Abstract

Theories have their own history and reflected the concerns of the time in which they were developed. This unit examines some theories that offer ways of approaching the subject of international communication and assesses how useful their explanations are, in terms of an understanding of the process involved. Both Marxists and world-system theorists stress the importance of rise, of the global dominance of a capitalist market economy, that is penetrating the entire globe-pan-capitalism, is how a commentator described the phenomenon (Tehranian, 1999). With the collapse of communism, the disintegration of Soviet, and the Eastern block, seen by many as alternative to capitalism, the shift within Western democracies, from a public to private sector capitalism, and the international trend towards liberalization and privatization have contributed to the acceptance of the capitalist market as a global system.

Key words: Communication, international communication, development communication, mass communication, free flow, convergence, global news content, cold war, Marx, capitalism, globalization, Second World War, political economy, the Soviet Union.