Modernization Theory, Internal War, and the Legitimization of U.S. Capitalism

Abstract

This article examines key contributions from the 1961 Princeton Symposium on Internal War within the broader debate on modernization theory as an ideological tool legitimizing U.S. capitalism during the Cold War. Through close readings of works by Parsons, Lipset, Pye, and Rostow, the study elucidates how American social sciences framed development as a linear trajectory culminating in the U.S. model. These discourses contributed to the normalization of American socio-economic structures as universal norms. By underscoring the epistemic underpinnings of modernization theory, the article unveils its function in promoting the global ideological affirmation of U.S.-style capitalism.