How and why did the Second World War become the “cold war” (and what is meant by the term)? How did the Soviet Union and the United States seek to transform Europe in their own image?   How did the Soviet Union and the United States fight the Cold War in Europe? Where were the front lines?  What were the results?  How should we understand the “American Dream”? The “Soviet Dream”?  Why does this matter?

QUESTION

Lecture Questions: 

• How and why did the Second World War become the “cold war” (and what is meant by the term)? How did the Soviet Union and the United States seek to transform Europe in their own image?

• How did the Soviet Union and the United States fight the Cold War in Europe? Where were the front lines?  What were the results?  How should we understand the “American Dream”? The “Soviet Dream”?  Why does this matter?

• What is the “logic of the Cold War” in the Third World? What are its implications there? What are the lessons of the Korean War as it relates to superpower conflict?

• What questions were at the heart of the Chinese Civil War and Revolution? How the Communist Party seek to reorganize Chinese society?  What programs did it institute?  How do we get from Mao to Deng?  What were the results of their programs?

• How was India “invented?” How was (is) its invention a commentary on the larger question of modernity and identity?  What role does violence play? What questions does India ask?

• What were the challenges of decolonialization in Africa? What programs did African leaders implement to address them?  How were they experienced on the ground?

• How are the connections between modernity, nationalism, and religion demonstrated in the 20th century Middle East? What are the competing visions of the good society?

• How are we to understand the demonstrations of 1968? How do they relate to the question of the “good life” and modernity?

• What is meant by stagnation? How do the 1970s represent both a crisis and a golden age of the good life as outlined in the post-war years?  What is a 1970s “good life?”
• How is the Iranian Revolution a commentary on Modernity? Westernization? Colonialism? What are its prescriptions for the good society?

• How is 1979 a “hinge year” of the 20th century? How is it a response to the failures and successes of the modern project? How do revolutionaries in the 1970s seek to remake the world around them?  How are they using the idea of the past?

• What accounts for the collapse of socialist regimes in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union? Do the revolutions of 1989 and 1991 represent the triumph of liberal democratic capitalism?  Have we reached the end of alternatives?

• What is left of the idea of the good society today? Of the ideological movements of the 19th and 20th century that pursued the idea?  Where do we go from here?

Reading Questions:

• How does Bayly understand the role of “small wars beneath” in post war world? What accounts for the “age of forced compromise”?  What are its implications?

• What accounts for American hegemony? What are its challengers?  What role do the politics of revolution and reaction play?  Colonialism and independence movements? Communism?

• How does Césaire understand colonialism? Modernity? What are his prescriptions for a new world order?

• What accounts for the “tipping point” of the 1970s—how does Bayly define the “long 1980s”? What does Bayly mean by the “expansion of human knowledge”?  What are the results?

• How does Galeano understand the 20th century in the Western Hemisphere? What are the major themes and contradictions?  How does he frame questions of historical narrative?  How does this compare with Bayly?

• How does Bayly understand the relationship between self and society? How is the self “formed”? What role does art play?  Religion?  How do both change over the course of the high modern era (1914-present)?

• How does Bayly understand the question of violence in the era of high modernity (how is it different than the violence that preceded it)? How does he understand the relationship between national and transnational institutions? The “shadow of empire”?

• What does Bayly mean by the “pressure of the people”? The “triumph and crisis of capitalism”?  How does he look to the future?

Section : Bayly

This section will ask you to analyze a short section from the Bayly texts that we are using to contextualize the era of modernity.  What claims is Bayly making?  What evidence is he using? What are the stakes?

(Excerpts from Bayly, Remaking the Modern World, 1-118)

• “‘The Bomb’ stood as the dark antithesis to the ideology of high modernism which had already been announced before the war in art, architecture and literature. Yet, the atomic age also saw a great explosion of peaceful scientific advances: the creation of nuclear power reactors, aircraft which could break the sound barrier and advances in medicine following the sequencing of DNA in the early 1950s” (Remaking the Modern World, 140)

• “The contemporaneous rise of Islamism and the advance of the free market were, in fact, linked phenomena, since the decline and fall of socialism across the world left room both for the reseurgence of a new form of progressive individualism and also for various quasi-religious ideologies of liberation: Muslim, Hindu nationalist, Christian and even neo Buddhist.” (Remaking the Modern World, 163)

• “The tipping point in the English-speaking countries, therefore, represented the collapse of the consensus about the necessary role of the state in social provision which had persisted since 1945, though the change was greater in Britain, Australia and Canada, than in the United States which had long supported versions of neo-liberalism.” (Remaking the Modern World, 174-175)

