The Concept of a “Third” World
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Abstract

The third world was a concept that changed history because of its categorization of the countries of the world into cultural and economic groups relevant to postwar realities. The term was coined in 1952 by a French demographer and historian, Alfred Sauvy, from his analogy with the third estate (tiers monde in French). In his analogy, the commoners of France before the French Revolution were opposed to the priests and nobles who made up the first and second estates, respectively.

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