Student Number: 2020-09411-MN-0 Date: December 03, 2021

Name: Salazar, Mary Rose C. Section: BAPE 2-2

Summary of Walt W. Rostow's 5 stages of Growth

Various theories have been proposed to explain the actual meaning of development and
why certain countries are deemed developed while others are not, and Rostow's Stage of
Development is one of them. This theory assumes that because the west was wealthier and more
powerful than other nations at the time, modernization was linked to them. As a result, many
people believe that all countries should strive for a contemporary state of capitalism and liberal
democracy. Rostow’s book "The Stages of Economic Growth," outlined five stages that nations
must go through to become developed, claiming that countries should dwell somewhere along
this linear spectrum and go higher at each phase.
According to Rostow’s paradigm, the first stage of growth is traditional society which is
characterized by subsistence, an agricultural-based economy, strict labor and minimum levels of
commerce, and people without a scientific view on the world and technology (Jacobs, n.d.). It is
considered to have mostly unchanging technology that sets a limit on the amount of production
per person that may be achieved. The whole pre-Newtonian world and those post-Newtonian
cultures in which contemporary science and technology are not used frequently and
systematically grouped in such societies (Cairncross, 2013, 452).
Prerequisites for take-off follow, which include the development of industry and a shift in
focus from regional to national or worldwide (Jacobs, n.d.). For some born-free countries and
Europe, it is about railroad construction and a profitable shift from agriculture to manufacturing.
While for traditional societies, an increase in stable investment is required and should visibly
surpass population growth. Thus, this is just a portion of the picture. Agriculture must provide
more food for the developing cities, and the higher wages generated. By increasing agricultural
production, wider market for manufactured goods and a greater flow of savings may occur
(Cairncross, 2013, 452).
Then it will take off, which Rostow refers to as a "decisive breakthrough" in which
compound interest is incorporated into society's structure. If interest is allowed to compound
with the principal, Rostow suggests that growth will follow a geometric trend, like a savings
account. Moreover, take-off is expected to take place for around 20 years following nine
countries, including Russia, that had taken flight by 1914. Later, it will go through a period of
expansion and diversification known as the "Drive to Maturity," which is likely to take 60 years
from take-off. This stage is also expected to improve living standards and increase technological
usage. Furthermore, it is characterized as the period when a society successfully applied the
spectrum of contemporary technology to most of its resources back then.
Finally, there would be the Age of High Mass Consumption, which Rostow predicted
would be populated by Western countries, notably the United States (Jacobs, n.d.). This stage
involves three goals: the pursuit of external power and influence; a welfare state and less
vigorous endeavor to maximize output; and an increase in consumption levels, mainly through
the mass purchase of durable goods. The third goal indicates the beginning of the period of high
mass consumption. Thus, the stage does not always follow maturity. For instance, in British
countries demonstrate that a certain level of money per head is also necessary; on the other hand,
other nations’ high mass consumption could be attained before technical maturity (Cairncross,
2013, 452).
 This theory’s reasoning was based on the industrialization and urbanization of western
capitalist nations, while being a staunch anti-communist and right-winger. In addition, Rostow’s
model is recognized as the most referenced development theory and a prime illustration of the
convergence of geography, economics, and politics. However, this theory faced various
criticisms towards his bias towards a western model as the only path towards development. The
publication of Rostow's "non-communist manifesto" has already sparked a heated debate that
isn't limited to economic historians (Cairncross, 2013, 450). One of the flaws pointed out was
that he did not propose any model of the interaction of the factors at each stage. Also, there is no
description of the subsequent stages that would allow them to be identified using reliable criteria.
Lastly, critics state that one of the major flaws is that he broods on what comes beyond wealth in
his final stage, but he doesn't say what phases are yet to come, and he rapidly moves away from
the unknown concerns of the future to focus on the dilemmas of the present (Cairncross, 2013,
451).
 References

Cairncross, A. K. (2013). Factors in Economic Development. Routledge.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2599515

Jacobs, J. (n.d.). International Development Patterns, Strategies, Theories & Explanations|

GEOG 128: Geography of International Affairs. John A. Dutton e-Education Institute.

Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog128/node/719