THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

The Global Divide: The North

and The South
Evelyn C. Dela Torre
Global Divides: The North and the South

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Understand the North-South Divide;
2. Know the concept of the Three-World Model;
3. Learn the relationship of the three worlds in the
21st century
 THE NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE

The North-South Divide is a socio-economic and political

categorization of countries. The Cold-War-era generalization
places countries in two distinct groups; The North and the South.
The North is comprised of all First World countries and most
Second World countries while the South is comprised of Third
World countries. This categorization ignores the geographic
position of countries with some countries in the southern
hemisphere such as Australia and New Zealand being labeled as
 The origin of dividing countries into the North-South Divide
arose during the Cold War of the mid-20th century. During this
time, countries were primarily
categorized according to their alignment between the Russian
East and the American West. Countries in the East like the
Soviet Union and China which
became classified as Second World countries. In the west,
the United States and its allies were labelled as First World
countries. This division left out many
 eventually labeled as Third World
countries. This categorization was later abandoned after the
Second World countries joined the First World countries.
New criteria was established to
categorize countries which was named the North-South
Divide where First World countries were known as the
North while Third World countries comprised the South.
 The North (First World Countries)

The North of the Divide is comprised of countries which

have developed economies and account for over 90% of all
manufacturing industries in the
world. Although these countries account for only
one-quarter of the total global population, they control 80%
of the total income earned around the
world. All the members of the G8 come from the North
in countries in The North have enough basic needs and have
access to functioning education systems. Countries
comprising the North include The
United States, Canada, all countries in Western Europe,
Australia, New Zealand as well as the developed countries in
Asia such as Japan and South Korea.
 The South (Third World Countries)

The South is comprised of countries with developing

economies which were initially referred to as Third World
countries during the Cold War. An
important characteristic of countries in the South is the
relatively low GDP and the high population. The Third World
accounts for only a fifth of the globally
earned income but accounts for over three-quarters of the
amenities. As little as 5% of the population is able to access
basic needs such as food and shelter. The economies of
most countries in the South rely on
imports from the North and have low technological
penetration. The countries making up the South are mainly
drawn from Africa, South America, and Asia
with all African and South American countries being from the
South. The only Asian countries not from the South are Japan
and South Korea.
 Criticism

The North-South Divide is criticized for being a way of

segregating people along economic lines and is seen as a factor
of the widening gap between developed and developing
economies. However, several measures have been put in place to
contract the North-South Divide including the lobbying for
international free trade and globalization. The United Nations has
been in the forefront in diminishing the North-South Divide through
policies highlighted in its Millennium Development Goals (Sawe,
 THE FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD WORLDS

First World, Second World and Third World countries are

products of the Three-World model, a concept that grouped
all of the world’s countries into the three groups. This
stratification of the countries was initially based on the basis
of political ideology affiliation where First World countries
were identified as the countries which were allied with the
United States while Second World countries were countries
 Union. Third World countries were countries which
supported neither the Soviet Union nor the United States
(Sawe, 2017).

People often use the term “Third World” as shorthand for poor
or developing nations. By contrast, wealthier countries such
as the United States and the nations of Western Europe are
described as being part of the “First World.”
 The “three worlds” model of geopolitics first arose in the
mid-20th century as a way of mapping the various players
in the Cold War. The origins of the
concept are complex, but historians usually credit it to
the French demographer Alfred Sauvy, who coined the
term “Third World” in a 1952 article entitled “Three Worlds,
One Planet.” In this original context, the First World included
the United States and its capitalist allies in places such
as Western Europe, Japan and Australia. The Second
satellites. The Third World, meanwhile, encompassed all the
other countries that were not actively aligned
with either side in the Cold War. These were often
impoverished former European colonies, and included nearly
all the nations of Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and
Asia (Andrews, 2016).
 On the other hand, based on Mao Zedong’s Three Worlds
Theory, the 1st World was composed of the “superpowers” -
US, Soviet Union, etc. The 2nd World
was composed of lesser powers. And the 3rd World was
composed of post- colonial emerging markets. While
Sauvy’s model emphasized ideology (Capitalism vs
Communism) and so-called “blocs” (NATO vs Warsaw
Pact), Mao’s model emphasized national power (as cited in
Moran, 2017).
 The First World

