Everything about Types Of Socialism totally explained
Since the
18th century,
socialist ideas have developed and separated into many different
types of socialism. There have been numerous political movements who called themselves socialists under some definition of the term; this article attempts to list them all.
Communism
Communism can refer to
classless, stateless social organization based upon
common ownership of the
means of production and to a variety of movements acting in the name of this goal. In general, the classless forms of social organisation are not capitalised, while movements associated with official
Communist parties and
Communist states usually are.
The actual goal of the concept of
communism has never been attained in practice. The real idea behind it's to abolish all leadership, and govern with a
commune. That is, the people themselves make all decisions, and everyone contributing to the wellbeing of the
state. In practice, most governments that claim
communism are
totalitarian dictatorships.
The modern political movement of Communism was created when the social democratic parties of Europe split between their rightist and leftist tendencies during World War I. The leftists, led internationally by
Vladimir Lenin,
Rosa Luxemburg and
Karl Liebknecht, in order to distinguish their brand of socialism from the "
reformist" social democrats, were called "Communists". However, after Luxemburg's and Liebknecht's murders, the term Communist became generally associated solely with the parties and organisations following Lenin, along with their various derivations, such as
Stalinism or
Maoism.
There is a considerable variety of views among self-identified Communists. However,
Marxism and
Leninism,
schools of communism associated with
Karl Marx and of Vladimir Lenin respectively, have the distinction of having been a major force in world politics since the early 20th century.
Class struggle plays a central role in Marxism. This theory views the formation of communism as the culmination of the class struggle between the capitalist class, the owners of most of the capital, and the working class. Marx held that society couldn't be transformed from the capitalist
mode of production to the communist mode of production all at once, but required a transitional state which Marx described as the revolutionary
dictatorship of the proletariat.
Some forms of the communist society that Marx envisioned, as emerging from capitalism, have been claimed to be achieved for limited periods, during certain historical moments, and under certain circumstances. For example, the
Paris Commune in fact let
Marx reinforce and implement his theories, by adapting them to a real experience he could draw from. Another similar case, though disputed by
anarcho-syndicalism or even
anarchism, was the
Spanish Revolution of 1936 (often missed or unmentioned by official
historiography), during which much of
Spain's economy, in most of
Republican areas, some of which enjoyed a practical absence of
state, was put under workers' direct collective control.
In addition to this, the term "Communism" (as well as "Socialism"), usually
capitalized, is often used to refer to those political and economical systems and states dominated by a political, bureaucratic class, typically attached to one
single Communist party, that follow
marxism-leninism doctrines and often claim to represent the
dictatorship of the proletariat in a non-democratic fashion, described by critics as in a
totalitarian and
bureaucratic. These systems are also often named as
Stalinism,
State capitalism,
State communism or
state socialism.
With the
Soviet Union's creation, after the end of
Russian Civil War, that followed to initial success of Red
October Revolution in
Russia, other socialist parties in other countries, and the
Bolshevik party itself became
Communist parties, owing allegiance of varying degrees to the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union (see
Communist International). After
World War II, regimes calling themselves Communist took power in Eastern Europe. In
1949, the Communists in
China, supported by
USSR and led by
Mao Zedong, came to power and established the
People's Republic of China. Among the other countries in the
Third World that adopted a bureaucratic
communist state as form of government at some point were
Cuba,
North Korea,
Vietnam,
Laos,
Angola, and
Mozambique. By the early
1980s, almost one-third of the world's population lived under
Communist states.
Communism carries a strong
social stigma in the
United States, due to a history of
anti-communism in the United States. Since the early
1970s, the term "
Eurocommunism" was used to refer to the policies of Communist parties in
western Europe, which sought to break with the tradition of uncritical and unconditional support of the
Soviet Union. Such parties were politically active and electorally significant in
France and
Italy. With the collapse of the statalized
single-party systems, and
Marxist-Leninist governments, in
eastern Europe, from the late 1980s, and the
breakup of the Soviet Union on
December 8,
1991,
Marxist-Leninist State communism's influence has decreased dramatically in Europe, but around a quarter of the world's population still lives under such a kind of '
Communist states'.
Marxism-Leninism and Stalinism
Lenin himself never used the term "Leninism," nor did he refer to his views as "Marxism-Leninism." However, his ideas diverged from classical Marxist theory on several important points (see the articles on Marxism and Leninism for more information).
Bolshevik communists saw these differences as advancements of Marxism made by Lenin. After Lenin's death, his ideology and contributions to Marxist theory were termed "Marxism-Leninism," or sometimes only "Leninism." Marxism-Leninism soon became the official name for the ideology of the
Comintern and of
Communist parties around the world.
