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At one point in time in history, these countries were leading the world in innovation and influence. Today, they are crippled with excessive unemployment, inability to meet budgets, massive debt levels, out-of-control government spending, corruption, protests and overall declining economies and living standards. I hope things turn around but it feels like there is a very long way to go before we see any real substantive changes. We often hear of "1st world" and "3rd world" countries but do you think it is appropriate to classify these countries as "2nd world" at this point in time? Why so?
Spain and Italy are 1st world for sure, maybe some rural parts 2nd world.
Portugal and Greece are in between the 1st and 2nd world but closer to 1st than 2nd.
First/second/third world terminology is outdated. It was used during the Cold War, where 1st world = US and allies, 2nd world = USSR and allies, and 3rd world = everyone else. So no, they're not third world. Maybe you mean developing?
Italy and Spain's combined GDP is slightly over German GDP..
Some Americans must be reading their economic information on the National Enquirer...or perhaps they even read the Daily Mirror to read a yuropean papar.
There are parts in those countries that might be more typical of developing countries. But those are usually remote hinterland regions where young people have moved away from. The bulk of people in all those countries live in cities, which of course are first-world.
It's not that in Germany or the US or Japan there are no abandoned places. Go to some parts of Eastern Germany, it can be quite gloomy. So are parts of the US.
Tiny Portugal is even ahead of Germany in some infrastructure, the fiber optics network for instance is way more elaborate and advanced in Portugal. So is 4G.
They say Portugal and Greece are poor countries with rich people. Or is it the other way around?
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