The lack of development in developing countries and the examination of the underlying societal problems that are in close causal relation have been providing fertile ground for research to present an extensive historical background. Economic challenges, the backwardness in growth or modernization, and the disorders of society and democratization are collective research subjects for multiple disciplines. Within this multidisciplinary field, the system of international development and aid is an important branch which has grown into a set of independent research and policy standards. Among the classical sectors, it is considered relatively new, barely seventy years of age; however, it has developed with remarkable speed: it has been viewed as the only true path of closing up as well as the misleading track of the crossroads of irreconcilable interests. This paper, somewhat unconventionally, considers the principle resultants that define the character of the system and the manner of operation, and raises critical questions as well. It aims to explain the historical and human context that shaped development policy and could serve as key background elements for the sometimes seemingly irresolvable contradictions that affect even these days.