Whether Stalin's practices actually followed the principles of Marx and Lenin is still a subject of debate amongst historians and political scientists. Stalin, in contrast to many contemporary revolutionaries, didn't write a significant body of theoretical work. "
Stalinism," strictly speaking, refers to a style of government or political structure, rather than an ideology
per se; during the period of Stalin's rule in the Soviet Union, Marxism-Leninism was proclaimed the official ideology of the state.
Trotskyists in particular believe that Stalinism contradicted authentic Marxism and Leninism, and they intitially used the term "Bolshevik-Leninism" to define their beliefs.
The term "Stalinism" is sometimes used to denote the brand of
Communist theory that dominated the
Soviet Union and the countries within the Soviet sphere of influence during and after the leadership of Joseph Stalin. The term used in the Soviet Union and by most who uphold its legacy, however, is "Marxism-Leninism", reflecting that Stalin himself wasn't a theoretician, but a communicator who wrote several books in language easily understood, and, in contrast to Marx and Lenin, made few new theoretical contributions. However, many people professing Marxism or Leninism view Stalinism as a perversion of their ideas;
Trotskyists, in particular, are virulently
anti-Stalinist, considering Stalinism a
counter-revolutionary policy using Marxism to achieve power.
Rather, Stalinism is more in the order of an interpretation of their ideas, and a certain political system claiming to apply those ideas in ways fitting the changing needs of society, as with the transition from "socialism at a snail's pace" in the mid-twenties to the forced industrialization of the
Five-Year Plans.
The main contributions of Stalin to Communist theory were
Socialism in One Country and the theory of
Aggravation of class struggle under socialism, a theoretical base supporting the repression of political opponents as necessary.
Stalinism has been described as being synonymous with
totalitarianism, or a
tyrannical regime. The term has been used to describe regimes that fight political dissent through violence, imprisonment, and killings.
Maoism
Maoism from other left-wing ideologies is the belief that the
class struggle continues throughout the entire socialist period, as a result of the fundamental
antagonistic contradiction between
capitalism and
communism. Even when the
proletariat has seized state power through a socialist
revolution, the potential remains for a
bourgeoisie to restore capitalism. Indeed, Mao famously stated that "the bourgeoisie [ina socialist country] is right inside the Communist Party itself", implying that corrupt Party officials would subvert socialism if not prevented.
Unlike the earlier forms of Marxism-Leninism in which the urban
proletariat was seen as the main source of revolution, and the countryside was largely ignored, Mao focused on the peasantry as a revolutionary force which, he said, could be mobilized by a Communist Party with their knowledge and leadership.
Unlike most other political ideologies, including other
socialist and Marxist ones, Maoism contains an integral
military doctrine and explicitly connects its political ideology with
military strategy. In Maoist thought, "political power comes from the barrel of the gun" (one of Mao's quotes), and the
peasantry can be mobilized to undertake a "
people's war" of armed struggle involving
guerrilla warfare.
Since the death of Mao and the reforms of Deng, most of the parties explicitly defining themselves as "Maoist" have disappeared, but various communist groups around the world, particularly armed ones like the
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the
New People's Army of the
Philippines, continue to advance Maoist ideas and get press attention for them. These groups generally have the idea that Mao's ideas were betrayed before they could be fully or properly implemented.
Other types of communism
Religious communism: Religious communism is a form of communism centered on religious principles. The term usually refers to a number of utopian religious societies practicing the voluntary dissolution of private property, so that society's benefits are distributed according to a person's needs, and every person performs labor according to their abilities. "Religious communism" has also been used to describe the ideas of religious individuals and groups who advocate the application of communist policies on a wider scale, often joining secular communists in their struggle to abolish capitalism.
Trotskyism: Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself a Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party. He considered himself an advocate of orthodox Marxism. His politics differed greatly from those of Stalin or Mao, most importantly in declaring the need for an international "permanent revolution". Numerous groups around the world continue to describe themselves as Trotskyist and see themselves as standing in this tradition, although they've diverse interpretations of the conclusions to be drawn from this.
Shachtmanism: Shachtmanism is a critical term applied to the form of Marxism associated with Max Shachtman. It has two major components: a bureaucratic collectivist analysis of the Soviet Union and a third camp approach to world politics. Shachtmanites believe that the Stalinist rulers of Communist countries are a new (ruling) class, distinct from the workers and rejects Trotsky's description of Stalinist Russia as being a "degenerated workers' state". Max Shachtman described the USSR as a "bureaucratic collectivist" society. Although Shachtmanism is usually described as a form of Trotskyism, both Trotsky and Shachtman were careful to not describe Shachtman's view as Trotskyist.
