Modernization theory is a theory designed to explain the process of modernization in societies. The theory considers the internal factors of development of any particular country, proceeding from the assumption that “traditional” countries can be attracted to development in the same way as more developed ones. Modernization theory attempts to identify social variables that contribute to social progress and development of society, and attempts to explain the process of social evolution. Although no sociologist denies the process of modernization of society itself (the transition from traditional to industrial society), the theory itself has been subject to significant criticism from both Marxists and representatives of the idea of a free market, and supporters of dependence theory on the argument that Modernization theory presents a simplified view of the historical process.
The approach in which history is examined in the process of improvement, improvement, or renewal is called the “modernization approach” and it can be linked to the works of thinkers such as Compte, Durkheim and Weber. In terms of historical significance, the modernization approach views history as a process of transition from a traditional society to a modern society, from an agrarian society to an industrial one . The main goal of the modernization approach is to study modernization .
Modernization theory was sharply criticized in the 1960s, seeingvthe inconsistency of the theory with the observed social processes in modernizing societies, and as a result was rejected as a sociological paradigm. Later attempts to revive the theory were associated with the concepts of The End of History and The Clash of Civilizations, which had a more ideological character.
