Modernization in The United States

Justin Patera
Mr. Roddy
GPHC
12/9/19
Modernization Theory
In regards to the modernization theory I decided to look at the United States as my example within history. I believe that the prior American society fits this theory very well because of the way they started and how they continued to progress throughout time. We see the United States start as a small pack of english colonies essentially often referred to as ‘the pilgrims’. They did their best to simply accumulate their agriculture so they could survive and thrive within the eastern most portion of the then North America. As the 13 colonies began to grow Englan continued to support them and the population rose. This led to the idea of an economy and general stores of which were beginning to become more common. As the colonies continued to grow and push westward with things like the Louisiana Purchase economic sectors became common and people began to focus on more than just the “subsistence agriculture” on which they had once depended. Trade became increasingly popular. As well I would say this was the time of the first industrial revolution within the United States. About the time of the second industrial revolution is when the drive for maturity occurs. The economy was diversifying as well as producing more and more goods. However there were some bumps in this road including the Great Depression however this had its turning point especially as WWII was on the horizon. The high mass consumption I would say has been happening since the end of the Second World War primarily in gratitude of Bretton Woods which allowed the American market to flourish. We are left with the Consumers Market. Now despite this rather clean sounding rise of what is now the United States it wasn’t particularly so. The United States ran into a number of problems both economical, political as well as physical. This includes and is not limited to; <Mexico (Mexican American War), England (American Revolution), The Great Depression, Assassinations of both JFK and Lincoln, Civil Rights Movements, WaterGate, Immigration and The American War on Drugs as well as many others. Being that this is the case there have been a number of obstacles of which the United States has had to overcome to reach its present state. Regardless of the United States remains to be a prime example of the Modernization Theory not only following the guidelines to development but also following the guidelines to what follows. The United States has moved towards city bias, expanding their infrastructure as well as developing new means of trade. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COVID-19 Blog

As the coronavirus rages on, an important question arises: should western countries aid the so-called "third world," particularly Africa, in combating the pandemic? I believe the answer is no, for two main reasons. My first objection is rather obvious: the United States currently has more confirmed COVID cases than all of Africa combined, and it isn't close. There are several possible explanations, including the warmer weather, but the exact reason isn't necessarily relevant. After a domestic coronavirus response which can only be described as a disaster of earth-shattering proportions, who are we to go on an international health crusade? There are millions of vulnerable Americans who are currently unable to receive adequate care. Our resources need to be going to them first, not abroad, and most certainly not to parasitic, too-big-to-fail corporations. My second objection: when was America's last successful large-scale international intervention, viole...
Read more

SARS CoV-2, COVID-19, and The World

It's no secret that right now the SARS CoV-2 is wreaking havoc across the world. As of today, the United States has surpassed China as the nation with the most cases of the novel coronavirus, with over 86,000 cases in our country to date. This is all pretty crazy, especially considering that this is all because of a pathogen that supposedly started with either bats or pangolins (the only mammal in the world known to have scales) in a small localized region of China. Of course, it's not only the health effects that are wide-reaching; the social effects are also just as prevalent. One of the ways in which the world is rapidly changing in regards to social effects is through panic buying of goods at places such as supermarkets and hypermarkets such as Walmart. However, the good news is that food in general is not going to run out; there may be shortages of certain particular items, nevertheless, as certain nations have curtailed exports. What is bound to change, possibly permanent...
Read more

COVID-19 Blog

As the spread of COVID-19 becomes greater many opinions on how to respond to this global pandemic have surfaced. Just a few months ago much of the population in the United States felt unthreatened by the virus as it spread through China, being concentrated in Wuhan, and later spreading in Europe. It was not until the virus quickly erupted in the United States that we each understood the true severity of this pandemic. Now we are seeing how individuals are being greatly impacted by this virus as we are all being asked to stay home and the everyday parts of our lives have been flipped upside down. In the opinion piece about what responsibility developed countries have for helping less developed countries I both agreed and disagreed. My initial response is that if places, like the United States, are struggling with medical resources how can we even begin to be helpful in less developed countries. Hospitals all throughout the United States are beginning to have to make life or death decisi...
Read more