Third World Socialism
Encyclopedia
Third World Socialism was a variant of Socialism
preached by Nkrumah, Modibo Keita
, Sekou Touré, Julius Nyerere
, al-Bitar
, Aflaq, Nasser, Perón
, Nehru, Sukarno
, Ben-Gurion, Muammar al-Gaddafi
, Zulfikar Bhutto, Buddhadasa
, Walter Lini
and other such socialist leaders of the Third World
who saw a non-soviet version of socialism as the answer to a strong and developed nation. It could be argued that the new "turn to the left" leadership in Latin America Socialism of the 21st century
, with its anti-americanism, connection with less developed Eastern Europe, sense of undeveloped countries/developing countries unity and pro-arabism/pro-Islamism is a new kind of Third World socialism.
It may be described as an ideologically specific form of Third worldism, and it is made up of African Socialism
, Arab Socialism
, Nasserism
, Justicialism,The word is coined from the acronym of justicia social (spanish for social justice
), with the suffix ism added. Nehruism
, Labour Zionism, Islamic Socialism
,Although Gaddafi's version was more inspired in the ideas of direct democracy
, arab nationalism
, strongman politics
and National Liberation Struggle, while Bhutto's was more western-aligned and resembled, allied and inspired itself in the ideas of western democratic socialism
/social democracy
and as such had membership in the Socialist International
. Buddhist socialism
and Melanesian socialism
.
The leaders of African Socialism
were Julius Nyerere, first president of Tanzania after the independence, who coined the concept of Ujamaa
and collectivized the land, Kwame Nkrumah
, first president of Ghana, who was one of the fathers of the Non Aligned Movement, praised state planning policies like Five-Year Plans and an agency for the regulation of cocoa exports, and in several political speeches and writings developed his theory of an "african socialism", Modibo Keita
, father of Mali, and Ahmed Sekou Touré
, father of Guinea.
The main figures of Arab Socialism
are Gamal Abdel Nasser
, first president of Egypt, who nationalized the Suez Canal, and the Baath Party
, founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq
, which gained popularity in the whole arab world and reached the government in Syria (until present) and Iraq (until 2003).
In the case of Juan Domingo Perón, elected president of Argentina on three non-consecutive times, the Third World Socialist stance was a more radical variation of populism
which aligned itself with the Third World and the Non-Aligned Movement
(what Perón called "the third position
"), with a significant state intervention
for development, such as five-year plans
, the nationalization of railways, ports and banks, the creation of an agency to regulate grain
exports (the IAPI), and the establishment of a modern welfare state
. Despite his progressive
policies, Perón didn't define himself or his doctrine as "socialist" during his first presidencies (1946-1952 and 1952-1955), but he did later, during his exile and during his third presidency (1973-1974), when he coined the term "national socialism", sort of an argentine way to socialism, which he described as a social-democracy mainly modeled after the "Swedish way
" and also inspired by other Non-Aligned
, third-world-socialist models such as Nasser, Christian socialism
, and the corporatist policies of European 20s, 30s and 40s fascism.
Iran
experienced a short Third World Socialism period at the zenith of the Tudeh Party after the abdication of Reza Shah
and his replacement by his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi (though the party never rose to power). After failing to reach power, this form of third world socialism was replaced by Mossadegh's populist
, non-aligned Iranian nationalism
of the National Front
party as the main anti-monarchy
force in Iran, reaching power (1949 - 1953), and it remained with that strength even in opposition (after the overthrowning of Mossadegh) until the rise of islamism
and the Islamic Revolution. The Tudehs have moved towards basic socialist communism
since then.
Kemalism can very arguably be added to the list, as it happeared before the notion of Third World was created in post-World War II
, it added populism to the equation (something not all Third World socialists did; Nasser and Nkrumah, for example, did), and Turkey
is more developed than the typical notion of a Third World Country. But as it was used as a model of government after the Turkish Independence War to rebuild Turkey and recover it from the underdeveloppement of Ottoman Turkey, creating a strong nation in face of the prospect of Europe
an Colonialism
, it can be considered as reaching the templates of a Third World Socialism movement. And from the 1960s onwards, Third World socialist and Third Worldist thought influenced Left-Kemalism.
Anyway, the Kemalist experiment, Fabian Socialism (and social democracy
in general), and the main Third World communist regime, the People's Republic of China
, were big influences on the movement.
Despite being inspired by Social Democracy, most of this regimes were affected in one time or the other by strongmen
or bigmen leaders or one-party systems. In any case, all Third World Socialist regimes are followers of social democratic reformism
(normally state-guided
), preferring it to revolution
, though some adopted a kind of permanent revolution
stance on the social progress to a socialist society
.
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
preached by Nkrumah, Modibo Keita
Modibo Keïta
Modibo Keita ; was the first President of Mali and the Prime Minister of the Mali Federation. He espoused a form of African socialism.-Youth:...
