third world like the third estate is a subject of exploitation and thus imbibe ideas of revolution (Keyfitz). Mao Zedong defined third world as the developing nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America, while USA and Soviet, the two power blocs comprise the first world and the rest of the developed nations form the second world. This division is made on the basis of the changes taking place in the international relations because of political factors and realignment (Smith). 2. Discuss the key characteristics that differentiate developing states from developed states in political, social, and economic terms. Give some examples and identify the regions of the world which are considered to be developing areas. The socio-economic aspects that characterize the developing nations are high population growth rates, poverty and illiteracy, lack of modern technologies, traditional and rural structures and dependency on the advanced nations to export their primary products to generate income. These countries are mostly characterized by political instability, unemployment and under employment and impeded growth. However, the extent of such attributes vary from one nation to the other and in that sense, the third world is highly differentiated. The oil rich countries of the Middle East are the more developed nations among the developing ones. The countries of Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, United Arabs Emirates, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Algeria, Gabon and Venezuela has achieved a comparatively greater development because of the abundance of oil, a highly demanded natural resource. Again most of the African nations fall in the poorer section of the developing world. 3. Discuss some of the problems faced by Third World countries on the eve of independence in terms of asserting their sovereignty and state-building. What were the crises they faced according to modernization theorists such as Samuel Huntington? The third world nations have been suffering from a dearth of resources because of the excessive exploitation that was carried out by the colonial states. They have also remained economically reliant on their mother nations even after independence. Due to lack of resources and political instability, these nations have countered problems in asserting their sovereignty and state-building. The achievement of sovereignty by the post colonial nations was somewhat obscured due to neo-colonialism. It became difficult to attain it because of the differences in political and economic autonomy, which was still in the hands of the ex-colonial power. These issues of social and political instability mainly arising from cultural diversity hindered the development of state-building. The crises that would be faced by the developing world would rise from a difference in culture and civilization between the developed world and themselves. According to Samuel Huntington the world’s future would be subjected to conflicts between the third and developed world on the basis of their civilization differences (Burnell and Randall). 4. Explain the critical/ radical approach to the study of the third world, epitomized by the dependency theory. Briefly compare and contrast the position of Andre Frank and with that of Immanuel Wellerstein. Dependency theory stems from the division of the world into two categories, one of a few rich and developed countries who are situated in the centre and the other of the peripheral underdeveloped countries of the third world. The peripheral states are exploited by the central or core nations to develop themselves. Andre Frank has defined dependency theory from a Marxian perspective while, Wellerstein defined it from the world system theories. The common features of their definitions include the center and periphery concepts, the significant influence of external forces on the dependent nations and the unequal patterns of the relation between the center and periphery. Andre Frank concentrated on the Marxist approach to dependency theory stating that poverty in the poor countries was an outcome of capitalist exploitation. Whereas, Wallerstein on the basis of world system approach emphasized that poverty was a direct effect of the evolution of the global political economy into a comparatively inflexible division of labor that favored the wealthy and punished the poor (Smith). Section C 1. Write an essay discussing the idea of the Third World. how appropriate is it to use the term Third World for countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. What are the advantages and shortcomings of using the term? Describe some of the similarities and differences between these countries and the challenges they faced in the post-colonial era. Provide instances whenever possible. Third world countries are defined as a group of countries having a colonial history and are characterized by the socio-economic development process to come out of their status of low income levels, reliance of agriculture, disadvantages in maintaining trade relations, social dispossession for a major section of the society and constrained civil and political liberties. The third world is generally constituted by the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America that have been under colonial rule. However, there are some