Sociology | Mercantile Law | International Law | International Relations

World System Theory, unlike the classic theories of Realism and Liberalism, is one dimensional approach to study the situation of dependency of a part of the world upon the other. The central point of the theory emphasizes on the point that the unhealthy economic condition of the developing countries is due to continuous dependence on and unending exploitation by the developed states of the world.

Origin of World System Theory
World System Theory is believed to have its root in the works of Lenin – the revolutionary founder of the communist USSR. Lenin wrote ‘Imperialism – The Highest Stage of Capitalism’. In this book he blamed capitalistic developed states responsible for exploitation and backwardness of the developing states.

Explanation of World System Theory
World system theory explains the imperialistic styles of the world hegemons. It simply divides the world into two tiers. One of the ‘Core’ which is based on economically and politically advance countries i.e. European nations, USA. The other is ‘Periphery’ which consists of the developing countries of Asia, Africa and South America.

The theory propounds that the Periphery world is dependent upon the Core world. This dependence can be interpreted in terms of economy, politics and technological advancement. The reasons behind the dependence are not only backwardness and depravity of the Periphery but also continuous exploitation of these states by the Core states. This exploitation is carried out by various tools that can be laws, institutions or any other form.

Historical Dependence of the Periphery
The theory goes deep in the history of the world order. It states that it was Periphery that provided the Core with cheap labor, natural resources and raw material. Most of the Periphery states were colonized and exploited to bring advancement and development in the Core states. This led to historical dependence of the Periphery states on the Core states.

The situation worsened when the Core states reached high levels of industrialization and technology but they did not share this advancement with the periphery states.

Conclusion
The approach of World System is criticized for being not a theory in real sense. It is single dimensional perspective that explains how developing states are dependent upon the developed states. The theory did not carry enough weightage in the theoretical realm of International Relations.