List of non-communist socialist states

Last updated

This is a list of non-communist states that self-identify as socialist states. That means this list includes African socialist states, Arab socialist states, Ba'athist states, and other unique socialist state formations.

Contents

Socialist states

CountryFull nameFromUntilDurationConstitutional statement
Flag of Algeria.svg Algeria People's Democratic Republic of Algeria 10 September 196323 February 198925 years, 166 daysPreamble: "The harmonious and efficient functioning of the political institutions provided for by the Constitution is ensured by the National Liberation Front which: Mobilizes, supervises and educates the popular masses for the achievement of socialism;" [1] The National Liberation Front is a political party based on Arab socialism. [2]
Flag of Burma (1948-1974).svg/Flag of Myanmar (1974-2010).svg Burma Union of Burma 2 March 19623 January 197411 years, 307 daysChapter XVI General Provisions: "In order to overcome this deterioration and to build Socialism, the Revolutionary Council of the Union of Burma assumed responsibility as a historical mission, adopted the Burmese Way to Socialism and also formed the Burma Socialist Programme Party". [3]
Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma 3 January 197418 September 198814 years, 259 days
Total2 March 196218 September 198826 years, 200 days
Flag of Cape Verde (1975-1992).svg Cape Verde Republic of Cape Verde 5 July 197522 September 199217 years, 79 daysChapter 1, Article 1: "Cape Verde is a sovereign, democratic, laic, unitary, anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist state". [4]

It was a one-party state ruled by the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde, whose goal was the construction of a socialist society and which received support from other socialist states. [5]

Flag of Chad.svg Chad Republic of Chad 16 April 196213 April 197512 years, 362 daysFrom 1962 to 1975, the African socialist Chadian Progressive Party was the sole legal political party in Chad.
Flag of Djibouti.svg Djibouti Republic of Djibouti 24 October 19813 October 199210 years, 345 daysLaw on National Mobilization Part 2, Article 4: "During the National Mobilization the People's Rally for Progress guarantees the formation and expression of popular consensus and the national will for economic and social transformation. It brings to the President of the Republic, guarantor of national unity, the support of its organization and the action of its activists. It ensures within it the democratic debate between the various social, cultural, economic and regional components of the national community as well as their equitable representation, their free expression and right of proposal. Its statutes must promote a broad development of internal democracy as well as broad popular support for the various institutions of the Republic". [6]

The People's Rally for Progress is a socialist party.
Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt Republic of Egypt 18 June 195322 February 19584 years, 249 daysNeither 1953 constitutional declaration, 1956 Egyptian Constitution [7] nor the Provisional Constitution of the United Arab Republic [8] used the word 'socialist' or 'socialism', but the sole legal parties – the Liberation Rally and the National Union – were socialist.
United Arab Republic 22 February 195828 September 19613 years, 218 days
Arab Republic of Egypt 28 September 196126 March 200745 years, 179 daysArticle One of 1964 constitution of Egypt, then known as the United Arab Republic, directly mentioned socialism:

"The United Arab Republic is a democratic, socialist State based on the alliance of the working powers of the people"

Article One of the Egyptian Constitution of 1971: [9]

"The Arab Republic of Egypt is a Socialist Democratic State based on the alliance of the working forces of the people."

The 2007 Amendments removed the mention of Egypt as a socialist state from Article One. [10] [11] [12] Socialism was still mentioned in the preamble and other sections, but fully removed following the 2011 revolution. [13] [14]

Total18 June 195326 March 200753 years, 281 days [a]
Flag of Equatorial Guinea (1973-1979).svg Equatorial Guinea Republic of Equatorial Guinea 7 July 19703 August 19799 years, 27 daysSee the 1973 Equatorial Guinean constitutional referendum.

Preamble: "The United National Workers' Party of Equatorial Guinea (PUNT), draws up the general policy of the nation, and coordinates and controls it through the State organs". [16]

The United National Workers' Party was a political party based on African socialism.
Flag of Eritrea.svg Eritrea State of Eritrea 24 May 199134 years, 103 daysThe People's Front for Democracy and Justice is the sole legal political party in Eritrea. PFDJ was originally Maoist and is still described as "ontologically Marxist". [17]
Ghana flag 1964.svg Ghana Republic of Ghana 1 July 196024 February 19665 years, 238 daysPart 1, Article 2: "In the confident expectation of an early surrender of sovereignty to a union of African states and territories, the people now confer on Parliament the power to provide for the surrender of the whole or any part of the sovereignty of Ghana". [18]

See the 1960 Ghanaian constitutional referendum.

Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, is mentioned in the 1960 constitution. Nkrumah and his party, the Convention People's Party, were African socialists, whose party constitution stated: "To establish a socialist state in which all men and women shall have equal opportunity and where there shall be no capital[ist] exploitation". [19]

Ghana's Seven Year Development plan included the task to "[e]mbark upon the socialist transformation of the economy through the rapid development of state and co-operative sectors". [20]
Flag of Guinea.svg Guinea People's Revolutionary Republic of Guinea 2 October 19583 April 198425 years, 184 daysFrom 1958 to 1984, the African socialist Democratic Party of Guinea – African Democratic Rally was the sole legal political party in Guinea. [21]
Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg Guinea-Bissau Republic of Guinea-Bissau 10 September 19749 May 199116 years, 241 daysChapter 1, Article 1: "Guinea-Bissau is a sovereign, democratic, laic, unitary, anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist state". [22]

It was a one-party state ruled by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, whose goal was the construction of a socialist society and which received support from other socialist states.

Flag of Iraq (1959-1963).svg /Flag of Iraq (1991-2004).svg Iraq Iraqi Republic 14 July 19588 February 19634 years, 209 daysFrom 1958 to 1963, the Iraqi Communist Party held significant power within the progressive military government of General Abd al-Karim Qasim.

See the 14 July Revolution. [23]
8 February 196317 July 19685 years, 160 daysPart 1, Article 1: "The Republic of Iraq is a democratic, socialist state, deriving the principles of her democracy and socialism from the Arab Heritage and the Islamic spirit." [24]

From 1963 to 1968, the Arab Socialist Union was the sole legal political party in Iraq. [25]

Iraqi Republic 17 July 19687 April 200536 years, 264 daysChapter 1, Article 1: "Its [the country's] basic objective is the realization of one Arab State and the build-up of the socialist system". [26]
Total14 July 19587 April 200546 years, 267 days
Flag of Libya (1969-1972).svg/Flag of Libya (1977-2011).svg Libya Libyan Arab Republic 1 September 19692 March 19777 years, 182 daysSection 1, Article 6: "The aim of the state is the realization of socialism through the application of social justice which forbids any form of exploitation". [27]
Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 2 March 197715 April 19869 years, 44 days
Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 15 April 198620 October 201125 years, 188 days
Total1 September 196920 October 201142 years, 49 days
Flag of Madagascar.svg Madagascar Democratic Republic of Madagascar 30 December 197512 September 199216 years, 257 daysPreamble: "The Malagasy people,[...] — Determined to build a State of a new type, expression of the interests of the working masses, and to build a society in conformity with the socialist principles set out in the 'Charter of the Malagasy Socialist Revolution'," [28] [29]
Flag of Mali.svg Mali Republic of Mali 20 June 196026 March 199130 years, 251 daysFrom 1960 to 1968, the African socialist Sudanese Union – African Democratic Rally was the sole legal political party in Mali.

The 1974 Malian constitution provided for a one-party system which was ruled by the socialist Democratic Union of the Malian People. [30]
Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg Mauritania Islamic Republic of Mauritania 25 December 196110 December 198416 years, 197 daysChapter 1, Article 9: "The popular will is expressed through the democratically organized State Party. The Mauritanian People's Party, born from the merger of the national parties existing on December 25, 1961, is recognized as the only party of the State". [31]

The Mauritanian People's Party was a political party based on Islamic socialism.
Flag of Senegal.svg Senegal Republic of Senegal 20 August 196024 April 198120 years, 247 daysFrom 1960 to 1975, the African socialist Senegalese Progressive Union (UPS) was the sole legal political party in Senegal and until 1981 constitutionally only three parties were allowed: a socialist party (UPS), a liberal party and a Marxist–Leninist communist party. [32]
Flag of Seychelles (1977-1996).svg Seychelles Republic of Seychelles 5 June 197727 December 199114 years, 205 daysPreamble: "Seychelles is declared to be a sovereign socialist republic". [33]
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Sierra Leone Republic of Sierra Leone 12 July 19781 October 199113 years, 81 daysChapter X, Article 176: "The All People's Congress established and in being immediately prior to the commencement of this Constitution shall continue in being thereafter and be deemed to be the One Party officially recognised in Sierra Leone". [34]

