The Third World

by Peter Worsley

Today the colonial empires of the world are shrinking, and the new nations which have emerged from the colonial past are rapidly developing into an important force in international affairs€”the "third world." They are faced by a common problem, the urgent necessity to transform a peasant society into a modern industrial economy, and they are united by a common outlook, absolute opposition to all forms of colonialism and neocolonialism.In this work Peter Worsley analyzes the unique political forms that have evolved as a result of these two basic conditions. In his view the third world has rejected both of the great ideologies of today. Their new solutions are unique in world history, being based on populism, socialism, and, often, the one-party state, which, although anathema to the Western liberal, is a natural development in societies united by the common enemy of colonialism."No one seriously concerned with the greatest problem of our time, the division of th

Genres: Anthropology, History

390 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Peter Maurice Worsley is a noted sociologist and social anthropologist from Birkenhead, UK.
He is a major figure in both anthropology and sociology, and is noted for introducing the term "Third World" into English. He not only made theoretical and ethnographic contributions, but also was regarded as a key founding member of the New Left.

Worsley started reading English at Cambridge but his studies were interrupted by World War II. He served in the British Army as an officer in Africa and India. During this time he developed his interest in anthropology. After the war he worked on mass education in Tanganyika and then went to study under Max Gluckman at the University of Manchester.

He lectured in sociology at the University of Hull and then went on c.1963 to become the first Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester.