Rostow and Gunder Frank Essay Example

Rostow and Gunder Frank Paper This essay will try to discuss the factors which led to the rapid industrialisation of Japan. It will give a historical perspective including the Meiji restoration, World War two, Korean War and the OPEC oil crisis in the 1970s. These were four of the most important factories involved in the economic and industrial evaluation of Japan. From this point the essay will explain in depth the theories of the original sociological thinkers Marx, Weber and Durkheim. These theories are the under pinning for modernisation and underdevelopment theories of Rostow and Gunder Frank. After this, the religious ideas and beliefs will be discussed at length including Shintoism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Webers protestant ethics and the spirit of capitalism. Lastly, the Japanese managerial process will be explained in relation to the organisation and the individual worker. After many years of conflict between the shogunate and the divine emperor, the shogun offered his resignation to the emperor Meiji. Imperial rule had been restored and the era known as the Meiji restoration had begun. The restoration was the period between 1868 and 1912, it signalled the point in history where Japan left its feudal roots and began the road to industrialisation. The process of change was major and started with the abolition of many Japanese cultural, military and class institutions. The abolition of the Shogunate, Tokugona regime resembled a feudalist form of society. The restoration could be likened to a bourgeoisie revolution, not led by the farm workers and working classes, but the aristocracy. Samurais became the new power in Japan. Next was the abolition of the Daimyo, Japan became centralised and the Hans were abolished. We will write a custom essay sample on Rostow and Gunder Frank specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Rostow and Gunder Frank specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Rostow and Gunder Frank specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Samurais already trained in bureaucracy, classics and warfare took over as administrator. The four level class system was removed; this meant all citizens were equal in the eyes of the law. Institutions of centralised rule and centralised bureaucracy were set up, this would include the promise of parliamentary democracy, officially the emperor was the ruler but a group of young Samurai would look after matters of the state. State education was put into practice in 1890, less than 50% of children were in education by 1910 and once fees were abolished, it was 100%. Some students at this time were sent to universities in the west to learn modern technologies, but would also learn some of the problems that faced western nations like class structures and revolutionary struggles. State directed industrialism was used, all built from scratch and heavily subsidised through tax until profitable. Japan entered World War Two on the side of Germany; this was in anticipation that the Japanese could build a bigger empire in Asia following British defeat. They attacked the US navy base in Pearl Harbour, this mistake made the United States enter the war. This lead to two nuclear weapons being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the 6th and 9th of August 1945. By the end of the war Japanese industrial production was less than 30% of pre war levels, Japan had lost all its empire and its cities were reduced to rubble. The American General McArthur invaded Japan and began the process of industralisation and change for the second time in Japans history, Japan could now start rebuilding from scratch with the help of America and its money. All military leaders were put to death, while the emperor was spared to keep the Japanese public in order. The Korean War had a major influence on the reconstruction of the new Japan. Following World War two and the Japanese defeat, the American forces pulled out of South Korean to concentrate on Japan. The communist block countries of Russia and China saw this as a sign of weakness in the capitalist west. Russia and China backed North Korean in an invasion on South Korean. President Truman alone, with General McArthur used the forces that were based in Japan to repel the invasion. The war lasted just three years, but over five million people were killed. As Japan was close to Korea and already occupied by the American forces, its economy and industry benefited from the American war effort. In October of 1973 Middle-eastern OPEC nations stopped exports to the US and other western nations. This was meant to punish the western nations that supported Israel, in the Yom Kippur War, but they also realised the strong influence that they had on the world through oil. The Arabs began to ship oil to Western nations again, but this time at inflated prices. One of the long-term effects of the embargo was an economic recession throughout the world. The era of economic growth, which had been in effect since World War two had now ended. For Japan this was a major problem, most of its new industries were heavily dependant on oil. It was at this time in its history that it left heavy industrial manufacturing and started to develop new high technologies for export instead. The sociologist Emile Durkheim was preoccupied with the changes transforming society in his life time; he was particularly interested in social and moral solidarity. This being that what holds society together and what stops it descending in to anarchy. Durkheims theory on social change argued that with the advent of the industrial era, society was going through a major change. Society was changing from simple to more complex way of life. Durkheim contrasted two types of solidarity, mechanical (simple) and organic (complex) which was related to the division of labour in society. Traditional societies have a low division of labour, thus is characterised by mechanical solidarity. Because most of the members of the society are involved in very similar occupations, they are bounded together by common experience and shared beliefs. The strength of these shared beliefs is repressive and the community swiftly punishes anyone who challenges the conventional ways of life. Mechanical solidarity is grounded in consensus and similarity of belief. As industrialisation takes hold, the mechanical solidarity that people have starts to fade and is replaced by organic solidarity. The specialisation of tasks and the increasing differentiation in advanced societies would lead to a new order featuring organic solidarity. As the division of labour expands, people become more dependant on one and other because each person needs goods and services that those in other occupations supply. Relationships of economic and mutual dependency come to replace shared beliefs in creating social consensus. Max Weber sought to understand the nature and causes of social change and unlike Marx he rejected the materialist and class conflict (which will be discussed later) of social change. He argued that human motivation and ideas were the forces behind social change. Ideas, values and beliefs have the power to bring about change to society, and the individual has the ability to act and shape their future. With the emergence of modern society came major shifts in patterns of social action. Individuals started to move away from the traditional beliefs supported by religion, custom and habit and increasingly engaged in rational, instrumental calculations that took into account efficiency and future consequences. The development of science, modern technology and bureaucracy was described by Weber as Rationalisation. Giddens (2001) states that this is the organisation of social and economic life according to the principles of efficiency and on the basis of technical knowledge. In Webers view, the industrial revolution and the rise of capitalism were proof of a large shift towards Rationalisation. Weber saw the scientific quality of the west as one of its most distinctive traits. Moreover, bureaucracy expands with economic and political growth, and is seen to be the most effective way of organising large numbers of people. The economist Walt Rostow designed a model that suggests that the development of human society to be both be a process of evolution, and to possess an inner logic, which leads societies towards Modernisation. His work is based on the idea that development can happen in five stages. The first stage is called traditional society; this is feudal societies based primarily on agriculture production. These societies are constrained by the limited technology on which agriculture is based. However, feudal societies do contain within them the ability and potential for further development. The second is the transitional stage or precondition for take off. The important preconditions include increases in scientific and technological discoveries which are used to improve the production process. Secondly, there develops a group of individuals who see the advantages in investment in factory production. At this state of the development Rostow said that there is a growth of lateral relations of world trade between nations, and finally the growth of the modern state which uses rational ideas. The third is called the take off stage, this happens to different countries at different times in history. In this way the unevenness of the process is pinpointed as being important, for example because England was one of the first countries to modernise it lead the way for others to follow.