Libertarian socialism and Social anarchism
Libertarian socialism is any one of a group of
political philosophies dedicated to opposing coercive forms of
authority and
social hierarchy, in particular the institutions of capitalism and the state. Some of the best known libertarian socialist
ideologies are
anarchism - particularly
anarchist communism and
anarcho-syndicalism, as well as
mutualism,
council communism,
autonomist Marxism,
Neo-Marxism and
social ecology. However, the terms anarcho-communism and libertarian communism shouldn't be considered synonyms for libertarian socialism - anarcho-communism is a particular branch of libertarian socialism. Key figures of libertarian socialism include
William Morris,
Peter Kropotkin,
Emma Goldman,
Rudolf Rocker,
Murray Bookchin and
Noam Chomsky.
Libertarian socialists believe in the abolition of the state and of
private control over the
means of production, considering both to be unnecessary and harmful institutions. Most libertarian socialists support personal property or
use rights over certain goods destined for individual use, but some, such as anarcho-communists, favoured collective ownership in the products of labor as well, with a distribution system which allocates based on one's needs.
Some
individualist anarchists such as
Benjamin Tucker and
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon referred to their philosophy as socialism. However, the meaning of the term "socialism" has long been fluid, and some anarcho-capitalist writers such as Wendy McElroy argue that Tucker's philosophy can't be considered collectivist
Libertarian socialism and anarchism initially co-existed with other forms of socialism in the
First International. However, personal tensions between the figureheads of each movement,
Mikhail Bakunin and
Karl Marx, as well as disagreements over key issues (see
Anarchism and Marxism) led to a split. Anarchists joined the
Second International when it was formed. However, at its fourth congress in London in
1896 (attended by Kropotkin,
Errico Malatesta,
Gustav Landauer,
Louise Michel,
Elisee Reclus,
Jean Grave and other libertarians), they were excluded at the initiative of the German
SPD, despite an intervention in support of them by
Independent Labour Party leader
Keir Hardie. From this moment, anarchists and libertarian socialists have not been seen as part of the socialist mainstream. However, the libertarian socialist tradition has remained strong in the many trade union movements (notably the French
Confédération Générale du Travail and Spanish
Confederación Nacional del Trabajo) and in Britain, where
Nye Bevan,
George Orwell and more recently
Peter Hain have been identified with libertarian socialism. Libertarian socialism also experienced a resurgence with the
New Left in the
1960s. In the context of the European socialist movement,
libertarian has conventionally been used to describe those like
Mikhail Bakunin who opposed state socialism and preferred a form of stateless socialism.
Democratic socialism and social democracy
Modern
democratic socialism is a broad political movement that seeks to propagate the ideals of socialism within the context of a democratic system. Many democratic socialists support
social democracy as a road to reform of the current system, in effect, it's a means to an end. Other groups within democratic socialism support more revolutionary change in society to establish socialist goals. Conversely, modern
social democracy emphasises a program of gradual legislative reform of the
capitalist system in order to make it more equitable and humane, while the theoretical end goal of building a socialist society is either completely forgotten or redefined in a pro-capitalist way. The two movements are widely similar both in terminology and in ideology, though there are a few key differences.
Many who describe themselves as "socialists" disagree with the terminology of "democratic socialism" because they believe that socialism necessarily implies democracy. For many years, though, the terms "democratic socialism" and "social democracy" were used interchangeably to describe the same overall political movement, but in modern times, social democracy is considered to be more centrist and broadly supportive of current capitalist systems (for example, the
social market economy) and the
welfare state, while many democratic socialists support a more fully socialist system, either through
evolutionary or
revolutionary means.
The term
social democracy can refer to the particular kind of society that social democrats advocate. The
Socialist International (SI) - the worldwide organisation of social democratic and democratic socialist parties - defines
social democracy as an ideal form of
representative democracy, that may solve the problems found in a
liberal democracy. The SI emphasizes the following principles
(External Link
): Firstly,
freedom – not only individual liberties, but also freedom from discrimination and freedom from dependence on either the owners of the means of production or the holders of abusive political power. Secondly,
equality and social justice – not only before the law but also economic and socio-cultural equality as well, and equal opportunities for all including those with physical, mental, or social disabilities. Finally,
solidarity – unity and a sense of compassion for the victims of injustice and inequality.
Democratic socialists and social democrats both advocate the concept of the welfare state, but whereas most social democrats view the welfare state as the end itself, many democratic socialists view it as a means to an end. Democratic socialists are also committed to the ideas of the
redistribution of wealth and power, as well as social ownership of major industries, concepts widely abandoned by social democrats. As of current, there are no countries in the world that could qualify as a "democratic socialist" state, though many European nations are considered to be socially democratic or nearly so.
