GEC 8

MODULE 4 and 5

Governor Mariano E. Villafuerte Community College- Siruma

Poblacion, Siruma Camarines Sur
gmvcc.siruma@gmail.com
MODULE OBJECTIVE

At the end of this module, students re expected to:

1. define the term global south

2. differentiate global south and north countries
3. analyze the concept of relations emerged from the experiences of countries

MODULE CONTENT

World of Regions 2

The North (First World Countries) 3

The South (Third World Countries) 3

The emergence of the term the south 4

REASONS FOR THE PERSISTENT DISADVANTAGE OF THE SOUTH 4

1|P age
A WORLD OF REGIONS

GLOBAL DIVIDES: THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH

The gap between the ‘North’ and ‘South’ Despite very significant development gains
globally which have raised many millions of people out of absolute poverty, there is substantial
evidence that inequality between the world’s richest and poorest countries is widening. In 1820
western Europe's per capita income was three times bigger than Africa’s but by 2000 it was
thirteen times as big.

In addition, in 2013, Oxfam reported that the richest 85 people in the world owned the
same amount of wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population. Today the world is much
more complex than the Brandt Line depicts as many poorer countries have experienced significant
economic and social development. However, inequality within countries has also been growing

2|P age
and some commentators now talk of a ‘Global North’ and a ‘Global South’ referring respectively
to richer or poorer communities which are found both within and between countries. For example,
whilst India is still home to the largest concentration of poor people in a single nation it also has
a very sizable middle class and a very rich elite.

There are many causes for these inequalities including the availability of natural
resources; different levels of health and education; the nature of a country’s economy and its
industrial sectors; international trading policies and access to markets; how countries are
governed and international relationships between countries; conflict within and between
countries; and a country’s vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change.

The North-South Divide is a socio-economic and political categorization of countries. The

Cold-War-era generalization places countries in two distinct groups; The North and the South.
The North is comprised of all First World countries and most Second World countries while the
South is comprised of Third World countries. This categorization ignores the geographic position
of countries with some countries in the southern hemisphere such as Australia and New Zealand
being labeled as part of the North.

History

The origin of dividing countries into the North-South Divide arose during the Cold War of
the mid-20th century. During this time, countries were primarily categorized according to their
alignment between the Russian East and the American West. Countries in the East like the Soviet
Union and China which became classified as Second World countries. In the west, the United
States and its allies were labelled as First World countries. This division left out many countries
which were poorer than the First World and Second World countries. The poor countries were
eventually labeled as Third World countries. This categorization was later abandoned after the
Second World countries joined the First World countries. New criteria was established to
categorize countries which was named the North-South Divide where First World countries were
known as the North while Third World countries comprised the South.

The North (First World Countries)

The North of the Divide is comprised of countries which have developed economies and account
for over 90% of all manufacturing industries in the world. Although these countries account for
only one-quarter of the total global population, they control 80% of the total income earned
around the world. All the members of the G8 come from the North as well as four permanent
members of the UN Security Council. About 95% of the population in countries in The North have
enough basic needs and have access to functioning education systems. Countries comprising the
North include The United States, Canada, all countries in Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand
as well as the developed countries in Asia such as Japan and South Korea.

The South (Third World Countries)

The South is comprised of countries with developing economies which were initially referred to
as Third World countries during the Cold War. An important characteristic of countries in the
South is the relatively low GDP and the high population. The Third World accounts for only a fifth
of the globally earned income but accounts for over three-quarters of the global population.
Another common characteristic of the countries in the South is the lack of basic amenities. As
little as 5% of the population is able to access basic needs such as food and shelter. The
economies of most countries in the South rely on imports from the North and have low

3|P age
technological penetration. The countries making up the South are mainly drawn from Africa,
South America, and Asia with all African and South American countries being from the South. The
only Asian countries not from the South are Japan and South Korea.

Criticism

The North-South Divide is criticized for being a way of segregating people along economic lines
and is seen as a factor of the widening gap between developed and developing economies.
However, several measures have been put in place to contract the North-South Divide including
the lobbying for international free trade and globalization. The United Nations has been in the
forefront in diminishing the North-South Divide through policies highlighted in its Millennium
Development Goals.

THE EMERGENCE OF THE TERM THE SOUTH

The 1970s was a period of foment in the developing countries. Many improvements in
living standards and life expectancy rates had been achieved in the 1950s, but by the 1970s these
advances were stalling. Impatience in the Third World was growing. In 1973 OPEC substantially
raised the price of oil, triggering the first global oil crisis. This had a major adverse economic
effect upon the nonoil-exporting countries of the Third World and revealed a lack of solidarity
within the Third World overall. Parallel to this, the developed countries (prior to the discovery and
development of the North Sea oil fields) were becoming increasingly dependent on the Third
World for energy, due to the decline of U.S. oil reserves. These factors increased the economic
power of part of the Third World. In 1974 the first UN-hosted population mega-conference was
held in Bucharest. At this meeting the Group of 77 refused to accept responsibility for their
poverty, instead blaming colonialism and ongoing Western exploitation. Famously, the Indian
delegation called development “the best contraceptive.” This rebellious spirit was also reflected
in calls from the Third World for a New International Economic Order (NIEO).

It is unlikely to be coincidental that the terms the South and the North were first widely
used around this time. These terms appear to have entered common usage as an alternative to
the long-standing geographical and cultural partition of the world into West and East. The new
names avoided the stigma associated with the term the Third World and created the hope that a
new world order—one in which the North would be fairer to the South—was underway.

REASONS FOR THE PERSISTENT DISADVANTAGE OF THE SOUTH

However, new terms alone were insufficient to bring about fundamental change. Despite
the aspirations and efforts of many people, in both South and North, most of the population of
the South remains terribly poor. The reasons for this are complex, but several important
interlocking factors can be identified. They include the South’s historical legacy of disadvantage,
much of it stemming from the colonial system. Also significant are the economic and development
costs associated with enduring and fighting various diseases, especially malaria, tuberculosis, and
HIV/AIDS, all of which affect a substantial number of adults, who would otherwise be more
productive. High levels of Southern indebtedness, poor governance, and corruption are also
important causes.

Other factors warrant mention as well. One is the comparatively high fertility rate in
most developing countries, especially those that are the poorest. This leads to a proportionately
large number of children and young adults, many of whom are poorly educated, un- or
underemployed, and vulnerable to disease and economic exploitation. Another point is that, on

4|P age
the whole, populations and governments in the North have shown little interest in the social and
economic fate of the South. For example, while for several decades many countries in the North
have pledged to increase development aid to the South, very few large countries (and none of
the members of the G-7) have followed through on these promises. In fact, Northern countries
have behaved collectively as though it is just and proper that the economic and social privileges
of Northern populations be enhanced by Southern poverty.

Also significant is the great diversity of the countries of the South. They are united by
comparative disadvantage and poverty, but divided by differences in culture, language, religion,
fertility rates, and stocks of oil and other natural resources. The two most populous nations in
the South—China and India—have fought two wars with each other, and have had a continuous
border dispute since the early 1960s. India is a secular democracy, which aspires to be a
permanent member of the UN Security Council, a status long granted to its great rival China.
Totalitarian China for its part seems as preoccupied with Russia and the United States as with
the issues of the South. The South has also been divided by the policies of OPEC, a cartel
whose richest countries have shown little interest in promoting the broader interest of the
South.

5|P age
Using you own words, Answer the following questions.

1. List at least 5 north countries and south countries

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the difference between North countries and South Countries?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

3. What are the disadvantages living in Third World country?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

6|P age