Abstract

The essay discusses development as a Cold War project. It outlines how American modernization, Socialist modernity, and the European revival of the civilizing mission competed with one another. It examines the role of personalities in shaping development trajectories during the Cold War, with focusing on how leaders interpreted national priorities in big infrastructural projects. It fi nally explores development as worldmaking, zooming in on how international organizations became the place to promote alternative plans for global development and economic governance.