This second volume addresses the most important themes and findings that a number of modernization theorists use to substantiate the thesis of a radicalized or second modernity emerging from the confrontation of modernity with itself. In addition to the analyses of explicit theorists of a second modernity such as Giddens, Beck, and Bauman, topics such as the digitalization of communication, metropolises, and globalized lifestyles are also discussed, which can be integrated into this contemporary diagnosis. In the second part of this volume, key themes for characterizing present-day center societies are presented from the perspective of international social structure comparison, such as knowledge society, recent trends in welfare state development, civil society, and spatial aspects of global interconnectedness.