In the twentieth century, economic modernization projects were often part of a broader programme of social engineering, which did not avoid – and in many cases assumed – the use of violence. The author analyses the relationship between definitions of modernity developed by the classic authors of modernization theory during the 1950s and 1960s (D. Lerner, D. Apter, E. Shils), tries to look for their roots in Marx’s writings on colonialism, and shows the consequences of the radical version of such projects, using the example of the Chinese modernization programme implemented by Mao (1949–1959). In conclusion, Leszczyński assumes that a clear relationship can be traced between socio-economic modernization programmes and political violence in the twentieth century.