Traditional and Modern Societies During the 'European

Traditional and Modern Societies during the 'European Expansion': Modernism in Europe and the Rise of Socialism in Non-Western Societies European expansion and the civilization of modernity" by S.N. Elsenstadt provides a through discussion and analysis of the dynamics concerning the European expansion, centering in particular on its effects in non-Western or Asian societies.

Tracing the history of the European expansion from the emergence of industrialization to the development of capitalism in Western societies, the author seeks to determine what caused the seemingly contradicting development of the so-called 'expansionist' movement of modernization in Europe. That is, instead of spreading modernization and capitalism in Asian societies, what occurred was the rise of socialism, which is a new form of society that overturns the basic premises of capitalism -- in effect, modernization.

This paper discusses Elsenstadt's arguments regarding the changes in the European expansion in non-Western societies: from being modernist to socialist, even traditionalist, societies. This paper argues that the retardation of modernism in non-Western societies is not exactly the abrupt stoppage of the European expansion. Instead, what occurred is modernization in a new form -- that is, socialism, wherein traditional society morphed with forces of modernization to create a new society where solidarity is preserved despite the new world order of capitalism.

This argument is supported by the author's (Elsenstadt) historical and socio-cultural analysis of the changes that occurred in traditional non-Western societies. Furthermore, this analysis looks at how the rise of socialism indeed became the modern society of non-Western societies, which are actually parallel to Western societies' concept of a modern society. The author, in establishing his position regarding the rise of socialism in non-Western societies, presented in the article theoretical assumptions showing that modernization is theorized to spread throughout the world, affecting both Western and non-Western societies.

One of the primary assumptions is that, "...institutional kernels of such systems...would lead to the development of similar irreversible structural and organizational outcomes in other spheres...to the general process of sustained growth and development..." (187). From this theoretical assumption arose the idea of "European expansion," illustrating the spread of modernization to all forms of human societies as inevitable. This theory of "sustained growth," furthermore, posits that there occurs a "continuity of modernization" or "continuous development" that encompasses all kinds of societies in the world.

It is evident in human history, however, that this theory did not hold true in non-Western societies. Elsenstadt demonstrates how capitalist (modern societies) are characterized by the Durkheimian tradition, which consists of a unified society wherein division of labor, i.e., specialization of work/functions is prevalent. The shift from a traditional to a modern society requires a change in the structure of the society; thus, a change from the self-sufficiency to specialization of work happens, which is the nature of capitalist or modern societies.

This change has successfully occurred in the Western societies, who are the pioneers of capitalism at the turn of the 19th century. Non-Western societies, on the other hand, have remained traditional, and still subsisted to the self-sufficient and collectivist orientation of their societies. The failure of non-Western societies to adapt to changes in modernization is, in fact, not a manifestation of the non-responsive nature of societies in the region.

What occurred is a different reaction from that of the Western societies, since non-Western societies have a radically different culture from that of the Western societies. Because of these cultural differences, "...the types of international systems that developed here were rather new and unique..." changing the nature of modernization in non-Western societies (193). Thus, the rise of socialism, according to the author, is "a reaction to the tension between the ideals of the French Revolution and the outcome of the Industrial or capitalist revolution..

It is wholly based in European tradition and experience" (195). In this statement, the author seeks to reconcile the seemingly contradicting patterns.