Socialism

The raised fist, or the clenched fist, is a long-standing image of mixed meaning, often a symbol of political solidarity. It is also a common symbol of socialism. It can also represent a salute to express unity, strength, or resistance.

Proponents and subideologies

Note: People marked with an asterisk are their countries' starting leaders.

Subideology	Description	Adherents
Default (None)	"Socialism is a lot of different things, depending on who you ask. Whether revolutionary or reformist, and whether marxist or utopian, it is and always has been of many different shapes. One thing remains, however: it is an ideology by the people, for the people. One of the main characteristics of socialism is, of course, the social ownership of the means of production. While it may either be introduced gradually over time or more immediately in the case of a revolution, it is one of its stated goals, as adherents of the ideology believe that it is a way to create a juster, fairer economy, built for the many instead of for the few. Also important to socialism is the establishment of workplace democracy, giving the worker a say in how his business operates, and it is often coupled with a greater-than-usual emphasis on political democracy, whether it be electoral or soviet. Socialism has been, through the ages, equally praised as it has been reviled. And yet, it marches on. Despite the hardships, and despite the setbacks, socialism continues its almost unrelenting course, aiming to free the worker and the common man from the tyranny of capitalism."	Henri Grouès Fawzi ibn Abu Bakr Jayaprakash Narayan Amílcar Cabral
Anarcho-Communism	From the streets of Barcelona to the fields of China, anarchism is as tenacious and as stubborn as a rat. It would seem, at least on the surface, that anarchism is like a hydra- for every anarchist that is killed, imprisoned, or 'disappeared', two more will pop up in their place. But why? Anarcho-Communism is a radical left-wing ideology that is contrasted to more standard socialist ideologies like Marxism and democratic socialism by its strong opposition to authority, which it claims as synonymous with the evils of capitalism. Anarcho-communists are also notable for their distaste for large-scale industrialization, preferring to rely on local communes and farms for production. Anarcho-communists have had several brief moments of relative power, most notably with Nestor Makhno's Free Territory in Ukraine in 1920. But just as anarcho-communist societies are united behind common goals, they are also divided by almost everything else. Infighting, chaos and confusion are present in all anarcho-communist societies, and this usually leads to their downfall. Modern Anarcho-Communism began with the works of thinkers like Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and Mikhail Bakunin in the mid-1800s. Seeking the total destruction of all forms of oppression, from capitalism to racism to the state itself, anarcho-communists exist in their own political bubble- scorned by the left and hated by the right. Nonetheless, Anarcho-Communism serves as a beacon of hope for any who have been cast aside by the existing system. One can be sure that no matter how dark and authoritarian the world becomes, anarchists will be hiding in the shadows, waiting for their opportunity to spring forth and realize their cries of 'no gods, no masters.'	Pyotr Siuda* Worker's Council of Orenburg* North Siberian Soviets Yevgeniya Taratuta
Christian Socialism	Christian Socialism is a broad umbrella term to describe all beliefs that combine the moral teachings of Jesus Christ with the economic theory of left-wing ideologues. This mix spiritualism and materialism may seem like an oxymoron at first glance, but that has not stopped thinkers and theologians from synthesizing the two. They consider themselves to be just as devout as any other Christian, and they reject Marxist beliefs that religion is an "opiate of the masses" that is ultimately incompatible with the goal of revolution. Although many argue that socialism is inherently hostile to Christianity, Christian socialists argue that it is actually capitalism that is incompatible: they consider it to be akin to idolatry, a cult of the Almighty Dollar that encourages greed and condemns charity. They turn to the Bible to both support their viewpoints, pointing out that Jesus said "One cannot serve both God and wealth," as well as how the earliest Christians "held everything in common" and collectively shared their possessions. Only collectivist social policies, they say, can stay close to Christ's teachings while also helping all those in society.	Franco Rodano Alexander Men Camilo Torres Restrepo
Revolutionary Front	The Revolutionary Front is, at least in theory, a unified coalition of various different sects, strains and factions of the socialist, communist and anarchist left, all with the intended purpose of gaining institutional and government power to establish socialism. In practice, this means such varying ideologies as Democratic Socialists, who believe in revolution through the ballot box, and authoritarian socialists, who are disgusted with what they describe as 'bourgeois democracy', are expected to cooperate and work together for the advancement of socialism. This, unsurprisingly, can lead to a very incoherent bloc, with actual governing policies being based upon internal compromise or the result of certain factions winning out against others. Typically, the Revolutionary Front is most often seen in places where the political left can only hope to maintain power through a big tent and coalition building, or in places that are under threat from the right wing that seek to undermine the ability for such left parties to exist in the first place. Revolutionary Front leaders are as diverse as their base, and are often instrumental in maintaining the survival of the Front in the first place, if not its actual creator. Whether a Revolutionary Front can survive its leader, however, depends on whether it can learn sacrifice ideological purity for the sake of political (and sometimes literal) survival.	Pietro Nenni Jack Jones Carlos Antunes Aris Velouchiotis Yevdokiya Bershanskaya* Maria Borchenko Kadyrov Abdurashit* Hồ Chí Minh* Ahmad Boestamam Amir Sjarifuddin Luis Taruc y Mangalus* Jacques Stephen Alexis Salvador Allende Gossens