According to Sawe (2017), the First World concept was first

fronted in the 20th century when the world was immersed
in the Cold War and was the
collective term for the countries which were under the
capitalistic umbrella.
The term was introduced by the United Nations in the 1940s
and was used through the Cold War period where it was
the world into blocs in their respective quests to become
the most powerful country in the world. During this period,
First World countries were identified
as countries which were allies of the United States which were
economically stable and shared common socio-political beliefs
with the United States. First
World countries were characterized by relative political
and economic stability and also had a capitalistic
economic system. These first world
 Canada. During the peak of the Cold War, relations
between First World Countries and Second World Countries
were frosty with the Soviet Union and the United States being
the core of the two factions.
 The First World Concept after the Cold War

The concept of the First World enjoyed much traction during

the Cold War, with the United States wielding much
influence in the international affairs among First World
countries. The United States even took far-reaching
measures to ensure that neighboring countries which
were allied to the Second World such as Cuba were
repressed through heavy economic
the traditional definition of First World countries. The term
“First World” is rarely used in recent years as a dichotomy of
countries of the world based on their affiliation to the United
States but is often used to describe countries with
economic and political stability regardless of affiliation.
 The Second World

The Second World was a term used to describe several

industrial countries which were affiliated to the Soviet
Union and China during the Cold War period. According
to the definition, the majority of these countries either
practiced a socialistic system of government or a
communist system of
government. These countries included; all countries under the
notable as the country that was divided into two with the East
Germany being established as a Second World Country while
West Germany was a First World Country. The division was
manifested in the nation’s capital, Berlin which had a fortified
wall built through it to separate the two countries. The Soviet
Union was at the heart of the Second World and influenced
the international affairs among the member countries. The
Soviet Union assisted other Second World Countries as seen
in the Molotov Plan in the 1940s when the Soviet Union
 The Second World Concept after the Cold War

However, after the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the late 20th
century, this definition was deemed to be obsolete as the
collapse also signaled the end of
the Cold War. While the Second World Concept is still
currently used (albeit rarely), the term is used to define
former communist countries with
developing economies and is only used from an economic
 Third World

The Third World was originally the term used to define the
countries that were neither First World countries nor Second
World countries which were also members of the
non-aligned movement. The term “Third World” was first
penned in 1952 by Alfred Sauvy, a French economist
and historian who defined Third World countries as
countries that were neither Western
 South America, Africa, Oceania, and Asia.
However, some countries seemed to be classified as both
Second World countries as well as Third World countries, for
instance Cuba. Due to the impoverished economic situation in
these countries, the term “Third World” increasingly became
associated with the countries with low GDP and where the
majority of citizens lived in abject poverty. There were European
countries which were neither capitalistic-inclined nor
soviet-affiliated such as Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland,
and Austria had prosperous economies and were all-around
 Third World: Modern Use

After the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the late 20th

century which also signaled the end of the Cold War meant
that the definition of Third World
countries had to change as the global political landscape
had suddenly changed. During this period, the countries
under the “Third World” umbrella
were primarily defined by their economic status instead of
 countries, these countries were identified as the countries
with poor but developing economies. The majority of Third
World countries in Asia,
Oceania, South America and Africa were originally
colonies of European colonial authorities which had gained
independence in the 20th century. Due
to increased criticism against the use of the term “Third
World countries,” economists instead refer these countries
either as developing countries or
Modern Relations in First, Second and Third World Countries

The stratification of the world’s countries into the three

categories; First World, Second World, and Third World has
received much criticism in the 21st
century. The majority of the countries which were
originally First World countries established NATO, an
intergovernmental military alliance. In recent years,
globalization and increased technological advancements have
 world. Many countries which were
initially seen as Third World Countries have also in recent
years experienced increased growth in their respective
economies and have ceased being
identified as developing countries.
 Today, the powerful economies of the West are still
sometimes described as “First World,” but the term
“Second World” has become largely obsolete
following the collapse of the Soviet Union. “Third World”
remains the most common of the original designations, but its
meaning has changed from “non -
aligned” and become more of a blanket term for the
developing world. Since it’s partially a relic of the Cold War,
many modern academics consider the
Terms such as “developing countries” and “low
and lower-middle-income countries” are now
often used in its place
(Andrews, 2016).
 Harris, Moore, and Schmitz (2009) discussed in a
working paper by the Institute of Development Studies
that countries of the First World were rich;
capitalist; influential in the main international economic
institutions; relatively highly-coordinated with one another
over international and
economic policy issues; broadly similar to one another in
their main political and economic institutions; often
exercised a great deal of influence in some
 successfully undergone an experience of
‘development’ to which the rest of the world aspired.
Countries of the Third World appeared as the polar opposite
on every count: poor; weakly capitalist
(or anti-capitalist); weakly coordinated over policy issues
(despite enthusiasm for the Non-Aligned Movement and the
United Nations); lacking
international influence; highly diverse politically, economically
and culturally; and deficient in ‘development’. The
development debate in the West was mainly about the
relationships between the First and Third World.
 THE FOURTH WORLD CONCEPT

