IMO STATE UNIVERSITY, OWERRI,

P.M.B 2000
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

NAME: ELEM UCHE J

MAT NO: 18/55130

COURSE: HUMAN SETTLEMENTS II

COURSE CODE: ARC 361

LECTURER: ARC. PROF. J.N AMAECHI

ASSIGNMENT: THE WORLDS

 FIRST WORLD
The concept of First World originated during the Cold War and comprised countries that were
aligned with United States and the rest of NATO and opposed the Soviet
Union and/or communism during the Cold War. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991,
the definition has instead largely shifted to any country with little political risk and a well-
functioning democracy, rule of law, capitalist economy, economic stability, and high standard of
living. Various ways in which modern First World countries are usually determined
include GDP, GNP, literacy rates, life expectancy, and the Human Development Index.[1] In
common usage, "first world" typically refers to ‘the highly developed industrialized nations often
considered the westernized countries of the world’.

HISTORY

After World War II, the world split into two large geopolitical blocs, separating into spheres
of communism and capitalism. This led to the Cold War, during which the term First
World was often used because of its political, social, and economic relevance. The term itself
was first introduced in the late 1940s by the United Nations.[3] Today, the First World is
slightly outdated and has no official definition, however, it is generally thought of as the
capitalist, industrial, wealthy, and developed countries. This definition includes Australia &
New Zealand, the developed countries of Asia (South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan),
and the wealthy countries of North America and Europe, particularly Western Europe.[4] In
contemporary society, the First World is viewed as countries that have the most advanced
economies, the greatest influence, the highest standards of living, and the greatest technology.
[4]
 After the Cold War, these countries of the First World included member states of NATO,
U.S.-aligned states, neutral countries that were developed and industrialized, and the
former British Colonies that were considered developed. It can be defined succinctly as
Europe, plus the richer countries of the former British Empire (USA, Canada, Australia,
Singapore, New Zealand), Israel, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. According to Nations
Online, the member countries of NATO after the Cold War included:[4]

 Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, West
Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and
the United States.
The Western-aligned countries included:

 Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, and Taiwan

The neutral countries included:

 Austria, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia
During the Cold War era, the relationships between the First World, Second World and the
Third World were very rigid. The First World and Second World were at constant odds with
one another via the tensions between their two cores, the United States and the Soviet Union,
respectively. The Cold War, as its name suggests, was a primarily ideological struggle
between the First and Second Worlds, or more specifically, the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
[18]
 Multiple doctrines and plans dominated Cold War dynamics including the Truman
Doctrine and Marshall Plan (from the U.S.) and the Molotov Plan (from the Soviet
Union). The extent of the tension between the two worlds was evident in Berlin -- which was
then split into East and West. To stop citizens in East Berlin from having too much exposure
to the capitalist West, the Soviet Union put up the Berlin Wall within the actual city
The relationship between the First World and the Third World is characterized by the very
definition of the Third World. Because countries of the Third World were noncommittal and
non-aligned with both the First World and the Second World, they were targets for
recruitment. In the quest for expanding their sphere of influence, the United States (core of
the First World) tried to establish pro-U.S. regimes in the Third World. In addition, because
the Soviet Union (core of the Second World) also wanted to expand, the Third World often
became a site for conflict.

SHIFTING IN DEFINITIONS
Since the end of the Cold War, the original definition of the term First World is no longer
necessarily applicable. There are varying definitions of the First World; however, they follow
the same idea. John D. Daniels, past president of the Academy of International Business,
defines the First World to be consisting of "high-income industrial countries". [5] Scholar and
Professor George J. Bryjak defines the First World to be the "modern, industrial, capitalist
countries of North America and Europe". [6] L. Robert Kohls, former director of training for
the U.S. Information Agency and the Meridian International Center in Washington, D.C.,
uses First World and "fully developed" as synonyms.[7]