The All People's Congress is a political party based on African socialism.
Flag of Sudan.svg Sudan Democratic Republic of the Sudan 25 May 196910 October 198516 years, 138 daysPreamble: "In the belief of our pursuit of freedom, socialism and democracy to achieve the society of sufficiency, justice and equality". [35]
Flag of Syria (1963-1972, 1-2).svg/Flag of the United Arab Republic (1958-1971), Flag of Syria (1980-2024).svg Syria Syrian Arab Republic 8 March 196327 February 201248 years, 356 days [b] Section 1, Article 8: "The leading party in the society and the state is the Socialist Arab Ba'ath Party. It leads a patriotic and progressive front seeking to unify the resources of the people's masses and place them at the service of the Arab nation's goals". [36]
Flag of Tanzania.svg Tanzania United Republic of Tanzania 26 April 19641 July 199228 years, 66 daysPart 1, Article 3 (2): "Until the union of the Tanganyika African National Union with the Afro-Shirazi Party (which United Party shall constitute the one political Party), the Party shall, in and for Tanganyika, be the, Tanganyika African National Union and, in and for Zanzibar, be the Afro-Shirazi Party." [37]

The Tanganyika African National Union was a populist socialist party based on the Ujamaa ideology. [38]

Article 3 of the Constitution of Tanzania of 1977: "The Union Republic is a democratic and socialist nation with one political party." [39]

Flag of Tunisia.svg Tunisia Republic of Tunisia 22 October 196427 February 198823 years, 128 daysFrom 1964 to 1988, the Socialist Destourian Party was the sole legal political party in Tunisia. [40]
Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg São Tomé and Príncipe Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe 12 July 197520 September 199015 years, 70 daysPreamble: "[…], the people of São Tomé and Príncipe continue their irreversible march on the path of democratic and popular revolution with the aim of achieving the economic, social and cultural objectives defined in the M.L.S.T.P. program, aiming at the construction of a society free from the exploitation of man by man, the consolidation of the unity of the African peoples and the strengthening of friendship and solidarity with all the peoples of the world." [41]

The M.L.S.T.P. is a political party based on African socialism.

Flag of Zambia (1964-1996).svg Zambia Republic of Zambia 25 August 197324 August 199117 years, 364 daysSection 1, Article 4: "There shall be one and only one political party or organization in Zambia, namely, the United National Independence Party". [42]

The United National Independence Party is a political party based on African socialism.[ citation needed ]

Socialist autonomous regions

These are territories that have claimed autonomy and declared themselves as socialist under some interpretation of the term. While these regions have created stable institutions of governance that have existed for a considerable period of time, they are not widely recognized as autonomous by the international community and officially are parts of other sovereign states under international law.

TerritorySinceUntilDurationForm of governmentNotes
Flag of Wa State.svg Wa State 17 April 198936 years, 4 months One-party Maoist socialist state [43] Founded in 1989, Wa State is governed by the United Wa State Party, a Maoist and Wa nationalist party, reported to have good relations and a close connection with the Chinese Communist Party. [43]
Flag of the Eastern Shan State Special Region 4 (Myanmar).png Eastern Shan State Special Region 4 30 June 198936 years, 1 month One-party socialist state Founded in 1989 after the collapse of the Communist Party of Burma, Eastern Shan State Special Region 4, which is commonly known as Mong La, or the Special Zone, is governed by the Peace and Solidarity Committee, a Socialist [44] and Shan nationalist party and the political wing of the NDAA, reported to have good relations and a close connection with the other groups that split from the Communist Party of Burma, namely the United Wa State Army and the similarly named Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army. [45]
Flag of the EZLN.svg Zapatista autonomous territory 1 January 199431 years, 8 months Libertarian socialist confederal semi-direct democracy Founded as the Rebel Zapatista Autonomous Municipalities; the municipalities dissolved in 2023 and were restructured into the Zapatista Autonomous Government Collectives. [46] This autonomous region's governance is inspired by the neozapatista ideology of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. Zapatista autonomy began with the Zapatista uprising in 1994.
Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria 19 July 201213 years, 1 month Libertarian socialist federal semi-direct democracy Commonly called Rojava, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria's governance is inspired by democratic confederalism. [47] Its autonomy began with the Rojava Revolution in 2012.
Flag of Myanmar Special Region 1.svg Kokang 5 January 20241 year, 7 months One-party Maoist socialist state Founded in 1990, following the collapse of the Communist Party of Burma insurgency, Kokang is governed by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, a Maoist [48] and Kokang nationalist party, that split from the Communist Party of Burma. They are reported to have good relations and a close connection with the Chinese Communist Party along with the other groups that split from the Communist Party of Burma, such as the United Wa State Party and the National Democratic Alliance Army. [45] The MNDAA lost control over Kokang in 2009 after the 2009 Kokang incident. The MNDAA regained power following the start of the Myanmar civil war (2021–present). [49]