The term "Fourth World" first came into use in 1974 with the
publication of Shuswap Chief George Manuel's: The Fourth
World: An Indian Reality (“First, Second and Third World,
n.d.). It was coined to refer to ethnically or religiously defined
populations living within or across national boundaries,
nations without a sovereign state, and indigenous groups
that are nomadic,
 THE THREE WORLDS IN THE 21st CENTURY

The National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends 2030

Report notes that globalization has ushered in a new phase
in the history of the state. Without
question, the state still exists. The continuing economic
volatility in the global economy and need for government
intervention shows that the state is not going away. However,
it would also be wrong to say that the powers of the state
roles of non-state bodies have greatly expanded. This has
been especially the case in Western democracies, but the
increase in subnational power has spread far and wide; the
West no longer has a monopoly. The expansion has been
fueled by the formation of a transnational
elite who have been educated at the same universities, work
in many of the same multinational corporations or NGOs, and
vacation at the same resorts.
 They believe in globalization, but one that relies on and
benefits from personal initiative and empowerment (as cited
in Moran, 2017).
Moran also wrote that that new model should, instead, analyze
the world in 3 non-state NETWORKS: These NETWORKS
are composed of metropolitan
regions that operate economically at a global (1st), national
(2nd) or regional
(3rd) level.
 1st Network: The global network of megacities that drive
the world’s GDP, innovation and creative work. This
network of megacities is linked by transportation, heavy air
traffic, heavy data flows, global exchanges/bourses, media
hubs, large universities and multi-national corporate
headquarters. The people living in the 1st Network often
have more in common with their colleagues in other
megacities than in communities several hours of train
travel away. The globalized economy has been
They live and work, compete and collaborate in a global labor
market. They may have economically de-linked from their
fellow citizens in the 2nd and 3rd
Networks, but they are still very much politically linked to
their nation-state. They were surprised by Brexit and were
surprised by Trump’s election. 1st Network citizens live in a
cosmopolitan, megacity bubble. They travel to other
megacities for work and play. 1st Network citizens want
a mix of actors (nation-states, megacity Mayors, NGOs,
 2nd Network: Large, nationally significant metropolitan
regions that are critical to their nation-state, but are not
megacities. The 2nd Network is linked to the national
economy via abundant domestic flights, but is NOT a global
hub for corporate headquarters. 2nd Network metropolitan
areas are large, but not fully globalized. They are
economically powerful, but lack a critical mass
of large corporations, research universities, media hubs,
exchanges/bourses, etc. 2nd Network citizens are tied to a
bubble is their nationally significant metro area. 2nd
Network citizens want nation-
state action to solve national and local problems.
 3rd Network: Regionally significant metropolitan areas with
citizens that live and work, compete and collaborate in a
regional/local economy. 3rd Network metro areas are less
populous, have fewer air travel options, and have fewer
linkages to global megacities. 3rd Network areas may be
high growth in emerging markets or slow growth/decline in
the industrialized West. Citizens
in the 3rd Network disproportionately drove Brexit and
Trump’s surprising victory. In the 3rd Network West,
 Applying this model to our current political
environment has significant
explanatory power. Moreover, it better explains
the dynamic within and
across nation-states.
 References:
Andrews, E. (2016, September 23). Why are countries classified as First, Second or Third
World? Retrieved from https://www.history.com
First, Second, and Third World (n.d.). Retrieved from www.nationsonline.org
Harris, D., Moore, M., and Schmitz, H. (2009). Country Classifications for a Changing World.
Retrieved from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
Moran, R. (2017, December 06). A Three Worlds Theory for the 21st Century [Blog post].
Retrieved from https://huffingtonpost.com
Sawe, B.E. (2017, August 1). What is the North-South Divide? Retrieved from
https://ww.worldatlas.com
Sawe, B.E. (2017, September 28). The First, Second, And Third World Countries: Origin of
Concept and Present Beliefs. Retrieved from https://ww.worldatlas.com
Soniak, M. (2018, February 1). There’s a First World. There’s a Third World. What’s the Second
World? Retrieved from mentalfloss.com