countries that do not countries of fall under this category but still are grouped as third world nations like, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which have been part of former USSR. The term third world was justified on not on the basis that it was just a residual set of countries without a proper economic and political structure, but was applied to all those developing countries that followed a non-aligned strategy. The third world was a symbol of solidarity against the exploitation of the richer countries on the poorer ones. However, there are some negative consequences as to the usage of this term. Many feel that this phrase stamps them and treats such countries as an undifferentiated group. This is the major drawback of this connotation. Although these countries have a lot in common, yet the extent of the problems and the level of development for each of them is different and grouping them as one further aggravates the problem. While the oil producing countries of the middle East and north African countries are comparatively richer, the others are not so. The major challenges faced by these countries come from low national incomes (experienced by sub-Saharan Africa and Latin American countries), relatively slow industrialization, slow pace of human development and inability to integrate into the world economy mainly due to their dependence on advanced markets for their products. These countries also differ in territories and demography (Smith). 2. Write an essay providing a general overview of the history, impact and legacy of European Colonialism in Latin America, Asia and Africa. How did colonialism impede and distort the development process prior to independence? Be specific and provide some concrete examples. The countries of Asia, America and Latin America share a common history of colonial subjugation. One of the biggest impediments to the development of colonies after their independence is the phenomenon of neo-colonialism. Most of the countries were economically reliant on the colonial powers even after their independence. Kwame Nkrumah, leader of independent Ghana, acceded to this fact. . The European colonialism has been an instrument of exploitation, domination and subjugation. Although all these countries suffered from colonial rule, yet the legacy of colonialism is different for each of them. In case of Latin American and Caribbean colonies, the struggles were mostly against slavery and slave emancipation. For the African colonies, colonialism has lead to the decay of the indigenous institutions and thus political instability in the post independence era. The collapse of the countries of Somalia, Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone occurred due to the incapability of the African leaders in creating stable nation states. The immense exploitation and drainage of wealth and resources rendered the countries incapable to develop even after independence. The countries of Asia confronted challenges with respect to political identity. The British policies of multiculturalism, divide and rule, made the political and social conditions delicate. The division induced in the Sri Lankan society because of the multicultural policy resulted in the fragmentation of the Society. Such policies resulted in a compound identity of the states which was subject to vulnerability and break down instigated by clashes in outlook or visions. Hence, colonialism has been referred to as a slow poisoning pill whose after effects are still been faced by the post-colonial countries (Burnell and Randall). References 1. “The Bandung Conference of 1955”, China Daily, 2005, Available from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-04/20/content_435929.htm (Accessed on Feb 11, 2010). 2. “Profile: Non-Aligned Movement”, BBC News, 2009, Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/2798187.stm (Accessed on Feb 11, 2010). 3. Parekh, Bhikhu C. Colonialism, tradition, and reform: an analysis of Gandhis political discourse, SAGE 1999. 4. Mkandawire, Thandika, “Thinking About Developmental States in Africa”, Available from: http://www.unu.edu/hq/academic/Pg_area4/Mkandawire.html (Accessed on Feb 11, 2010). 5. Smith, Brian Clive, Understanding Third World politics: theories of political change and development Indiana University Press, 2003. pp 1-78 6. Burnell, Peter J and Randall, Vicky, Politics in the developing world Oxford University Press, 2008. pp 1-89. 7. O. Ihonvbere, Julius, “Pan-Africanism: Agenda for African Unity in the 1990s”, Available from: http://www.hartfordhwp.com/archives/30/033.html (Accessed on Feb 11, 2010). 8. Smertin, Yuri, Kwame Nkrumah, International Publishers Co, 1987. 9. “The Scramble for Africa”, 2005, Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/empire/episodes/episode_65.shtml (Accessed on Feb 11, 2010). 10. Lampkin, Monoculture, 1997 Available from: http://www.ecifm.rdg.ac.uk/monoculture.htm (Accessed on Feb 11, 2010). 11. Rostow, Walt Whitman, The stages of economic growth: a non-communist manifesto, Cambridge University Press, 1990. 12. Santos, Theotonio dos. “André Gunder Frank (1929-2005)”, Monthly Review, 2005. Available from: http://www.monthlyreview.org/0505dossantos.htm (Accessed on Feb 11, 2010). 13. Keyfitz, Nathan, “Alfred Sauvy” Population and Development Review, Vol. 16 No. 4, 1990. Read More