Compare and Contrast Essay

First World Countries Vs. Third World Countries In order to compare and contrast two things, we must first have a definition as to what they are. The concept of first, second and third world countries came about during The Cold War. Originally, the capitalist and NATO countries, as well as their allies, were considered first world countries; the communist countries and the Soviet Union, along with their allies, were considered second world countries; those countries associated with neither were considered third world countries. After the fall of the Soviet Union, these terms took on a much different meaning. Currently, whether a country is classified as a first or third world country is determined by how technologically and economically advanced they are. Highly developed countries are considered first world countries while undeveloped countries are considered third world countries. With some exceptions to this rule, most of Africa, Latin America, and Asia are defined as third world countries while the first world countries consist mainly most of Europe, the former British Empire (USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand,) and Japan. These two very different types of countries have many contrasting qualities as well as similar ones. A few examples that can be compared and contrasted are quality of life, culture and priorities, and country-wide depression levels. If you ever visit a third world country, it is no secret that what you will see can very well be described as poverty. The people who live there struggle to make ends meet, put clothes on their back, etc. Every day they worry whether or not there will be enough food to eat or if there will be anything at all. In first world countries, we do have our homeless and our poverty, yet the vast majority is considered “middle class.” In context, this means that yes, there are economic struggles, but typically when someone from a first world country uses the phrase, “our cupboards are bare and