First world or developed world?
I wrote this sentence in a paper: "The most prestigious universities of the First World."
An English speaker crossed out first world, and wrote developed world. He did not explain why.
What is the difference?
2 Answers
My uneducated answer would have been that the First world is comprised of the developed countries. But in review that is not completely clear:
The terms are used somewhat interchangeably with lists varying in the same term and between them and no agreed on definition.
First World may be a somewhat outdated term referring to the cold war era. And by that definition may not include some nations that could now be considered developed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_World
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developed_country
Terms similar to developed country include "advanced country", "industrialized country", "'more developed country" (MDC), "more economically developed country" (MEDC), "Global North country", "first world country", and "post-industrial country".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Factbook_list_of_developed_countries
The CIA argues that the countries in its list are also known as the First , high-income countries, the North, industrial countries;1
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/third_world_countries.htm
The use of the terms First, the Second, and the Third World is a rough, and it's safe to say, outdated model of the geopolitical world from the time of the cold war. There is no official definition of the first, second, and the third world. Below OWNO's explanation of the terms.
Four Worlds
After World War II the world split into two large geopolitical blocs and spheres of influence with contrary views on government and the politically correct society:
1 - The bloc of democratic-industrial countries within the American influence sphere, the "First World".
2 - The Eastern bloc of the communist-socialist states, the "Second World".
3 - The remaining three-quarters of the world's population, states not aligned with either bloc were regarded as the "Third World."
4 - The term "Fourth World", coined in the early 1970s by Shuswap Chief George Manuel, refers to widely unknown nations (cultural entities) of indigenous peoples, "First Nations" living within or across national state boundaries.
I am not a political scientist.
"Developed world" is the terminology used by English speakers to speak of the modern industrialized nations such as US and some European Countries, Maybe Australia, and others. I don't really know which other countries fall into this category.