Ultravisionary Socialism	Since Mankind has first glanced at the celestial dome, it has dreamed of reaching higher than the ground it stands over. For that, mankind has evolved and banded together, reaching ever higher peaks of knowledge, so one day, it could fulfill their existential inheritance. While many would be content to claim that Communism is the next step of human revolution, Ultravisionaries are not content to simply sit on their laurels. A combination of Communism, with a heavy focus on the sciences, Ultravisionarism sees Socialism as not only the next step, but also an aspect of the next stage of human progress: the complete unity of the disciplines and laws of science. The stars could not be farther. Yet, there is glory eternal for those who look ever forward.	Andrei Zhdanov Vladimir Chelomey Nikolai Kardashev
Agrarian Socialism	Unlike Marxist Socialism, which theorizes the driving force of the revolution to be the urban proletariat, Agrarian Socialism places the peasantry at the forefront of the revolution. Mostly popular in scarcely-industrialized, undeveloped states, its ideal society is based on an agrarian vision of society, where the land is owned by the people instead of by a landlord class. Along with a socialistic economic system, and the collective ownership of the means of production, agrarian socialism aims to realise an agrarian utopia, where the farmer toils away happily, for he knows that he truly and finally gets to reap the ripe fruits of his labor. Important to note, however, is that Agrarian Socialism is not an inherently revolutionary ideology: indeed, it can come to power through the ballot box as well as through the barrel of a gun, which makes it a quite broad and adaptable ideology to its supporters. Of course, it is not without its detractors: claims from the left that socialism and true equality cannot be achieved without industrialisation coincide with more "traditional" critiques from the right, which argue against the merits of socialism altogether.	Nikola Petkov Erlendur Patursson* Abdulrahman Mahmudi Mongush Buyan-Badyrgy
Syndicalism	What is socialism? In short, it is the workers' ownership of the means of production, whether directly or through the state. What, then, is more purely socialistic than Syndicalism - the idea that workers wrest from the capitalist class control of society and the economy through the revolutionary action of the general strike, and build a new society on the basis of trade unions directly composed of the workers themselves, with no middleman? Syndicalism argues for direct action - strikes, sabotage of production, and demonstrations - against the capitalist system both to secure better conditions for workers while living under capitalism and to ultimately overthrow and replace it altogether. Though the successes of the October Revolution and other factors sent the syndicalist movement into decline and marginalization, it has never truly gone away; perhaps one day, a new generation of syndicalists will strike fear into the hearts of bourgeoisie and politicians alike as the militants and saboteurs of the early 1900s did.	Charles Soccal Vitaly Kostin
Pan-Africanism	First springing to life in the early 20th century, Pan-Africanism stands as the product of years of European oppression, from the British to the French to the Germans to a dozen other nations besides. Its proponents reject the idea of individual African nations, socialist or otherwise- instead preaching that, in order to truly stand against European colonizers, Africa must stand united under one banner. Falling on the far-left of the political spectrum, Pan-Africanism can be easily differed from its counterpart in African Socialism by its vanguardist attitude, its emphasis on anti-imperialism, and its staunch adherence to a pan-national identity for what Europe once called the "Dark Continent". While its adherents are primarily found in West Africa- specifically Cameroon- and South Africa as a major part of the ANC, ideologues can be found from Cape Town to Cairo- even gaining traction among Black communities in the United States and the Caribbean. Motivated, angry, and aggressive in spreading its influence, those with interests in the region should keep an eye on the Pan-Africanists.	Félix-Roland Moumié* Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi Isaac Theophilus Akunna Wallace-Johnson Koumandian Keita Cheikh Anta Diop Aoua Keita Mathieu Kérékou Joseph Ki-Zerbo Djibo Bakary Christophe Kragbé Gnagbé Oliver R. Tambo Chris Hani Agostinho Neto Andimba Toivo ya Toivo Marien Ngouabi Christophe Gbenye Abdulrahman Mohamed Babu Edward Sokoine Mishake Muyongo Jacques Stephen Alexis
