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The concept of the First World originated during the Cold War and included countries that were generally aligned with or on friendly terms with the United States (including all NATO countries) and were generally identified as non-theocratic democracies with primarily market-based economies. While there is no current consensus on an exact definition of the term, in modern usage, "First World country" generally implies a relatively wealthy, stable and functional non-theocratic democracy with a reasonably well educated population. During the Cold War, relationships between the First World and the Second World of Communist states were typically competitive, ideological, and occasionally hostile. Relationships of both these "Worlds" with "Third World" countries (i.e. all the rest) were normally positive in theory, while some were quite negative in practice (such as proxy war between client states). Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and advances in communication technology, relations amongst the "Worlds" are not as rigid, although there are still marked disparities, with the First World generally having more influence, wealth, and access to information and technological innovations than the Second and Third Worlds. == Definition == After the end of World War II, the world was split into two: East and West; This marked the beginning of the era called the Cold War. Large geopolitical blocs, separating into spheres of communism and capitalism. This led to the Cold War, during which the term ''First World'' was often used because of its political, social, and economic relevance. The term itself was first introduced in the late 1940s by the United Nations. Today, the First World is slightly outdated and has no official definition, however, it is generally thought of as the capitalist, industrial, wealthy and developed countries. This definition included most of the countries of North America, Western Europe, Australasia and Japan. In contemporary society, the First World is viewed as countries that have the most advanced economies, the greatest influence, the highest standards of living, and the greatest technology.〔 After the Cold War, these countries of the First World included member states of NATO, U.S.- aligned states, neutral countries that were developed and industrialized, and the former British Colonies that were considered developed. It can be defined succinctly as Europe, plus the richer countries of the former British Empire (USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, South Africa), Japan, and South Korea. Countries were also placed into the First World based on how civilized the country was considered. According to Nations Online, the member countries of NATO after the Cold War included:〔 *Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, West Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The U.S.-aligned countries included:〔See Major non-NATO ally〕 *Israel, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan. The neutral countries included: *Austria, Finland, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland. The former British colonies also included in the First World were: *Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「first world」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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