The three worlds theory was a geopolitical concept that emerged in the 1970's to divide countries of the world based on similarities. The first world was characterized by industrialized, capitalist countries, namely the United States and her Western allies. The second world countries were the socialist/communist countries, namely the Soviet Union. The third world countries were mostly poorer and developing nations that did not quite fit into the first two categories. The major categories that aligned each group were political and economic affiliations, with the first world countries being capitalist and having a market economy while the second world countries were socialist/communist and had government influenced economies. Another way these countries were aligned was through Cold War alliances, as the first world countries generally sided with NATO while second world countries were united by the Warsaw pact.

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