Westernization And Modernization

To begin with, modernity is a term that “signals a particular kind of society that only came into existence over the past 200 years or so, first in Western Europe, then elsewhere. Modernization refers to a society that is moving toward modernity.” (Veeser, p. 3) There is a close association between modernization and westernization because “earlier ideas assumed that modernization was in fact Westernization.” (Veeser, p. 3) Western Europe was the first to act in the process of modernization which included urbanization, widespread literacy, usage of inanimate power, rising per capita income, and the widespread participation of populate in political affairs along with the West’s rational and scientific orientations toward the world. When this

4) The relationship between modernization and westernization has changed from meaning the same thing to meaning two separate ideas. Westernization can now be classified as the process of incorporating western ideas, beliefs and cultures into societies. The relationship between the two is that you have to find the right balance between modernization and westernization to create a sufficient hybrid society. Countries would like to keep most of their own culture and ideas but still want to modernize and incorporate western ideas so they need to find the right balance. Every country is different so finding the right balance of modernization and westernization is different for everyone. For example, Porfirio Diaz wanted a modern Mexico just like Mustafa Kemal wanted a modern Turkey but the societies they imagined and created were very different meaning that modernity varies from country to country. Finding the right balance of modernization and westernization can be difficult and can lead to serious

By the end of 1929, “ninety people had been buried in the company cemetery…most of the deaths were from malnutrition and common disease” (Grandin, p. 163) Poor housing and working conditions started riots, prohibition was poorly enforced, deadly animals attacked the workers, many workers were criminals and started problems, worker death rate was high and the company was losing workers three times faster then it was hiring and the problems just keep going on. Ford began Fordlandia without fully knowing how to run it by not understanding how the latex tree prosper, not understanding the proper time to work, making workers work like they were in Detroit, designing and building the town without looking at local conditions and overall it was a poorly designed plan. Ford’s intentions of creating Fordlandia were right but not understanding how to modernize the region properly is what led to its