is there really a first world, second world, and third world?
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Answer:
The map shows the countries of the US aligned countries of the First World (in green), the Communist states (in red), the Third World (in yellow). European neutral states (in white), and countries which have been communist nations for a short period in light red.
The First, the Second, and the Third World.
The map above shows the two major geopolitical blocs, some 'neutral,' non-aligned countries, and countries of the Third World in the period between the end of the Second World War and the collapse of the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1991.
The era known as the "Cold War" was a political constellation of countries with two different world-views. On one side were the industrialized capitalist nations aligned with the USA, called the Western Bloc, which likes to call itself the "Free World" or the "Western world." On the other side were the Communist workers and peasants states of the Eastern Bloc, the socialist countries within the power fabric of the Soviet Union, and Mao's China. In Europe, there were some neutral countries, and there was the rest of the world, the Third World.
The Third World
When people talk about the poorest or underdeveloped countries of the world, they often refer to them with the general term Third World, and they think everybody knows what they are talking about. But when you ask them if there is a Third World, what about a Second or a First World, you almost always get an evasive answer. Other people even try to use the terms as a ranking scheme for the state of development of countries, with the First World on top, followed by the Second World and so on, that's perfect - nonsense.
To close the gap of information, you will find here explanations of the terms.
The terms First, Second and Third World is a rough, and it's safe to say, outdated model of the geopolitical world from the time of the cold war.
Definition of the First, Second and Third World.
Four Worlds
After the Second World War, the world split into two major geopolitical blocs and spheres of influence with conflicting political views about government and the right society.
First World
The bloc of democratic-industrialized countries within the American sphere of influence, the "First World," also known as The West.
Second World
The Eastern bloc of the communist-socialist states, where the political and economic power should come from the up to now oppressed peasants and workers.
Third World
The remaining three-quarters of the world population, countries that did not belong to either bloc, were considered "Third World."
Fourth World
The term "Fourth World" was coined in the early 1970s by Shuswap Chief George Manuel, it refers to widely unknown nations (cultural entities) of indigenous peoples, "First Nations" living within or across national state boundaries.
