A Growth in Democracy in the Least Developing Countries - Essay Example

Sociology of Developing Countries” Peasant Based Revolutions in the Twenty First Century & Urban Growth in the LDCs By 11 March Peasant Based Revolutions in Twenty First Century The world has variety of shades and colours when it comes to the people living on this planet. From the rich elites to the poor peasants statuses, casts and creeds have always been a part of every society. The developing as well as the developed communities works along parallel boundaries between the rich and the poor. The negligence of the rights of the poor and the unequal of distribution of wealth has shown a history of creating restlessness among the group of people who are poor. Thus leading to a surge of emotions and resulting in storms known as revolutions. The word peasant has been defined with many terms and perspectives but still it has not been completely defined by anyone. It is not easy to define this group because they are no longer just small set of farmers or commodity producers. In today’s world they are defined differently and as Esbern (1995) explains that with one foot in subsistence and the other in the market, peasant societies are only of marginal importance in the world economy, despite the fact that they are probably the largest group including approximately one-quarter of the world’s population. Peasant-based revolutions have been a part of the twentieth century with more and more peasant communities coming together on foot to fight the injustice of inequality. Scokpol (1982) argues that these revolutions arise due to relations between peasants and elites, peasant relations and differentiation, and most importantly the politico-institutional relations of states and relations between states. Third world peasant based revolutions have been seen as a strong part of our history. The history of China, Russia, Mexico, Vietnam, Algeria and Cuba all show the fight for right on foot. It is said that history always comes back or repeat itself, how much one believes in it is a matter of personal judgement Among the things that are here to stay is the line between the rich and the poor, the difference between the elite and the peasant and the different standards of living among the groups of people living together. The unequal distribution of wealth will always let the poor feel neglected and fighting for justice. It is believed that peasant-based revolutions are instigated by the small groups of tenants that are outside the strict rule of fierce landlords. Skocpol (1994) states that much greater “tactical leverage” to engage in rebellion is normally possessed by smallholders or tenants who live in communal villages outside direct landlord control. Thus the fact that this rebellious attitude is triggered by ones who live away from or escape the fierce imprisonment of the landlords, these peasant based revolutions are here to stay. The technological advancements and the emphasis of human rights will trigger more and more peasants to move out from the cage of landlords. The more freedom given to these small peasants the more energy they will accumulate to fight for their rights. Especially in the third world countries where there is poverty, discrimination people living way below the poverty line there are more cases of aggression and frustration. These group of people are more prone to start revolutions in the twenty first century as well because with more awareness comes a greater desire of a better life quality. The peasant communities of the third world will continue to fight for their rights in the twenty first century as well in order to break free from the chains of feudal lords and poverty. Contribution of Urban Growth in the Growth of the Democratic Government in the LDCs From the earlier days of the human evolvement till today, man has always been moving towards improving his standard of living. The cavemen moved towards a civilized lifestyle, rural life turned into urban cities and these cities further shaped up into cosmopolitan hubs and lavish sights. The word urban growth according to Bhatta (2010) is a spatial and demographic process and refers to the increased importance of towns and cities as a concentration of population within a particular economy and society. The building of towns and development of cities invites many positive indicators. It brings along with it efficient technology, a better lifestyle and a more productive economic system. The urban growth has always been a sign of prosperity. The growth of cities and towns bring with them the growth of education and awareness. With the urban growth comes urbanization which is the physical transition of people from rural areas to metropolitan cities. In least developing countries the politics is generally shaped up by autocratic government and feudal lords. The least developing countries are those who show the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development. These countries show the lowest Human Development Index among all the countries of the world. The growth in these countries is dependent on many factors. These countries fight the battle of hunger and poverty every day. These countries lag behind in education, wealth and health and these things are over shadowed by hunger, illiteracy and frustration. Urban growth in the least developing countries support education and with increasing literacy come awareness. The awareness helps people realize their rights and powers. The potential of the people flourishes with better education and they are more determined to make a difference. And since the start of change starts from home, these people start their changed fate through their votes. And this awareness and knowledge turns the society towards a more democratic one. The population will force the political activities towards democratic environment. In the LDCs when elections take place the rural population is the most taken advantage of. These poor and credulous people are moulded into vote for the favourite thus making the entire elections an exercise in futility and resulting in a democratically elected but an autocratic government. Thus the urban growth brings with it a growth in democracy in the least developing countries. But there are loopholes to this theory as well, in most instances urban growth supports democracy but there are certain points that go against this philosophy. Urban growth signifies investment and with investment comes vested interests of the investors. The more the vested interest the more is the desire to control the affairs of the country. The money and investment brings too many controls on the country’s politics. Those who have invested in the urban growth want a full control of the government policies in order to reap maximum returns on their investment. In this case they would either want to be a part of the government and this hinders establishment of pure democracy. Therefore although urban growth brings with it many advantage for the least developed countries, its demerits should also be kept in observation. Urban growth in an organized and planned manner supports democracy in the least developed countries. However this growth is is not properly channelled and if it goes to an extreme then this will bring in too many vested interest. And too much personal involvement is always harmful for the growth of the democratic governments in the LDCs. References: Bhatta, B. (2010). Analysis of urban growth and sprawl from remote sensing data. (pp. 172-182). London: Springer Heidelberg Dordrecht. Esbern, F. (1995). Seeds of African peasants - peasants’ needs and agricultural research - the case of Zimbabwe. (p. 288). Uppsala: The Nordic African Institute Skocpol, T. (1982). “What Makes Peasants Revolutionary?” Comparative Politics 14(3): 351-375. Skocpol, T. (1994). Social revolutions in the modern world. (pp. 216-234). Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=bnNPJKw9CDsC&pg=PA22&dq=define+twentieth%C2%ADcentury+peasant-based+revolutions&hl=en&ei=yfFZT-W5M8-srAet0eCODA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=2&ved=0CDcQ6wEwAQ#v=onepage&q=define%20twentieth%C2%ADcentury%20peasant-based%20revolutions&f=false Read More