, Sekou Touré, Julius Nyerere
Julius Nyerere
Julius Kambarage Nyerere was a Tanzanian politician who served as the first President of Tanzania and previously Tanganyika, from the country's founding in 1961 until his retirement in 1985....
, al-Bitar
Salah al-Din al-Bitar
Salah ad-Din al-Bitar , was a Syrian politician who, with Michel Aflaq, founded the Arab Ba'th Party in the early 1940s. During their student days in Paris in the early 1930s, the two worked together to formulate a doctrine that combined aspects of nationalism and socialism...
, Aflaq, Nasser, Perón
Peron
Peron may refer to:People:* Carlos Perón , a Swiss musician, and was a founding member of the band Yello....
, Nehru, Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
, Ben-Gurion, Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
, Zulfikar Bhutto, Buddhadasa
Buddhadasa
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu was a famous and influential ascetic-philosopher of the 20th century. Known as an innovative reinterpreter of Buddhist doctrine and Thai folk beliefs, Buddhadasa fostered a reformation in conventional religious perceptions in his home country, Thailand, as well as abroad...
, Walter Lini
Walter Lini
Father Walter Hadye Lini was an Anglican priest and the founding Prime Minister of Vanuatu. He was born on Pentecost Island. During the era when Vanuatu was a condominium ruled by the United Kingdom and France, Lini formed the Vanua'aku Pati, which was principally backed by English-speakers...
and other such socialist leaders of the Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
who saw a non-soviet version of socialism as the answer to a strong and developed nation. It could be argued that the new "turn to the left" leadership in Latin America Socialism of the 21st century
Socialism of the 21st century
Socialism of the 21st century is a political term and a slogan coined by Heinz Dieterich in 1996. It was used by Hugo Chávez during a speech at the World Social Forum of 2005 and it has been publicised actively by Dieterich worldwide since 2000, especially in Latin America.-Bolivarian...
, with its anti-americanism, connection with less developed Eastern Europe, sense of undeveloped countries/developing countries unity and pro-arabism/pro-Islamism is a new kind of Third World socialism.
It may be described as an ideologically specific form of Third worldism, and it is made up of African Socialism
African socialism
African socialism is a belief in sharing economic resources in a "traditional" African way, as distinct from classical socialism. Many African politicians of the 1950s and 1960s professed their support for African socialism, although definitions and interpretations of this term varied...
, Arab Socialism
Arab socialism
Arab socialism is a political ideology based on an amalgamation of Pan-Arabism and socialism. Arab socialism is distinct from the much broader tradition of socialist thought in the Arab world, which predates Arab socialism by as much as fifty years...
, Nasserism
Nasserism
Nasserism is an Arab nationalist political ideology based on the thinking of the former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. It was a major influence on pan-Arab politics in the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to have significant resonance throughout the Arab World to this day. It also...
, Justicialism,The word is coined from the acronym of justicia social (spanish for social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
), with the suffix ism added. Nehruism
Nehruism
Nehruism was the political ideology of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister. It was a liberal idealistic type of fabianist socialism. Other point that Nehru said he agreed a lot with communists and find many similarities with more orthodox communism and his foreign policy more pro-soviet...
, Labour Zionism, Islamic Socialism
Islamic socialism
Islamic socialism is a term coined by various Muslim leaders to describe a more spiritual form of socialism. Muslim socialists believe that the teachings of the Qur'an and Muhammad are compatible with principles of equality and the redistribution of wealth....
,Although Gaddafi's version was more inspired in the ideas of direct democracy
Direct democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
, arab nationalism
Arab nationalism
Arab nationalism is a nationalist ideology celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language and literature of the Arabs, calling for rejuvenation and political union in the Arab world...
, strongman politics
Strongman (politics)
A strongman is a political leader who rules by force and runs an authoritarian regime. The term is often used interchangeably with "dictator," but differs from a "warlord".A strongman is not necessarily always a formal head of government, however...
and National Liberation Struggle, while Bhutto's was more western-aligned and resembled, allied and inspired itself in the ideas of western democratic socialism
Democratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation...
/social democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
and as such had membership in the Socialist International
Socialist International
The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...
. Buddhist socialism
Buddhist socialism
Buddhist socialism is a political ideology which advocates socialism based on the principles of Buddhism.Buddhist socialists have called for state provision of the Buddhist requisites of food, shelter, clothing and medicine, for the abolition or amelioration of class distinctions, for campaigns for...
and Melanesian socialism
Melanesian socialism
The concept of Melanesian socialism was first advocated by Father Walter Lini of the New Hebrides , who became the country's first prime minister upon its independence from France and the United Kingdom in 1980...
.
