58 SOCIAL SCIENTIST colonial system did not lead automatically to the decline of the economic force of colonial monopoly. The internal economic structure of the former colonies and the place of these countries within the international capitalist division of labour remains substantially unchanged, despite the changed political situation. This provides the starting point for the attempt of the TNMs to maintain the colonial economic and social structure. However, this conservatism is accompanied by new tendencies reflected in the following: 1) An adaptation of capital from the developed capitalist countries to its internal reproduction conditions, that is, the attempt to exploit the results of the scientific and technological revolution in the developing countries as well; and 2) An attempt on the part of the monopolies to adapt themselves to the modified external reproduction conditions. Unable to maintain the unequal economic structures existing in the world economy and the unequal international economic relations based on them, through intervention and unveiled dictate, monopoly capital is compelled to use alternative methods, which are increasingly complex. Promoters of Development Certainly, the most important modification is the conscious promotion of a certain economic and social development in the developing countries. In fact, the backward economic and social structure in these countries hampers, or even renders impossible, through its specific marketing conditions, the complete exploitation of the improvements in the production conditions of monopoly capital. This is just what renders this "development" reactionary, as the aim is not to increase the autonomy or independence of the developing countries but to create more favourable conditions for the expansion of capital. However, no matter how differentiated the developing countries are from the social and economic points of view, most of them aim to develop systematically their national economy. The acquisition of political independence makes the realisation of this aim easier for the national forces, but most often they resort to a policy of compromise—they seek to achieve with the least possible concessions a high level of economic development. The fact that the developing countries endeavour to realize their national development aims itself obliges the TNMs to operate within this new framework. Since one of the most important aspects of the inodified political and economic situation in the developing countries is the