African Socialism	They talk of the failure of socialism, but where is the success of capitalism in Africa? African Socialism is an ideology formed as a result of the sudden independence achieved by many former French and British colonies in the wake of the Second World War. Instead of following their former colonizers in pursuing a capitalist model, African Socialists sought out an ideology that was more afrocentric. The main distinction between African Socialism and more classical strains of socialism is the focus on the sharing of economic resources in a traditional African way. Some African Socialists believe that Africa's background in tribal community life excludes the validity of the theory of class struggle, and makes socialism the natural way of life for African nations. While pan-Africanist, this form of African Socialism does not conform to the ideology adhered to by Cameroon. This form of African Socialism is much more grassroots and decentralized. Seeking a more moderate path, this strain of African Socialism seeks to respect local African traditions and structures. It is also not focused on expansionism, unlike the Cameroonian brand, although it is not necessarily opposed to violence.	Kwame Nkrumah Julius Nyerere Kenneth Kaunda
Ba'athism	"One Nation, Bearing an Eternal Message." The brainchild of Michel Aflaq and Zaki al-Arsuzi, Ba'athism is a revolutionary Arab nationalist movement, aimed at creating a 'renaissance' across the Arab world by means of revolution against foreign oppressors. Ba'athist ideology combines notions of pan-Arabism, Arab socialism, and secularism into an ideological platform that aims to mobilize and subsequently unify the whole Arab nation through revolutionary struggle, regardless of faith or region. The Ba'ath party functions as the universal vanguard for the Arab nation, accelerating its development in order to bring about the renaissance into all aspects of life. Its ostensible goals are progress, liberty, and socialism as defined by Aflaq, within a context suited to the Arab world. Dedication to modernization and progress means that the party opposes not only foreign rule but also all the forms of feudal and noble reaction across the Arab world. Liberty in the Ba'athism sense does not necessarily mean liberal parliamentary democracy, as it may subvert the revolution, and socialism here substitutes the Marxist notion of class struggle for a national struggle against colonialism. 'Arab Socialism' is considered an important means of reaching the renaissance, but not its ultimate purpose. In reality, the ideological purity of Ba'athist parties across the Middle East is incredibly varied and intrinsically linked with local culture and tradition, as well as an influx of foreign political theories. The policies followed by the Ba'athist movements range from the rampant militarism of some branches to promises of representative democracy and socialism by others. Their only common goal is the creation of a united Arab state, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Gulf.	Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr Michel Aflaq Rashid Karami
Left-Wing Nationalism	From the East to the West, from the most developed nation to the least, there arises a new trend in politics of the new age: left-wing nationalism. Espousing left-wing ideals of equality, class consciousness, and the ideal of a socialist modernity, its believers aim to challenge imperialism by fashioning these ideas into a clarion call for self-determination and independence. The proponents of left-wing nationalism transform socialist agitation into a weapon with which to combat either imperialist interference and influence in society. In the Cold War, left-wing nationalism is a wide label: it describes both revolutionary tendencies and electoralist reform; it covers a broad range of adherents, from Europe to Asia, from Africa to America. Despite this wide-ranging appellation, however, they all have something in common: nationalism is not irreconcilable with socialism or socialistic policies, and that self-determination and political independence is a necessary step in achieving equality and liberty.	Ivan Dziuba Tahir Badakhshi Supha Sirimanon Burhanuddin al-Helmy Mohan Singh Benyoucef Benkhedda Musa Anter Abdullah al-Sallal Jaafar Nimeiry Sam Nujoma Eduardo Mondlane Samora Machel François Tombalbaye Leopold Takawira Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Alexander Zvyagin Ryszard Kukliński Makandal Daaga
Guevarism	Of all the colorful personalities that took part in the Cuban Revolution, only one ever reached Fidel Castro's international fame - the Argentine Marxist known as Ernesto 'Che' Guevara. His ideas have come to be known as Guevarism. In its current context, Guevarism is an umbrella term for a variety of leftist movements whose chief distinction is their organization around the Revolutionary Coordination Junta and Guevara as a rallying figurehead. Radically breaking from all mainstream communist thought, Guevarism outright rejects the need for any established vanguard party to organize a Marxist revolution. Instead, small fast-moving bands of insurgents act as the vanguard themselves, mimicking Che's own experiences in the Cuban Revolution. Through generating discontent among the peasant class, propagandizing, and guerrilla warfare, the insurgents will put enough pressure on any corrupt and oligarchic political system to stir the populace into armed rebellion. Its fundamentally unifying tenets are an inherent focus on the peasantry and rural areas over the traditional urban workers, armed struggle, internationalism, and a belief in revolutionary willpower - that any group of sufficiently motivated militants will find success. Guevarism has mostly found success in Latin America as the mainstream strand of leftist revolutionary thought, but it lacks a formal doctrine due to its internationalist nature, and in consequence, the many differences in thought within the organizations tied to the Junta.	Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Che Guevara Manuel Agustín Aguirre
