International systems and the modernization of Societies
- London Faber and Faber. 1968
- 216 p.
The field of international relations has recently benefited from a great deal of specialized study. Alongside long- established diplomatic history, many of the new approaches of sociology and political science have been exploited in the analysis of relations between states. The present book is primarily concerned with the application of hitherto neglected sociological theory to International relations, and attempts to chart a new course in the study of societies in their international environment.
The book is divided into three sections. In the first the historical meaning and contemporary influence of three important concepts re discussed and defined- modernization, industrialization and development Special attention is paid to the relationsh ,Jhetween the changing use of these con. r' and changes in the actual societies tv which they relate. The second section is a case- study of how ex-colonial countries enter .de international system and what effect the relationship between imperial powers and their ex-colonies has on the future behaviour of the latter as independent states. This has become one of the most important factors of the international scene today, with implications for , all developing countries. Finally the last section attempts to answer the question: is there an international social system and I how should we go about discovering its components and processes?