Instruments of Change :: Third World Countries Progress Essays

Instruments of Change As our world is becoming more technologically advanced, many countries are being forced to change their ways. Many Third World countries are in the process of modernization, though some are ahead of others. Besides modernization, there are other factors that can influence a country to change. These factors consist of the military, a charismatic leadership, ideology, bureaucracy, and religion. The military can be a very powerful instrument of change. For example, the majority of countries in the Middle East are ruled by the military. The military is seen as a very capable institution because of the fact that it can build or destroy nearly anything. It is also most representative of the society because it includes all classes and types of people. An illustration of the military as an instrument of change is the military takeover of Egypt, led by Nasser in 1952. The military takeover of a government is often referred to as a coup d’etat. Nasser was a member of the Free Officers. Nasser, like other members, came from a lower-middle class background and was frustrated with the feudal system that was being enforced in Egypt. Under the feudal system, only two percent of the people owned an entire 75% of the land. Due to the unfairness and the people’s hatred of the current king, the military took over the land of Egypt. The second instrument of change is leadership, which plays a significant role in the process of change. Nasser became the leader of Egypt after the military revolted. In 1953, Nasser gave a famous speech in Alexandria where someone fired four shots at him but missed. Nasser was praised for this speech, stating "I live for Egypt, I die for Egypt." These words turned Nasser into a charismatic leader- a leader who is seen as a type of God and is a huge role model to the people. During his rule, Nasser wanted to give Egypt back to the Egyptian people. Nasser accomplished this by giving extra plots of land to peasants, passing Agrarian Reform Acts to help out the lower classes, and by gaining control of the Suez canal. Needless to say, Nasser was seen as a great leader and hero in the Third World. The third instrument of change is ideology. Ideology is simply a belief system- what one feels is good or bad. Ideology can also be referred to as a set of political ideas or values.