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During the [[Cold War]] period '''Third World''' referred to countries which didn't align themselves to either of the power blocks the [[US]] and its allies or the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|Soviet Union]] and its allies. These nations formed the non-aligned movement. It was usually applied to the mostly developing nations of Africa, Latin America, and Asian countries.<ref>The New American Desk Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, 1989</ref> However, it also applied to neutral-aligned European countries such as the [[Netherlands]], [[Belgium]], [[Austria]], [[Switzerland]], [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Finland]], [[Denmark]], and [[Iceland]], even though they weren't developing countries.

During the [[Cold War]] period '''Third World''' was the official rhetoric used by the [[United Nations]] and in Western [[mainstream media]] to refer to economically undeveloped countries, many of which were unaligned in the competing power blocs the [[US]]/[[NATO]] and [[EU]] or the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|Soviet Union]] and its [[Warsaw Pact]] and [[Comecon]] allies.<ref>http://media.transparency.org/imaps/cpi2009/</ref>

  It was usually applied to the mostly undeveloped nations of Africa, Latin America, and Asian countries.<ref>The New American Desk Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, 1989</ref>  

Since that time, the term "third world" refers to developing and undeveloped countries which have large scale poverty and low levels of economic development. These countries often have dictatorships as the form of central government, and government corruption is rampant.<ref>http://media.transparency.org/imaps/cpi2009/</ref>

It also refers to portions of otherwise "first world" nations with similar characteristics: examples being nearly all Democrat-controlled major cities.

There terms was considered offensive by many, and after the [[Cold War]], the rhetoric shifted to a two-fold division rather than threefold division.  The "rich" Northern countries and "poor" Southern countries, which became the [[Global North]] and [[Global South]]. However the [[Russian Federation]] in the so-called Global North didn't fit the stereotype of a "rich" Northern country, other than its ability to retain a powerful military establishment. In the 21st century, the Russian federation aligned with the much of the Global South in the [[BRICS+]] organization. The Western-controlled [[G7]] represents in its entirety what's left of the Global North.

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