OTHER INDICATORS
Varying definitions of the term First World and the uncertainty of the term in today's world
leads to different indicators of First World status. In 1945, the United Nations used the terms
first, second, third, and fourth worlds to define the relative wealth of nations (although
popular use of the term fourth world did not come about until later). [8][9] There are some
references towards culture in the definition. They were defined in terms of Gross National
Product (GNP), measured in U.S. dollars, along with other socio-political factors. [8] The first
world included the large industrialized, democratic (free elections, etc.) nations. [8] The second
world included modern, wealthy, industrialized nations, but they were all under communist
control.[8] Most of the rest of the world was deemed part of the third world, while the fourth
world was considered to be those nations whose people were living on less than US$100
annually.[8] If we use the term to mean high-income industrialized economies, then the World
Bank classifies countries according to their GNI or gross national income per capita. The
World Bank separates countries into four categories: high-income, upper-middle-income,
lower-middle-income, and low-income economies. The First World is considered to be
countries with high-income economies. The high-income economies are equated to mean
developed and industrialized countries.
 SECOND WORLD
The Second World is a term used during the Cold War for the industrial socialist states that
were under the influence of the Soviet Union. In the first two decades following World War
II, 19 communist states emerged; all of these were at least originally within the Soviet sphere
of influence, though some (notably, Yugoslavia and the People's Republic of China) broke
with Moscow and developed their own path of socialism while retaining Communist
governments. Most communist states remained part of this bloc until the fall of the Soviet
Union in 1991; afterwards, only four Communist states remained: China, Cuba, Laos,
and Vietnam. Along with "First World" and "Third World", the term was used to divide
the states of Earth into three broad categories.

CONCEPT
The concept of "Second World" was a construct of the Cold War and the term is still largely
used to describe former communist countries that are between poverty and prosperity, many
of which are now capitalist states, such as Eastern Europe. Subsequently, the actual meaning
of the terms "First World", "Second World," and "Third World" changed from being based
on political ideology to an economic definition. [1] The three-world theory has been criticized
as crude and relatively outdated for its nominal ordering (1; 2; 3) and sociologists have
instead used the words "developed", "developing", and "underdeveloped" as replacement
terms for global stratification (which in turn have been criticized as displaying a colonialist
mindset);[2] nevertheless, the three-world theory is still popular in contemporary literature and
media. This might also cause semantic variation of the term between describing a region's
political entities and its people.[3]

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
The Three Worlds Model was used to rank the development of countries and their economies
during the Cold War. First World countries were capitalist and industrial; they shared similar
political and economic institutions, and retained influence over parts of the former colonial
world. Second World countries advocated socialism and shared certain characteristics such as
centrally planned economic systems, single-party states, and mainly medium income levels.
[4]
 The First World and the Second World were competing for political and economic
influence over developing nations known as the Third World.
The Human Development Index is an index used to rank countries and is quantified by
looking at a country's human development such as life expectancy, education, and per capita
income indicators. The scale is 0-1 and they are put into one of four categories; 0-.55 is low, .
55-.70 is medium, .70-.80 is high and very high tops out at .80-1.0. The Second World
countries from the Cold War era currently range from medium human development to very
high human development in terms of HDI.[5]
 EXAMPLE AND DECLINE IN USAGE

Some examples of Cold-War definition Second World countries

were Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Mongolia, North Korea, Poland, Romania,
the Soviet Union, and the German Democratic Republic. In a socio-economic sense, similar
to those assumed by the terms First and Third world in the post-Cold War environment, the
clearest definition for the Second World would be newly industrialized countries such
as Thailand, India, Malaysia, Turkey, and Brazil. Second World countries are countries that
are more stable and more developed than Third World countries which exist in parts of
Africa, South and Central America and south Asia, but less stable and less developed than
First World countries such as Norway. Developing countries are countries that are
less industrialized and have lower per capita income levels.[6]
The powerful economies of the West are still sometimes described as “First World,” but the
term “Second World” became largely obsolete following the collapse of the Soviet
Union.[7]
 THIRD WORLD
"Third World" is an outdated and derogatory phrase that has been used historically to describe a class
of economically developing nations. It is part of a four-part segmentation that was used to describe
the world’s economies by economic status. Third World falls behind First World and Second World
but was ahead of Fourth World, though Fourth-World countries were hardly recognized at all. Today
the preferred terminology is a developing nation, an underdeveloped country, or a low- and middle-
income country (LMIC).

DEFINING DEVELOPING NATIONS

There can be a few ways to divide up the world for purposes of economic segmentation.

Classifying countries as First, Second, Third, and Fourth World was a concept created during
and after the Cold War, which ran from approximately 1945 to the 1990s.

In general, nations are typically characterized by economic status and key economic metrics
like gross domestic product (GDP), GDP growth, GDP per capita, employment growth, and an
unemployment rate. In developing countries, low production rates and struggling labor market
characteristics are usually paired with relatively low levels of education, poor infrastructure,
improper sanitation, limited access to health care, and lower costs of living.

Developing nations are closely watched by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and

the World Bank, which seek to provide global aid for the purposes of projects that help to
improve infrastructure and economic systems comprehensively. Both organizations refer to
these countries as lower-middle or low-income countries.

Developing nations, or LMIC, can be the target of many investors seeking to identify
potentially high returns through possible growth opportunities, though risks are also relatively
higher. While developing countries are generally characterized as performing poorer
economically, innovative and industrial breakthroughs can lead to substantial improvements in
a short amount of time.

