Government, Politics

Abstract

Kautsky (1962), Pye (1958), Apter (1965), and other leading scholars specialized in the field of national development observe some common characteristics of the political elites and the general population of developing countries with regard to their political views and frames of reference. The elites are frequently characterized as being motivated by strong nationalistic sentiments; they show a tendency to subordinate the interests of the individual to the interests of the national collective. Amidst conditions of poverty and hunger in the general population, the people feel helpless as individuals and expect their government to make large-scale, collective improvements in education, economic development, and industrialization. This in turn calls for strong leadership, centralized power and authority.