"Third World countries"

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The term Third World Countries was used in 1952 by French demographer Alfred Souvy (Alfred Sauvy) to describe countries that at the time of the Cold War were not placed in the countries of the Western coalition or in those of the Soviet bloc. However, nowadays the use of the term concerns the countries of the planet with a low growth index, regardless of the political regime that dominates them and is often equivalent to the concept of 'poor countries'. The countries to which the term refers constitute approximately two thirds of the planet.

The question of the term
The use of the term has led to disagreements as to its importance, which is also evident from the fact that there is no commonly accepted 'objective' definition of the concepts 'third world country' or 'third world'. In academic circles the term is rarely used, considering it to be anachronistic, inaccurate, or to maintain colonial perceptions. In general, the countries commonly described as 'Third World' have low indicators of economic, industrial or technological development. In this sense, in academic circles the term Developing Countries is usually preferred.

History of the term
The first references to similar terms, which refer to a system of 'classification' of the inhabitants of the planet, probably appear in scientific work of the classical period of European imperialism. Essentially, these work supports a 'in-three' separation of the planet's tribes:
The 'advanced' First World of Whites
The 'barbarous' Second World of Yellows
The Wild Third World of Blacks.

A somewhat different use of the term is found in the work of French Alfred Sovy and more specifically in an article in the French magazine L'Observateur, on 14 August 1952. In French, the term Tiers monde refers directly to the used in the years of the French Revolution term Tiers etat. As Tiers etat (Third class) was referred to as the social class made up of the underprivileged, unjustized part of the population.

The term was widely used in the Cold War years, as it was adopted by countries that did not wish to join the Western coalition countries directly or those of the Soviet bloc. Its broad use was favored by the fact that it reflected the perspective of a politically not so strongly oriented 'world'. On the other hand, to a lesser extent the terms First World (referring to the U.S. and their allies during the Cold War) and Second World (referring to the Eastern bloc) were used.

A key role in efforts to create a 'third-world' voice in the heart of the Cold War had countries such as then Yugoslavia, India, Egypt, Malta and Cyprus. Third World countries felt they could successfully maintain cooperation contacts with both communist and capitalist countries