Three Worlds Theory

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Not to be confused with Third-Worldism.

The Three Worlds Theory is a theory proposed by Mao Zedong in 1974 that categorizes the international system into three worlds. According to the theory, the first world includes the imperialist United States and the supposedly "social imperialist" Soviet Union. The second world includes Japan, Canada, and Europe. The third world includes China, Latin America, Africa, and the rest of Asia.

On April 10, 1974, at the 6th Special Session United Nations General Assembly, Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping applied the Three Worlds Theory during the New International Economic Order presentations about the problems of raw materials and development.^[1] This accounted for China's appeals to developing countries in competition with the Soviet Union. In his address, Deng Xiaoping uses the soviet "invasion of Czechoslovakia" and instigation of a "war to dismember Pakistan" as examples of soviet "social imperialism." He also cites "extraction of superprofits" and exportation of arms as evidence of such imperialism.

↑ "Excerpts From Chinese Address to U.N. Session on Raw Materials" (1974-04-12). New York Times. Retrieved 2023-07-03.

[1] "Excerpts From Chinese Address to U.N. Session on Raw Materials" (1974-04-12). New York Times. Retrieved 2023-07-03.

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