Colonial Era

At the end of the colonial era, as many new nations gained independence, relative levels of economic development became an important criterion by which to distinguish between countries. The former colonial powers and [blank] parts of the world generally became known as advanced industrial, or developed, countries, [blank] former colonies and poorer nations became known as less developed, or more positively, developing countries. Critics of the [blank] distribution of wealth across the globe highlighted the role which wealth creation in some places had played in impoverishing poorer nations and, rather, described them as actively underdeveloped. The question as to [blank] economic change is developing or underdeveloping countries remains a vital issue, as the debate over sweatshops highlights.