Ephemeral socialist states and polities

These are short-lived political entities that emerged during wars, revolutions, or unrest and declared themselves socialist under some interpretation of the term, but which did not survive long enough to create a stable government or achieve international recognition.

Cold War

Revolutionary communes

These are short-lived political entities which are usually established locally during a revolution, uprisings or by partisans. While some might be founded by communists as soviet republics they do not fall under actually existing socialism and usually do not have a clearly defined claimed territory nor a proper constitution.

See also

Notes

  1. The ruling National Democratic Party was deposed on 11 February 2011 (after 57 years, 238 days) and the Egyptian Constitutional Declaration [15] of 30 March 2011 (after 57 years, 285 days) fully removed any references to Socialism.
  2. Syria remained under Ba'athist rule until its collapse on 8 December 2024 (61 years, 275 days).
  3. Distanced itself from the Soviet Union in 1941 but Sheng Shicai tried to reestablish ties in 1944 before resigning on 29 August 1944 to become minister of the Nationalist government.
  4. The SADR is a partially recognized state but does not control all of Western Sahara which mostly remains under Moroccan occupation. The original constitution mentioned "realization of socialism" as its goal [50] which was removed from the 1991 constitution [51] but it remains an one-party state under the Arab socialist Polisario Front.
  5. The RDPA was a rival government against the communist People's Republic of Angola ruled by the MPLA. It was ruled by the UNITA which founded as Maoist liberation movement but gained support from the West and South Africa against the Communist bloc and the Frontline States. Eventually UNITA abandoned socialism all together.
  6. Thomas Sankara was deposed in 1987 by Blaise Compaoré who continued to claim to be Sankarist. Orthodox socialism was abandoned by the introduction of the 1991 constitution but Compaoré's left-leaning Congress for Democracy and Progress continued to rule to his deposition in 2014.

