Recently I got into an argument over which ones are First World Countries and if there is such a thing as "Second World Countries".

My thinking was, since no one really uses the words "Second World Countries", they dont exist. Either you are First or Third.

I thought G8 counties are First World. Could not find any official definition.

Also which countries are the members of EU?


HELP

It's a very cheerful story: French demographer Alfred Sauvy coined "tiers monde" in 1952 by analogy with the "third estate," the commoners of France before and during the French Revolution: Priests came 1st, then nobles. Like the third estate, wrote Sauvy, the third world is nothing, and it "wants to be something." Did I mention Sauvy was French?

In English, he meant we're first, and sh!t on the rest. However, in a bold new humanitarian gesture, George II of the American Empire is offering leveraged entry into NATO to nearby wannabes; applicants must agree to host U.S. garrisons and/or attack Iraq and the AE's next targets.

G8 members http://www.g8montreal2002.ca/members_e.htm

EU member states http://www.instantaccess.co.uk/infozone/eustates.htm

2nd world countries were considered the USSR and its satellite countries of Eastern Europe and a few other scattered countries, Israel, S. Korea, etc. You could probably make a case for that even today. Some say the Group of 8 are the 1st world nations today, maybe adding Belgium, Holland, and other western Europeans to that, while the rest of eastern Europe would remain 2nd world. I would still keep Russia in the 2nd world category though. Their admittance into the G7 was merely a gesture to them. You could probably add more countries traditionally thought of as 3rd world to the 2nd world group now as well. China, Mexico, Argentina, etc., might be considered 2nd world now because of industrial growth the last 15-20 years.