Tag: communism

These days, people throw around the title “3rd world” to indicate a country is poor, but did you know that not all poor countries are 3rd world countries? Have you ever wondered if there’s such a thing as a 2nd world country? There is.

Here’s the truth behind the matter: a 3rd world country is any country that was not in league with either capitalist or communist countries during the Cold War. All capitalist/NATO countries were defined as 1st world countries and the USSR and its allies were labeled as 2nd world countries. 3rd world countries tended to be too poor to care about the cold war and its contenders.

Interestingly, since the term “2nd world countries” has fallen out of favor, a lot of people mistakenly label Cuba as a 3rd world country, but since they are still devoutly communist, they are actually still a 2nd world country.

Also interesting, all countries in both Africa and South America are 3rd world countries, with the exception of the small South American country of Guyane, also known as French Guiana. As its alternative name suggests, this country was allied with the capitalists countries as it was, and still is, a French overseas department. These days, they are part of the European Union and still use Euros.