The prime example of social democracy is
Sweden, which prospered considerably in the 1990s and 2000s. Sweden has produced a robust economy from
sole proprietorships up through to
multinationals, while maintaining one of the highest
life expectancies in the world, low
unemployment,
inflation, all while registering sizable
economic growth. Many see this as validation of the superiority of social democracy. However, many others point out that in comparison with other developed countries Sweden did fall behind in that period
(External Link). Also, Sweden experiences welfare dependency of around 20% of the working age population according to the
Swedish Trade Union Confederation. Likewise,
crime has been steadily rising since the 1960s, and during the past decade has grown ever more violent.
Religious socialism
Christian socialism
There are individuals and groups, past and present, that are clearly both Christian and Socialist, such as
Frederick Denison Maurice, author of
The Kingdom of Christ (1838), or the contemporary
Christian Socialist Movement (UK) (CSM),
(External Link) affiliated with the British
Labour Party.
Distributism, is a
third-way economic philosophy formulated by such Catholic thinkers as
G. K. Chesterton and
Hilaire Belloc to apply the principles of
social justice articulated by the Roman Catholic Church, especially in Pope
Leo XIII's encyclical
Rerum Novarum.
Various
Catholic clerical parties have at times referred to themselves as "Christian Social." Two examples are the
Christian Social Party of
Karl Lueger in
Austria before and after
World War I, and the contemporary
Christian Social Union in Bavaria. Yet these parties have never espoused socialist policies and have always stood at the conservative side of
Christian Democracy.
Hugo Chavez of
Venezuela is an advocate of a form of Christian socialism as he claims that
Jesus Christ was a socialist.
Islamic socialism
Islamic socialism is the political ideology of
Libya's
Muammar al-Gaddafi, former
Iraqi president
Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr,
Syrian President
Hafez Al-Assad and of the
Pakistani leader of
Pakistan Peoples Party,
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
The Green Book (written by
Muammar al-Gaddafi) consists of three parts - "The Solution of the Problem of Democracy: 'The Authority of the People'", "The Solution of the Economic Problem: 'Socialism'", and "The Social Basis of the Third Universal Theory". The book is controversial because it completely rejects modern conceptions of
liberal democracy and encourages the institution of a form of
direct democracy based on popular committees.
Scholars have highlighted the similarities between the Islamic economic system and socialist theory. For example, both are against unearned income.
Islam does allow private ownership of
natural resources and large industries, which are owned collectively, or at least encouraged to be so.] Most historians agree that fascism and
Nazism were anti-socialist movements which drew their political support mainly from
right wing conservative elements.
National Socialism (Nazism)
Some people claim that National Socialism (
Nazism) is a form of socialism, but traditional socialists reject the
nationalism and
racism of the Nazis, and consider them a
far right party that used the guise of socialism. The Nazi party's formal title was the
National Socialist German Workers Party (formerly the
German Workers Party), and the party's
25 point program included measures to redistribute income and war profits, to introduce profit-sharing in large industries, to nationalize trusts, increase old-age pensions and provide free education. Some political theorists and economists argue that the Nazis' large
public works projects and state interventions are indicative of socialism. The Nazis made efforts to coordinate private business goals with the needs of the state, particularly with rearmament and the establishment of some state-owned concerns such as
Volkswagen.
Howe
Adolf Hitler described the Nazi philosophy as a type of socialism:
In 1922, Hitler explained his use of the words
national and
social:
Hitler defined socialism as to be almost identical to nationalism:
According to historian
Henry A. Turner, Hitler grew more cynical later in life, expressing regret for having integrated the word
Socialist into the party name. At a meeting of Nazi leaders in 1929, Hitler said:
"That is an unfortunate word altogether. [...] What does socialism really mean? If people have something to eat and their pleasures, then they've their socialism.
Nazism vs. traditional socialism
The Nazis considered German
Social Democrats and
Communists as enemies to be censored, outlawed and killed. The Nazis gained power with the support of Germany's traditional conservative parties. Internationally, Nazi Germany was criticised by left-wing parties and supported by right-wing parties. In 1934 the Nazis had a hostile purge within their party — the
Night of the Long Knives — which has been viewed as a victory of the
right wing of the Nazi party and the
Schutzstaffel (SS) over the more socialist
Strasserists and
Ernst Röhm's
Sturmabteilung (SA).
One of National Socialism's main differences from Marxism and other traditional forms of socialism was that it was a racial and national rather than international movement. National Socialism focused on the struggle of the so-called
Aryan race to unite and overcome class distinctions to become the dominant race of the world. The socialist elements of National Socialism was only to be available to Aryans; other peoples would have their rights removed and could be submitted to persecution. Nazis rejected the
class struggle and common ownership of the
means of production, which many consider the main tenets of socialism. The Nazis had demanded some
nationalization of big industries and
land reform before their rise to power, but they didn't act on most of these policies, and they outlawed
strikes and independent
trade unions.
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