Second World

The Second World was a term used during the Cold War for the industrial socialist states that were under the influence of the Soviet Union. In the first two decades following World War II, 19 communist states emerged; all of these were at least originally within the Soviet sphere of influence, though some (notably, Yugoslavia and the People's Republic of China) broke with Moscow and developed their own path of socialism while retaining Communist governments. Most communist states remained part of this bloc until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991; afterwards, only five Communist states remained: China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam. Along with "First World" and "Third World", the term was used to divide the states of Earth into three broad categories.

This article is about the western political concept. For the Maoist political concept, see Three Worlds Theory. For the online virtual world, see Second Life. For the global war fought between 1939 - 1945, also known as the Second World War, see World War II.
"Communist world" redirects here. For a worldwide communist society, see World communism.
The "Three Worlds" of the Cold War era, April – August 1975
  First World: Western Bloc led by the USA, UK, NATO, Japan and their allies
  Second World: Eastern Bloc led by the USSR, Warsaw Pact, China and their allies
  Third World: Non-Aligned Movement (led by India and Yugoslavia) and other neutral countries
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