List of non-communist socialist states

This article is about self-proclaimed socialist states that are not also communist states. For communist states that called themselves socialist, see List of socialist states (communism). For liberal democratic states with references to socialism in their constitution, see Liberal democratic constitutions with references to socialism.
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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.

Socialist states

Country Full name From Until Duration Constitutional statement
Algeria People's Democratic Republic of Algeria 10 September 1963 23 February 1989 25 years, 166 days Preamble: "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]
/ Burma Union of Burma 2 March 1962 3 January 1974 11 years, 307 days Chapter 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 1974 18 September 1988 14 years, 259 days
Total 2 March 1962 18 September 1988 26 years, 200 days
Cape Verde Republic of Cape Verde 5 July 1975 22 September 1992 17 years, 79 days Chapter 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]

Chad Republic of Chad 16 April 1962 13 April 1975 12 years, 362 days From 1962 to 1975, the African socialist Chadian Progressive Party was the sole legal political party in Chad.
Djibouti Republic of Djibouti 24 October 1981 3 October 1992 10 years, 345 days Law 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.
Egypt Republic of Egypt 18 June 1953 22 February 1958 4 years, 249 days Neither 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 1958 28 September 1961 3 years, 218 days
Arab Republic of Egypt 28 September 1961 26 March 2007 45 years, 179 days Article 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]

Total 18 June 1953 26 March 2007 53 years, 281 days[a]
Equatorial Guinea Republic of Equatorial Guinea 7 July 1970 3 August 1979 9 years, 27 days See 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.
Eritrea State of Eritrea 24 May 1991 – 34 years, 90 days The 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 Republic of Ghana 1 July 1960 24 February 1966 5 years, 238 days Part 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]
Guinea People's Revolutionary Republic of Guinea 2 October 1958 3 April 1984 25 years, 184 days From 1958 to 1984, the African socialist Democratic Party of Guinea – African Democratic Rally was the sole legal political party in Guinea.[21]
Guinea-Bissau Republic of Guinea-Bissau 10 September 1974 9 May 1991 16 years, 241 days Chapter 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.

Iraq/ Iraq Iraqi Republic 14 July 1958 8 February 1963 4 years, 209 days From 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 1963 17 July 1968 5 years, 160 days Part 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 1968 7 April 2005 36 years, 264 days Chapter 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]
Total 14 July 1958 7 April 2005 46 years, 267 days
/ Libya Libyan Arab Republic 1 September 1969 2 March 1977 7 years, 182 days Section 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 1977 15 April 1986 9 years, 44 days
Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 15 April 1986 20 October 2011 25 years, 188 days
Total 1 September 1969 20 October 2011 42 years, 49 days
Madagascar Democratic Republic of Madagascar 30 December 1975 12 September 1992 16 years, 257 days Preamble: "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]
Mali Republic of Mali 20 June 1960 26 March 1991 30 years, 251 days From 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]
Mauritania Islamic Republic of Mauritania 25 December 1961 10 December 1984 16 years, 197 days Chapter 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.
Senegal Republic of Senegal 20 August 1960 24 April 1981 20 years, 247 days From 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]
Seychelles Republic of Seychelles 5 June 1977 27 December 1991 14 years, 205 days Preamble: "Seychelles is declared to be a sovereign socialist republic".[33]
Sierra Leone Republic of Sierra Leone 12 July 1978 1 October 1991 13 years, 81 days Chapter 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.
Sudan Democratic Republic of the Sudan 25 May 1969 10 October 1985 16 years, 138 days Preamble: "In the belief of our pursuit of freedom, socialism and democracy to achieve the society of sufficiency, justice and equality".[35]
/ Syria Syrian Arab Republic 8 March 1963 27 February 2012 48 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]
Tanzania United Republic of Tanzania 26 April 1964 1 July 1992 28 years, 66 days Part 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]

Tunisia Republic of Tunisia 22 October 1964 27 February 1988 23 years, 128 days From 1964 to 1988, the Socialist Destourian Party was the sole legal political party in Tunisia.[40]
São Tomé and Príncipe Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe 12 July 1975 20 September 1990 15 years, 70 days Preamble: "[…], 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.

Zambia Republic of Zambia 25 August 1973 24 August 1991 17 years, 364 days Section 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.

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.

Territory Since Until Duration Form of government Notes
Wa State 17 April 1989 – 36 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]
Eastern Shan State Special Region 4 30 June 1989 – 36 years 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.
Zapatista autonomous territory 1 January 1994 – 31 years, 7 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.[45] 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.
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria 19 July 2012 – 13 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.[46] Its autonomy began with the Rojava Revolution in 2012.
Kokang 5 January 2024 – 1 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[47] 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. 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).

Ephemeral socialist states and polities

See also: List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies and Rival government

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

See also: Revolutions of 1917–1923

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[48] which was removed from the 1991 constitution[49] 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. ^ a b 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/
  45. ^ 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.
  46. ^ "Revolutionary Education in Rojava". New Compass. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  47. ^ "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.
  48. ^ 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.
  49. ^ Article 4 (PDF), Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (in Spanish), 19 June 1991
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