    References

    1. Article Preamble, Section Preamble (PDF), Constitution of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (in French), 10 Sep 1963
    2. Evans, M. (2007). Algeria: Anger of the Dispossessed. London: Yale University Press. p. 34.
    3. Article XVI, Section General Provisions, Constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma, 2 March 1974
    4. Article 1, Section 1 (PDF), Constitution of Cape Verde (in Portuguese), 5 September 1980, retrieved 9 November 2018, Cape Verde is a sovereign, democratic, laic, unitary, anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist state.
    5. Weisburd, Arthur Mark (2010) [1997]. Use of Force: The Practice of States Since World War II. Penn State University Press. p. 79.
    6. Loi portant sur la Mobilisation Nationale [Law on National Mobilization] (Law on National Mobilization) (in French). National Assembly. 24 October 1981.
    7. Sivak-Reid, Kayla (2016-04-01). "Tracing a State and its Language from Province to Republic: Translations of Modern Egypt's Constitutions". Classics Honors Projects (22): 43–69.
    8. Arab Information Center (U.S.) (1958). Basic documents of the Arab unifications. dudeman5685. New York, Arab Information Center.
    9. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt". Refworld. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
    10. "الحكومة". archive.aawsat.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-11-14.
    11. Egypt, the Government of. Constitution of Egypt.
    12. Brown, Nathan J; Dunne, Michele; Hamzawy, Amr (23 March 2007). "Egypt's Constroversial Constitutional Amendments". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
    13. THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT, 1971 (as Amended to 2007) (PDF) (preamble). We, the people […] carry the responsibility of great present and future objectives whose seeds are embedded in the long and arduous struggle, and which hosted the flags of freedom, socialism and unity […]
    14. "Comparing Three Versions of the Egyptian Constitution". Comparative Constitutions Project. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
    15. 2011 Interim Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt (PDF). 30 March 2011.
    16. Article Preamble, Section Preamble, Constitution of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (in Spanish), 29 July 1973
    17. Eric Garcetti; Janet Gruber (2000). Regeneration of War-Torn Societies. Springer. p. 227. ISBN   9781349628353.
    18. Article 1, Section 2 (PDF), Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1 July 1960
    19. Apter, David Ernest (21 February 1972) [1963]. Ghana in Transition (2nd revised ed.). Princeton University Press. p. 204. ISBN   978-0691021669.
    20. Ghana. Planning Commission (1964). Seven-year Development Plan: A Brief Outline. Office of the Planning Commission.
    21. Thomas O'Toole, Historical Dictionary of Guinea, 1978, p. 55
    22. Article 1, Section 1 (PDF), Constitution of Guinea-Bissau (in Portuguese), 16 May 1984, A Guiné-Bissau é unia Republica soberana, democriltica, laiea, unitária, anti-colonialista e anti-imperialista.
    23. Hunt, Courtney (2005). The History of Iraq . Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 76. ISBN   978-0-313-33414-6.
    24. Article 1, Section 1 (PDF), Constitution of Iraq, 1964
    25. Richard F. Nyrop; American University (Washington, D.C.). Foreign Area Studies (1971). Area Handbook for Iraq. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 198.
    26. Article 1, Section 1 (PDF), Constitution of the Republic of Iraq, 21 September 1968
    27. Article 5, Section 1, Constitution of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, 11 December 1969
    28. Constitution de la République démocratique malgache.
    29. "Madagascar: 1975 Constitutional referendum". EISA. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
    30. Lange, Marie-France (1999). "Insoumission civile et défaillance étatique : les contradictions du processus démocratique malien" [Civil dissent and state failure: the contradictions of the Malian democratic process](PDF). Autrepart (in French) (10): 177–134 via Horizon pleins textes.
    31. Article 9, Section 1, Constitution of Mauritania (in French), 12 February 1965
    32. National Assembly of Senegal. 76-26, 2 (PDF) (in French).
    33. "The 1979 constitution for Seychelles". Commonwealth Law Bulletin. 5 (4): 1329–1332. 1979. doi:10.1080/03050718.1979.9985562.
    34. Article 176, Section 10, Constitution of Republic of Sierra Leone, 13 May 1978
    35. Article 5, Section 1 (PDF), Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Sudan, 13 March 1973
    36. Article 5, Section 1, Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic, 12 April 1973
    37. Article 3, Section 2 (PDF), Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania, 8 July 1965
    38. Benson Bana; Willy Mccourt (2006). "Institutions and Governance: Public Staff Management in Tanzania". Public Administration and Development. 26 (5): 396. doi:10.1002/pad.423.
    39. Article 3, Section 1 (PDF), Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania, 26 April 1977
    40. Brace, Morocco Algeria Tunisia (Prentice Hall 1964) pp. 114–116, 121–123, 140–143.
    41. Article Preamble, Section Preamble (PDF), Constitution of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, 5 November 1975
    42. Article 4, Section 1 (PDF), Constitution of the Republic of Zambia, 25 August 1973
    43. 1 2 Hay, Wayne (29 September 2019). "Myanmar: No sign of lasting peace in Wa State". Al Jazeera . Retrieved 6 March 2020.
    44. https://www.4tzx.com/ [ bare URL ]
    45. 1 2 "Guest Column | Myanmar's Strongest Armed Ethnic Alliance is Faltering". 4 July 2025.
    46. Mallett-Outtrim, Ryan (13 August 2016). "Two decades on: A glimpse inside the Zapatista's capital, Oventic". Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
    47. "Revolutionary Education in Rojava". New Compass. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
    48. "緬甸同盟軍︱30高層普通話齊學《習近平文選》 總司令彭德仁主持". Sing Tao Canada 星島加拿大 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2024-01-04. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
    49. "Operation 1027 poses rare challenge to Myanmar junta". 10 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
    50. Article 4 (PDF), Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (in Spanish), 30 August 1976, La búsqueda de la unidad de los pueblos del Magreb constituye una etapa hacia la unidad árabe y africana, la defensa de la patria y de la libertad es un deber sagrado, la realización del socialismo y la aplicación de la justicia social son los objetivos del Estado.
    51. Article 4 (PDF), Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (in Spanish), 19 June 1991