Islamic Socialism	"Look at all religions. Look at Moses. Did Moses not rebel before three symbols? Korah, the greatest capitalist of his time. Balaam, the greatest priest of the deviated religion of multi-theism. And the Pharaoh, the greatest symbol of political power of his time. Did he not arise against the status quo?" - Ali Shariati The rise of Islam represented the greatest political, social and economic revolution to have ever rocked the Arabian peninsula and the world at large. The self-serving and corrupt polytheism that came before it was uprooted from every crevice of Arabian society, and a new revolutionary order that promised a more egalitarian state of affairs and served to unify the disparate tribes of Arabia into one whole would come to be. And yet to many, among them, Abu Dhur al-Ghiffari, a companion of the prophet, the accumulation of wealth that followed the death of the Islamic Prophet was nothing but a bastardisation of Islamic doctrine and ideals. Drawing upon this analysis, the enshrined principle of Zakat and the revolutionary nature of the First Islamic State, the Islamic socialists – be they Sunnis or Shiites – aim to liberate the Ummah from the chains of capitalism and the reactionary culture of self-indulgence and exploitation that it perpetuates. And from upon the ruins of the capitalist system, the old Ummah will be morphed into a revolutionary, social and anti-colonial community that redistributes its wealth equitably, ensures that no one person is left hungry, unclothed or without shelter and that no toiler is left uncompensated for their labour.	Mirsaid Sultangaliyev
Reformist Socialism	As much as the idealism of Socialism seeks to prosthelytize an egalitarian vision of humanity free from the shackles of capitalistic and demagogic imperialism, it is almost irrefutable that the first attempts to form Socialist societies were anything other than the product of violent extremism; between the sheer brutality of the Bolshevik Revolution, the vicious infighting that plagued the first Republic of China and the preeminent nightmare that arose from the Weimar Collapse, it is hard to find examples where global antipathy for social revolution is not tragically deserved. It is from the failures of Lenin and Bukharin that Reformist Socialism began to form; born from moralistic revulsion at the authoritarian tendencies of mainstream Communism, seeking to abolish the paranoiac and and autocratic methods associated with the former Soviet Union and their imitators, they firmly believe that a peaceful revolution and transition to an idyllic, egalitarian society and economy can, and should be accomplished through reform over revolution, and that through the popular support of the common people, the bloody beginnings of the Socialist Revolution can finally be redeemed.	Leonidas Kyrkos Karen Demirchyan Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal Mohammad Noor Ahmad Etemadi H. V. Evatt Clyde Cameron Jim Cairns Clément Jumelle
Buddhist Socialism	Buddhist Socialism, sometimes also called Dhammic Socialism, refers to a wide range of views within Asia which in some way combine the economic and social equity associated with socialism and the traditional beliefs, precepts, and morals of Buddhist thinking. It is a broad term, not limited to a specific sect, and individuals who identify with the label hold varying convictions on democracy, monarchy, Marxism, and a number of other key issues. Buddhist Socialism inspires in some images of Norodom Sihanouk, in others visions of Peljidiin Genden, and in others still snapshots of Buddhadāsa Bhikku. However, this diversity in thought does not render the term useless, as Buddhist Socialism still refers to quite a specific political phenomenon. It represents a drive among a number of leaders and communities to modernize Buddhist thought and combine it with the influences of Western philosophies, yet so too does it represent a partial rejection of Western views on government requiring separation from a singular guiding religion. To a Buddhist socialist, the world Western socialists speak of is incompatible with their secular values, for how would a world of egalitarianism without the trappings of greed be possible but through the teachings of the Buddha?	Bong Souvannavong
Revolutionary Gaitanismo	Revolutionary Gaitanismo was born amidst the flames of the Cuban Revolution. It rejects unity through nationality for unity under a permanent revolution, where the national country will destroy the political country and build a humanist direct democracy. Above all, the goal is democracy, which is directly equated with socialism and vice versa; any new dictatorship is a complete betrayal of the Revolution. As in Gaitánismo, democracy must be extended into all levels of society. Interclassism is replaced with Marxian tenets, and revolutionaries organized into a highly pluralistic 'democratic vanguard.' Against capitalist exploitation, it promotes economic democracy, where a decentralized planned economy works with a strong national market, which is subordinate to planning but otherwise operates freely. It also encourages foreign investment to generate capital when the state cannot, though it seeks to heavily limit the influence of foreign interests in national affairs. Revolutionary Gaitanismo sees multi-party and mass politics as either the vehicle for the Revolution or its ultimate goal, and welcomes any bourgeoisie that side with the national country as trusted allies. Geopolitically, Revolutionary Gaitanists are pragmatically friendly with the OFN, but ultimately walk their own path as OFN foreign policy is often dictated by big business than genuine goodwill. The young guard of Gaitanismo is united in their conviction that revolution, peaceful or armed, is the only way for social change, and that all tyrants must fall.	Fidel Castro Manuel Aurelio Tavárez