HISTORY OF DEVELOPING NATIONS CLASSIFICATIONS

The classification of nations as First World or Third World emerged during and after the Cold
War. First-World countries were known as the most highly industrialized nations whose views
aligned with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and capitalism.

Second-World countries supported communism and the Soviet Union. Most of these countries

were formerly controlled by the Soviet Union. Many countries of East Asia also fit into the
Second-World category.

Third-World countries included nations in Asia and Africa that were not aligned with either the
United States or the Soviet Union. Now, in part because the Soviet Union no longer exists, the
definition of Third World is outdated and considered offensive.
Alfred Sauvy Coined the Term

Alfred Sauvy, a French demographer, anthropologist, and historian, is credited with coining the
term Third World during the Cold War. Sauvy observed a group of countries, many former
colonies, that did not share the ideological views of Western capitalism or Soviet socialism.
"Three worlds, one planet," wrote Sauvy in a 1952 article published in L'Observateur.1

Dividing the World

In the modern-day, most countries on Earth fall into one of three general categories that some
refer to as developed, emerging, and frontier. The world segmentations have somewhat
migrated to fit within these categories overall.

The developed countries are the most industrialized with the strongest economic characteristics.
The emerging countries are classified as such because they demonstrate significant strides in
various economic growth areas though their metrics are not as stable. The frontier markets often
closely mirror the old Third-World classification and often show the lowest economical
indicators.

FRONTIER MARKETS LIST

The evolutions of the worldly segmentations have become historic and obsolete. As such, one
barometer for assessing a list of developing countries is MSCI’s Frontier Markets Index. This
index includes the following countries:

 Croatia
 Estonia
 Lithuania
 Kazakhstan
 Romania
 Serbia
 Slovenia
 Kenya
 Mauritius
 Morocco
 Nigeria
 Tunisia
 WAEMU
 Bahrain
 Jordan
 Kuwait
 Lebanon
 Oman
 Bangladesh
 FOURTH WORLD
The Fourth World is an outdated term used to describe the most underdeveloped, poverty-
stricken, and marginalized regions of the world.

Many inhabitants of these nations do not have any political ties and are often hunter-
gatherers that live in nomadic communities, or are part of tribes. They may be fully
functional and self-surviving but during the Cold War were ascribed Fourth World status
based on their economic performance.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
 Fourth World refers to the most underdeveloped, poverty-stricken, and
marginalized regions and populations of the world.
 Many inhabitants of these nations do not have any political ties and are often
hunter-gatherers that live in nomadic communities, or are part of tribes.
 The outdated and offensive term Fourth World is often linked to indigenous
people.

UNDERSTANDING FOURTH WORLD

During the Cold War, each country was classed as belonging to a certain type of world, a
position that has since evolved as these classifications have evolved. The First World was
used to describe countries whose views aligned with NATO and capitalism, the Second
World referred to countries that supported communism and the Soviet Union and the Third
World referenced the nations that were not actively aligned with either side. These countries
included impoverished former European colonies and all the nations of Africa, the Middle
East, Latin America, and Asia.

The term Fourth World was born later as an extension of the developing Third World to
describe places and populations characterized by extremely low income per capita and
limited natural resources.

Fourth World nations consisted of those excluded from mainstream society. For
example, the Aboriginal tribes in South America or Australia are entirely self-sufficient but
do not participate in the global economy. These tribes can function free from any assistance
from others but, from a global standpoint, were considered to be Fourth World nations.
Fourth World nations do not contribute or consume anything on the global scale and are
unaffected by any global events.

Political borders did not define Fourth World areas. In many cases, they were defined
as nations without sovereign status, emphasizing instead the perceived non-recognition and
exclusion of ethnically and religiously defined peoples from the politico-economic world
system, such as the First Nations groups throughout North, Central, and South America.
 HISTORY OF THE FOURTH WORLD TERM

The term Fourth World was believed to have been first used in Canada by Mbuto Milando,
the first secretary of the Tanzanian High Commission, in a conversation with George
Manuel, Chief of the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations).
Milando stated that "When native peoples come into their own, on the basis of their own
cultures and traditions, that will be the Fourth World."

The term became synonymous with stateless, poor, and marginal nations following the
publication of Manuel's The Fourth World: An Indian Reality in 1974.1  Since 1979, think
tanks, such as the Center for World Indigenous Studies, have used the term to define the
relationships between ancient, tribal, and non-industrial nations and modern political
nation-states.

In 2007, the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

(UNDRIP) was introduced to promote "minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and
well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world.”2 Since then, communications and
organizing among Fourth World peoples accelerated in the form of international treaties
for trade, travel, and security.