INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL STRATIFICATION, 1950-1970: A STUDY OF CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM

SOO-KI CHOO, Purdue University

Abstract

The intention of this study is to probe the relationships between the constant influx of new nations and the structural changes in the international system during the 1950-1970 period. With the notion of status and stratification, the international system is conceptualized as a stratified social system of nations on a number of dimensions. The classic three-dimensional model of Weber (using class, power, and status honor) is utilized in delineating a set of rank-dimensions, upon which nations are differentially evaluated, in relations to each other, into the constellations of international stratification. In order to assess the relative positions of nations, data have been collected on the 36 comparative variables (measuring the achieved statuses) and 43 interactional variables (measuring the ascribed or attributed statuses) over the five selected years of 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, and 1970. Hence, the structural changes have been observed by examining the constellations of international stratification over the five selected years. The numeric proliferation of nations is hypothesized to be associated with (i) a greater extent of changes in the structure with a greater amount of social mobility, (ii) a greater degree of social inequality in a less egalitarian structure of value-distribution among nations, and (iii) a movement toward a more feudalistic structure of status system. Despite the almost 80 percent increase from 75 to 133 in the number of nations, the status-orderings of nations have undergone limited--and perhaps insignificant--changes in the international system of stratification, as evidenced by the high degree of agreement (i.e. similarity) over the years, the small amounts of intra- and inter-class mobilities, and the lack of mobile nations in the international system of stratification. But, the changes in structure--albeit small and limited--are related to the numeric proliferation of nations, particularly to that of small nations in the international system. The emergence of new nations appears to have contributed to the widening gaps among nations and between the privileged and the under-privileged nations. The membership of the international system was expanded in association with a less egalitarian structure of value-distribution with a greater inequality between individual nations and between various differential groups of nations. Furthermore, the expansion appears to be related to movement toward a more feudalistic structure of status system. Nations are differentiated into higher and lower strata (e.g., topdogs and underdogs) in the system, and the values become heavily concentrated in the higher stratum and very scarce in the lower stratum. There are few chances for the low-ranked nations to aspire and attain the high rank positions in the structure. The findings clearly suggest that the international system was, and still is, a rigid and closed system of stratification, which tends to preserve the institutionalized differential groupings of nations. More importantly, the 19 additional nations, which joined in the international system between 1970 and 1975, and the potential candidates for membership in the future are considered small--even smaller--in comparison with the existing nations. Consequently, the structural composition among nations is more likely to transform in a very limited extent by the future expansion of the international system. Thus, the structural compositions of nations appear to be quite stable and resistant to changes in the number, type, and variety of its members in the international system.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

International law|International relations

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