Scribd
Upload
180 views6 pages

The Third World and The Global South

The document discusses outdated terms used to describe global stratification such as "First World", "Second World", and "Third World" that date back to the Cold War era. It proposes that a more accurate classification is "Global North" and "Global South", with the North including wealthy, industrialized countries and the South encompassing developing regions that face common economic and political challenges. While the terms point to racial inequality between whites in the dominant North and blacks in the South, globalization and migration are changing this characterization.

Uploaded by

Jayc Chantengco
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
180 views6 pages

The Third World and The Global South

The document discusses outdated terms used to describe global stratification such as "First World", "Second World", and "Third World" that date back to the Cold War era. It proposes that a more accurate classification is "Global North" and "Global South", with the North including wealthy, industrialized countries and the South encompassing developing regions that face common economic and political challenges. While the terms point to racial inequality between whites in the dominant North and blacks in the South, globalization and migration are changing this characterization.

Uploaded by

Jayc Chantengco
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

THE THIRD WORLD AND THE

GLOBAL SOUTH
 You probably heard of first world problems.
When someone cracks the screen on their phone
or gets the wrong order at the coffee shop, and
then goes on to their social media accounts, you
might see their complaints with a hashtag "First
World Problems". What are the implications of
talking about countries as  First or Third?
Where did these terms come from? These terms
are outdated and inaccurate ways of talking
about global stratification. How then are we
going to talk about global stratification? 
 Let us begin by deconstructing the idea of the first, second, and third world hierarchy by
looking at their origins and their implications. The terms date back to the cold war, when
western policymakers began talking about the world as three distinct political and economic
blocs, ( Tomlison, 2003 ). Western capitalist countries were labeled as the "First World". The
Soviet Union and its allies were termed the "Second World". Everyone  else wag grouped into
"Third World".  After the Cold War ended, the category of second world countries became null
and void, but somehow the terms "First World" and "Third World" stuck around in the public
consciousness. Third World countries, which started as just a vague catchcall term for non -
alliance countries, came to be associated with impoverished states, while the first world was
associated with rich, industrialized countries.
 In addition to being outdated, these terms are also innacurate. There are more than 100
countries that fit the label of "Third World" but they have vastly different levels of economic
stability. Some are relatively poor, but many are not. For example, lumping Botswana and
Rwanda into the same category does not make much sense because the average income per
capita in Botswana is nine times larger than in Rwanda. Nowadays, socials scientists sort
countries into groups based to identify their levels of economic productivity. To do this, they
use the Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ), which measures the total output of a country, and the
Gross National Income ( GNI ), which measures GDP per capita ( World Bank, n.d ).
 A new simpler classification, North – South, was created a second world countries joined either
the first world or the third world. First world countries joined either the first world or the third
world. First world countries, such as the United States, Canada, Western Europe, and developed
parts of Asia are regarded as the " Global North ", while the " Global South " includes the
Carribean, Latin America, South America, Africa, and parts of Asia. These countries were used to
be called the third world during the Cold War ( Reuveny & Thompson, 2007). By noting that
countries are south of 30 degrees north latitude, they are able to say that these areas share
common  problems and issues having to do with economy and politics. The terms " Global North
" and " Global South " are aways from countries in the South  to make a stand about the common
issues, problems, and even causes in order to have a equality all through out the world.
 This distinctions point largely to racial inequality, specifically between the black and white.
According to Ritzer ( 2015 ), at the global level, whites are disproportionately in the dominant
North, while blacks are primarily in the south; although this is changing with South-to-North
migration" In other words , the differences between the Global North and Global South are
shaped by migration and globalization. Nevertheless, the economic differences between the
wealthy Global North and poor Global South " have always possessed a racial character"

You might also like