The ‘Third World’ countries all have similar characteristics such as, high birth rates, poverty, high infant morality, high death rates, short life expectancy and dependence on the more advanced countries or ‘first world’. The Third world is also highly differentiated because the countries it includes have a varied amount of economic development.
“The term Third World was originally intended to distinguish the non-aligned nations that gained independence from colonial rule beginning after World War II from the Western nations and from those that formed the former Eastern bloc, and sometimes more specifically from the United States and from the former Soviet Union (the first and second worlds, respectively).” (The learning network). Today, these ‘worlds’ are obsolete so most refer to two groups of countries as being either ‘developed’ versus ‘less developed’.
The term also implies that the ‘worlds’ are set in stone. As countries develop many feel it is time that a forth world is defined. Parts of sub Saharan Africa for example are much less developed than areas of Asia. These areas that are not developing to a similar speed could there for be put into a class of fourth world countries. Griggs 1992 claims that a forth world has already been defined, “The Fourth World has also been used to designate: 1.the poorest, and most undeveloped states of the world; 2.any oppressed or underprivileged victim of a state.”
Other terms are much more useful in defining different scales of development. These include, the south, less developed, economically less developed, poorer, non-industrialised and emerging nations. The term third world is probably the term most widely used my media and the public. For example, the Postal Preference Service of Bristol recently published a questionnaire asking what people like to receive mail on. Under the topic of charities included “Third World Causes” and “Sponsoring a Third world child”. This shows how the term is a shared system of meaning that makes a global generalisation that people can relate too.
The relivance of this term is difficult to define. While being inadequate to define the difference in economic growth it is still widely excepted term. To use no term would provoke confusion and sugest that Asia, Africa, Oceania and Latin America have nothing in common. Other terms have similar down falls such as ‘less economically developed countries’ is seen as cold and statistical.
Although the ‘third world’ countries agree this terminology has flaws they use it due to lack of adequate synopsis.
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0848488.html the learning network
CWIS Occasional Paper #18, The Meaning of 'Nation' and 'State' in the Fourth World by Dr. Richard Griggs University of Capetown © 1992 Centre for World Indigenous Studies
Postal preference service, Bristol 2002
