Third World

:For the Jamaican reggae band, see Third World (band).

History of the term

The term "third world" was coined by economist Alfred Sauvy in an article in the French magazine L'Observateur of August 14, 1952. It was a deliberate reference to the "Third Estate" of the French Revolution. Tiers monde means third world in French, but in the sense of "one-third" -- it does not mean "third in rank" (which would be troisième monde). The term gained widespread popularity during the Cold War when many poorer nations adopted the category to describe themselves as neither being aligned with NATO or the Warsaw Pact, but instead composing a non-aligned "third world" (in this context, the term "First World" was generally understood to mean the United States and its allies in the Cold War, which would have made the East bloc the "Second World" by default; however, the latter term was very seldom actually used).

Related Topics:
Economist - Alfred Sauvy - L'Observateur - August 14 - 1952 - Third Estate - French Revolution - French - Cold War - NATO - Warsaw Pact - Non-aligned - First World - United States - East bloc - Second World

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Leading members of this original "third world" movement were Yugoslavia, India, and Egypt. Many third world countries believed they could successfully court both the communist and capitalist nations of the world, and develop key economic partnerships without necessarily falling under their direct influence. In practice, this plan did not work out quite so well; many third world nations were exploited or undermined by the two superpowers who feared these supposedly neutral nations were in danger of falling into alignment with the enemy. After World War II, the First and Second Worlds struggled to expand their respective spheres of influence to the Third World. The militaries and intelligence services of the United States and the Soviet Union worked both secretly and overtly to influence Third World governments, with mixed success.

Related Topics:
Yugoslavia - India - Egypt - Communist - Capitalist - Exploited - Intelligence services - United States - Soviet Union

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During the Cold War there were a number of countries which did not fit comfortably into the neat definition of First, Second, and Third Worlds. These included Switzerland, Sweden, and the Republic of Ireland, which chose to be neutral. Finland was under the Soviet Union's sphere of influence but was not communist, nor was it a member of the Warsaw Pact. Austria was under the United States' sphere of influence, but in 1955, when the country again became a fully independent republic, it did so under the condition that it remained neutral. None of these countries would have been defined as third world despite their non (or marginally) aligned status.

Related Topics:
Switzerland - Sweden - Republic of Ireland - Finland - Warsaw Pact - Austria - 1955

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With the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, the term Second World largely fell out of use and the meaning of First World has become extended to include all developed countries. By the end of the Cold War, the term Third World had shifted in English from its original meaning and became a synonym for infrastructure-poor countries. The term "Fourth World" has come to denote especially poor and powerless groups, such as many indigenous peoples, living in either Third or First World countries. It is also sometimes used to describe extremely poor countries with almost no industrial infrastructure to speak of or as a synonym for "least developed countries". Heavily industrialized states that were formerly communist are simply called "former communist countries."

Related Topics:
1991 - Collapse of the Soviet Union - Developed countries - Infrastructure - Fourth World - Least developed countries

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