Third World

Third World
(sometimes l.c.)
1. the underdeveloped nations of the world, esp. those with widespread poverty.
2. the group of developing nations, esp. of Asia and Africa, that do not align themselves with the policies of either the U.S. or the former Soviet Union.
3. the minority groups within a nation or predominant culture. Cf. First World, Second World, Fourth World.

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Political designation originally used (1963) to describe those states not part of the first world
the capitalist, economically developed states led by the U.S.
or the second world
the communist states led by the Soviet Union.

The third world principally consists of the developing world, former colonies of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With the end of the Cold War and the increased economic competitiveness of some developing countries, the term has lost its analytic clarity.

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Universalium. 2010.

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