emergence of a number of independent states that were formerly part of it
(Berger, 1994, p. 257). Most of these, such as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan,
rank as lower-middle-income countries along with, for example, Senegal,
Thailand and Peru.
A significant variation in Third World status is the length of time that
countries have been independent from their colonizers, with most Latin
American countries gaining political independence in the early nineteenth
century and most African only after the Second World War. There are still a
few small territories that have yet to achieve independence from a European
power: the French colonies of Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guyana,
for example. Experience of imperial political control and economic pene-
tration varied considerably, as did the routes to independence which were
taken (roughly divided between constitutional negotiations and armed
struggle). However, the legacy of imperialism and colonialism was every-
where profound, transforming political institutions and processes. New
geo-political boundaries were drawn. Reactions against alien rule mobilized
new political forces and alliances. Indigenous social structures and political
systems were altered by European economic interventions and settlement.
National incomes
Most Third World countries are poor by international standards. The major-
ity are found in the low-income or lower-middle-income categories used by
the World Bank and defined in terms of gross national income per capita.
Differences in per capita incomes vary greatly between regions of the world
and, as Table 1.1 shows, the regions of the Third World continue to lag
behind the developed economies. The gap in real incomes between some
Third World countries, such as those in East Asia, and the industrialized
countries has narrowed considerably since 1945. East Asia’s share of devel-
oping countries real income increased from 22 per cent in 1965 to 35 per
cent in 1999. Per capita incomes throughout the Third World rose relatively
quickly in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite a levelling out in the 1980s, the
average level of per capita income in developing countries rose by 2.1 per
cent per year from 1960 to 1997.
However, in some regions of the Third World incomes have stagnated or
fallen. The divergence between regions mainly occurred in the 1970s so that
whereas by 1980 per capita GDP was growing at 6.7 per cent in East Asia and
3.2 per cent in South Asia it was falling in Latin America and Sub-Saharan
Africa. Per capita incomes in Sub-Saharan Africa have fallen in real terms
2 Understanding Third World Politics