Short Communication

Does modernization always lead to political decay?

Fatıh Sezgın* and Bilal Altıner

Turgut Ozal University

*Corresponding Author’s E-mail: fasezgin@hotmail.com

Accepted May 13, 2015

Abstract

In his article “Political Development and Political Decay” published in 1965, Samuel P. Huntington suggests that certain social problems like political disturbances, military problems and even prevalence of bribery are caused by literacy rates, economic growth and political engagement rates that give rise to a social mobility developing faster than political institutionalization. Huntington supports all these arguments by statistical data and objects to a fast modernization process for adoration of order. Huntington argues that modernization means mobilization of masses and this increases political engagement, but this engagement always leads to political decay. Is it true that modernization always leads to political decay as argued by Huntington? Is this thesis of Huntington having thesame meanings for every country? In this study, it is argued that modernization does not always lead to political decay, contrary to Huntington’s argument?

Keywords: Huntington, political development, political decay, modernization