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0 pointshirsin10y ago0 comments

When Mao created the notion of the Three Worlds, he included China in the Third World [1]. It was (ostensibly) unaligned, whereas Europe (and to an extent Japan) was aligned, making it Second World. He (via Deng) specifically called out the Third World as underdeveloped.

[1] “Speech by Chairman of the Delegation of the People’s Republic of China, Teng Hsiao-Ping, at the Special Session of the U.N. General Assembly: April 10, 1974” (Peking: Foreign Languages Press, 1974).

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8 comments · 3 top-level

mikeash10y ago· 4 in thread

According to Wikipedia, Mao's concept is different, despite the similar name. The term "Third World" comes from 1952 and was used to refer to countries not aligned with either the US or USSR, which would not have included China at the time.

meric10y ago

In 1952 China was aligned with the USSR. It was in the midst of the Korean War of 1950-1953 where Chinese Communists funded by the USSR is helping North Koreans to fight against the South Koreans allied to the US.

The Chinese Civil War where the Communists were funded by the USSR and the Kuomintang were funded by the US just finished 2 years prior.

mikeash10y ago

Sorry, double negative in my comment which is probably confusing. I meant that China was not included among the unaligned countries at the time, because it was aligned with the USSR. In short, yes, what you said.

seanmcdirmid10y ago

But when Mao made his speech in 1974, that was way into the sino-soviet split.

maaku10y ago

Mao didn't invent the term...

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nicklaf10y ago· 1 in thread

I was unaware of Mao's Three World theory.

I had assumed that kelukelugames meant the phrase in the European sense of the term, coined in 1952 by Alfred Sauvy (according to Wikipedia).

hirsinOP10y ago

Quite correct - I took Kissinger at his word [1] when he said Mao coined it. Kissinger tends to gloss over smaller details at times though, he's an excellent student of historiography.

[1] On China

nitrogen10y ago

This appears to be the speech cited: https://books.google.com/books?id=c1hUAAAAMAAJ&focus=searchw...

There's likely to be a better source available to someone wanting to spend the time to find it.

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