ABSTRACT
Industrialization is widely seen in developing countries as the best route to development. Even countries not envisaging a full transformation of their societies aim for partial industrialization, particularly as a complement to agricultural development. Industrialization began in earnest in developing countries only after they gained political independence, in most cases after the Second World War. The only Third World region to begin industrializing much earlier was Latin America, which had decolonized even as other regions were being colonized. Colonialism was not conducive to industrialization since it was in the interest of metropolitan powers to create and perpetuate an international division of labour in which colonies produced raw materials for factories in Europe and represented markets for manufactured goods.
