Based on knowledge of social sciences at the modern time, ones have been trying to find out answers to those questions. According to the author, papers in social sciences have by now answered more or less convincingly the causes of prosperity and decline of ancient societies. Some answers given by different scholars such as Jared Diamond, Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson(1) still remain hypotheses, which need further analyzing, verifying and interpreting. | Social Sciences with Success and Failure of Nations SOCIAL SCIENCES WITH SUCCESS AND FAILURE OF NATIONS HO SI QUY * Abstract: Many nations experienced different periods of prosperity or decline. What are causes of the prosperity and decline? Did they take place inevitably or just by chance? Why did some nations achieve success; whereas others suffered from failure, although their conditions were not different a lot? Why did some nations become “powerful tigers or dragons”; whereas others still remained poor and backward? Based on knowledge of social sciences at the modern time, ones have been trying to find out answers to those questions. According to the author, papers in social sciences have by now answered more or less convincingly the causes of prosperity and decline of ancient societies. Some answers given by different scholars such as Jared Diamond, Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson(1) still remain hypotheses, which need further analyzing, verifying and interpreting. Key words: Social sciences, industrialization, success and failure, East Asia. I. The basic factors for the development 1. Japan was defeated in the Second World War and consequently became an occupied country. Socio-economic conditions of the country were devastatingly ruined; national values built and highly appreciated in the 18th and 19th countries became doubtful. Swallowing bitterness of the failure, Japanese people were determined to rebuild the country through economic development, based on their experience in the pre-war industrialization. Achievements they gained were extremely impressive. The average economic growth amounted to , , and for the periods from 1945 to 1950, from 1950 to 1955, and from 1950 to 1987 respectively. After the regime under occupation of the US ended in 1952, gross domestic production (GDP) of Japan grew similar to that in the pre-war time. In 1968, the foreign debt was lower than lending and Japan was ranked the second in the list of capitalist
