First World
Industrialized democratic nations
First World originally designated the Western bloc of industrialized capitalist nations during the Cold War, in contrast to the communist Second World and the developing Third World.
The term now broadly refers to wealthy, economically developed nations with high standards of living, advanced infrastructure, and stable governments.
It often carries connotations of privilege: first-world problems are complaints that seem trivial compared to genuine hardships faced elsewhere.
The geopolitical framework that spawned the term is largely obsolete, but First World persists in casual usage.
Of Euro-American civilization
- NATOWestern defense organization
- Cold WarProlonged East-West standoff
- industrializedHaving established manufacturing economies
- alliedJoined in partnership
OECD · democratic · superpower · hegemony · alignment · non-aligned · Iron Curtain · Marshall Plan
Abundance of valuable resources
- prosperityGood fortune, success
- GDPNational output abbreviation
- capitalismPrivate profit-based economy
- consumerismPreoccupation with acquiring goods
luxury · middle class · suburbia · disposable income · investments · stock market · corporations · multinationals
Favorable position or circumstance
- entitlementAssumed right to benefits
- accessRight to enter
- opportunityFavorable circumstance for advancement
- mobilityCapacity for movement
citizenship · safety · stability · rule of law · literacy · clean water · sanitation · governance
Organized provision of treatment
- educationSystematic development of mind
- electricityEnergy from charged particles
- plumbingWater and waste infrastructure
- internetInterconnected computer systems
telecommunications · transportation · housing · sanitation · roads · hospitals · universities · public services
Western
Of Euro-American civilization
- NATOWestern defense organization
- Cold WarProlonged East-West standoff
- industrializedHaving established manufacturing economies
allied · OECD · democratic · superpower · hegemony · alignment · non-aligned · Iron Curtain · Marshall Plan · transatlantic
wealth
Abundance of valuable resources
- prosperityGood fortune, success
- GDPNational output abbreviation
- capitalismPrivate profit-based economy
consumerism · luxury · middle class · suburbia · disposable income · investments · stock market · corporations · multinationals · trade
advantage
Favorable position or circumstance
- entitlementAssumed right to benefits
- accessRight to enter
- opportunityFavorable circumstance for advancement
mobility · citizenship · safety · stability · rule of law · literacy · clean water · sanitation · governance · inequality
healthcare
Organized provision of treatment
- educationSystematic development of mind
- electricityEnergy from charged particles
- plumbingWater and waste infrastructure
internet · telecommunications · transportation · housing · sanitation · roads · hospitals · universities · public services · utilities
- Fantasy WorldsNarnia, Middle-earth, Discworld, Oz, Hogwarts
- Cold WarBerlin Wall, Iron Curtain, arms race, Warsaw Pact, Cuban Missile Crisis
- Place NicknamesBig Apple, Windy City, Chi-Town, Motown, Hotlanta
- WestWestern civilization, Western culture, Western Europe, Western powers, Western values
- alliancesalliance, allies, ally, coalition, NATO alliance
First WorldGlobal South
Economically disadvantaged nations collectively
developing nations · periphery · emerging economies · the periphery