• “At a deeper moral level, beneath these continuing disputes about the nature of the market or social organization, one can observe the emergence of a view of the human across the social sciences which inflected political processes and moulded society. Broadly speaking the ideologies of the 19^th century had stressed racial and cultural evolution, even if thinkers from Marx to Mill had made room for the market.  By the second half of the 20^th century the notion of the human as an economic animal, either working cooperatively or pursuing an individualistic path of profit maximalization, was widely in the ascendant and even triumphed in the USSR after 1990.  The survival of the biologically or socially fittest had now become the economically fittest.” (Remaking the Modern World, 193)

Section            : Cumulative Question

Please answer the following question

The narrative of the era of high modernity presented in this course has been the story of people working to discover and establish the good society (defined and framed by ideology).  How should we understand this story—in other words, what is the master narrative of the past 250 years (no simple task)?  Using examples from the semester please address the following questions: What is left of the grand ideas that opened the period: Progress?  Modernity? Globalization? Collective action? The role of the state? Are there really no alternatives to the good society outlined by Francis Fukuyama “democracy in the political sphere and easy access to VCRs in the economic”?  Are we living in a post-historical world?

ANSWER

Unraveling the Master Narrative of High Modernity: Ideology, Progress, and the Search for the Good Society

Introduction

The era of high modernity spanning the past 250 years has witnessed significant ideological shifts, social transformations, and global upheavals. It is characterized by the pursuit of the “good society” through the lens of various grand ideas, such as progress, modernity, globalization, collective action, and the role of the state. This essay aims to explore the master narrative of high modernity by examining its key components, evaluating their current relevance, and questioning the notion of a post-historical world.

Progress and Modernity

One of the fundamental pillars of high modernity is the belief in progress. Throughout this period, societies strived for advancements in science, technology, and social organization to improve the human condition (Little, 2016). The optimism surrounding progress fueled innovation, resulting in groundbreaking achievements like nuclear power, supersonic flight, and medical advancements. However, the advent of the atomic bomb served as a somber reminder of the destructive potential that accompanied scientific progress.

Modernity, encompassing various aspects like art, architecture, and literature, also played a significant role in shaping the era. It represented a departure from traditional norms and an embrace of rationality, secularism, and individualism. However, the rise of Islamist movements and the resurgence of religious and quasi-religious ideologies showcased the persistence of alternative worldviews in the face of modernity’s dominance.

Globalization and Collective Action

Globalization emerged as a defining feature of high modernity, characterized by increased interconnectedness, trade, and cultural exchange on a global scale (Herrington, 2013). The expansion of capitalism and the decline of socialism created space for the rise of progressive individualism and the coexistence of various ideological movements, including religious ideologies seeking liberation.

Collective action, another key element, drove significant social and political changes. Movements like decolonization in Africa and independence struggles in various regions exemplified the desire for self-determination and the challenge to dominant powers. However, these movements also faced challenges in implementing effective programs and translating political independence into tangible improvements on the ground.

Role of the State and Alternatives to the Good Society

The role of the state has been central to discussions of the good society. The post-World War II consensus on state intervention in social provision gradually eroded, particularly in English-speaking countries. The rise of neoliberalism in Britain, Australia, and Canada, along with the persistence of state support for neo-liberalism in the United States, reflected a shifting consensus regarding the state’s role in social welfare.

The dominant narrative of the economically driven human emerged during the second half of the 20th century. The survival of the economically fittest replaced earlier ideologies emphasizing racial and cultural evolution (Klüver, 2008). However, this narrative has been challenged by various social movements and the search for alternative models that prioritize social well-being, environmental sustainability, and a broader definition of human progress beyond mere economic considerations.

Conclusion

The master narrative of high modernity unfolds as a dynamic interplay between grand ideas like progress, modernity, globalization, collective action, and the role of the state. While some aspects of this narrative have endured and continue to shape our world today, others have been subject to transformation, critique, and the emergence of alternatives.

As we reflect on the past 250 years, it becomes clear that the pursuit of the good society remains an ongoing endeavor. The notion of a post-historical world, as proposed by Fukuyama, fails to capture the complexity and diversity of contemporary challenges and aspirations. We are called upon to engage in ongoing dialogues, reimagine existing systems, and seek innovative solutions that address pressing global issues while ensuring human well-being and social progress in a rapidly changing world.

References

Herrington, L. M. (2013). Globalization and Religion in Historical Perspective: A Paradoxical Relationship. Religions, 4(1), 145–165. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel4010145

Klüver, J. (2008). The socio‐cultural evolution of our species. EMBO Reports, 9(S1). https://doi.org/10.1038/embor.2008.35 

Little, W. (2016, October 5). Chapter 4. Society and Modern Life. Pressbooks. https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology2ndedition/chapter/chapter-4-society-and-modern-life/