| Synopsis: |
Attempts by Third World regimes to develop adequate political institutions and foster popular legitimacy are often unsuccessful, resulting in recurrent instances of repression, political instability, and at times even revolutions. These political dynamics occur within, and in turn affect changes in, the social and cultural milieu of Third World nations. Political institutionalization often takes place side-by-side with industrial development, which is itself inherently urban-based, and encourages imports of goods and technology, neglect of the agricultural sector, and rampant growth of urban centres. The industrial and economic development policies adopted, coupled with the political characteristics of the regimes involved, foster specific social and cultural conditions. Most notably, there is social change, which first results from and then accentuates the variation from existing social norms - a process that can dramatically alter the prevailing political culture. These characteristics, when combined, provide the social and political circumstances that give rise to revolutions or, at least, chronic episodes of political instability and social upheaval. |