The rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and the promotion of development in the global periphery

Abstract

The current article aims to analyze instrumental aspects from the “Modernization theory” and the “Non-capitalist development theory” underlying development aid programs respectively from United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War. Both theories were elaborated as a response to the growing systemic rivalry between superpowers and in synchrony with their respective and distinct geopolitical objectives. However, it is argued that despite the rivalry between superpowers there were substantial similarities on how each theoretical framework proposes the necessary politics to promote economic development in peripheral countries.