Lesson 2/23 min
The three worlds and exam questions
During the Cold War the world split into three blocs.
| Bloc | Character | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| First World | The capitalist world, led by the US and its allies | United Kingdom, France, West Germany, Canada |
| Second World | The communist or socialist world, led by the Soviet Union and its East European allies | Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, East Germany, Romania |
| Third World | Countries that joined neither bloc and stayed neutral or took part in the non-aligned movement; most were developing countries | India, Egypt, Yugoslavia, Indonesia |
Exam answers
- ‘Cold War’ is called ‘Snayu Juddho’ (nerve war) in Bangla
- ‘Third World’ is taken to mean the developing countries
- After the Cold War, the East European country that split up peacefully: Czechoslovakia
- In the 1946 Fulton speech ‘Iron Curtain’ was used by Churchill
Memory trick: First = capitalism (US), second = communism (Soviet), third = neither side.
Check yourself
Which ‘world’ did Poland and East Germany belong to?
At a glance
- 1
First World: capitalist, led by the US (UK, France, West Germany, Canada).
- 2
Second World: communist, led by the Soviet Union (Poland, Hungary, Romania, East Germany).
- 3
Third World: non-aligned, mostly developing (India, Egypt, Yugoslavia, Indonesia).
- 4
After the Cold War, Czechoslovakia split up peacefully.