The leaders of African Socialism
African socialism
African socialism is a belief in sharing economic resources in a "traditional" African way, as distinct from classical socialism. Many African politicians of the 1950s and 1960s professed their support for African socialism, although definitions and interpretations of this term varied...
were Julius Nyerere, first president of Tanzania after the independence, who coined the concept of Ujamaa
Ujamaa
Ujamaa was the concept that formed the basis of Julius Nyerere's social and economic development policies in Tanzania just after it gained independence from Britain in 1961...
and collectivized the land, Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
, first president of Ghana, who was one of the fathers of the Non Aligned Movement, praised state planning policies like Five-Year Plans and an agency for the regulation of cocoa exports, and in several political speeches and writings developed his theory of an "african socialism", Modibo Keita
Modibo Keïta
Modibo Keita ; was the first President of Mali and the Prime Minister of the Mali Federation. He espoused a form of African socialism.-Youth:...
, father of Mali, and Ahmed Sekou Touré
Ahmed Sékou Touré
Ahmed Sékou Touré was an African political leader and President of Guinea from 1958 to his death in 1984...
, father of Guinea.
The main figures of Arab Socialism
Arab socialism
Arab socialism is a political ideology based on an amalgamation of Pan-Arabism and socialism. Arab socialism is distinct from the much broader tradition of socialist thought in the Arab world, which predates Arab socialism by as much as fifty years...
are Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
, first president of Egypt, who nationalized the Suez Canal, and the Baath Party
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
, founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq
Michel Aflaq
Michel Aflaq was a Syrian philosopher, who is credited with being the ideological founder of ba'athism, a hybrid of Arab nationalism and Arab socialism.-Early life:...
, which gained popularity in the whole arab world and reached the government in Syria (until present) and Iraq (until 2003).
In the case of Juan Domingo Perón, elected president of Argentina on three non-consecutive times, the Third World Socialist stance was a more radical variation of populism
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
which aligned itself with the Third World and the Non-Aligned Movement
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement is a group of states considering themselves not aligned formally with or against any major power bloc. As of 2011, the movement had 120 members and 17 observer countries...
(what Perón called "the third position
Third Position
Third Position is a revolutionary nationalist political ideology that emphasizes its opposition to both communism and capitalism. Advocates of Third Position politics typically present themselves as "beyond left and right", instead claiming to syncretize radical ideas from both ends of the...
"), with a significant state intervention
Statism
Statism is a term usually describing a political philosophy, whether of the right or the left, that emphasises the role of the state in politics or supports the use of the state to achieve economic, military or social goals...
for development, such as five-year plans
Five-Year Plans of Argentina
The Five Year Plan was an Argentine state-planning strategy, during the first government of Juan Domingo Perón.- The preparations :Early in the second half of 1946, the Technical Secretariat of the Presidency began to prepare a Plan of Government for the five-year period from 1947 to 1951...
, the nationalization of railways, ports and banks, the creation of an agency to regulate grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
exports (the IAPI), and the establishment of a modern welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
. Despite his progressive
Progressive
Progressive is an adjectival form of progress and may refer to:-Politics:* Progressivism, a political ideology* Progressive Era, a period of reform in the United States Progressive is an adjectival form of progress and may refer to:-Politics:* Progressivism, a political ideology* Progressive Era, a...
policies, Perón didn't define himself or his doctrine as "socialist" during his first presidencies (1946-1952 and 1952-1955), but he did later, during his exile and during his third presidency (1973-1974), when he coined the term "national socialism", sort of an argentine way to socialism, which he described as a social-democracy mainly modeled after the "Swedish way
Nordic model
The Nordic model refers to the economic and social models of the Nordic countries . This particular adaptation of the mixed market economy is characterised by "universalist" welfare states , which are aimed specifically at enhancing individual autonomy, ensuring the universal provision of basic human...
" and also inspired by other Non-Aligned
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement is a group of states considering themselves not aligned formally with or against any major power bloc. As of 2011, the movement had 120 members and 17 observer countries...
, third-world-socialist models such as Nasser, Christian socialism
Christian socialism
Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and socialist and who see these two philosophies as being interrelated. This category can include Liberation theology and the doctrine of the social gospel...
, and the corporatist policies of European 20s, 30s and 40s fascism.
Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
experienced a short Third World Socialism period at the zenith of the Tudeh Party after the abdication of Reza Shah
Reza Shah
Rezā Shāh, also known as Rezā Shāh Pahlavi and Rezā Shāh Kabir , , was the Shah of the Imperial State of Iran from December 15, 1925, until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on September 16, 1941.In 1925, Reza Shah overthrew Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last Shah of the Qajar...
and his replacement by his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi (though the party never rose to power). After failing to reach power, this form of third world socialism was replaced by Mossadegh's populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
, non-aligned Iranian nationalism
Iranian nationalism
Iranian nationalism refers to nationalism among the people of Iran and individuals whose national identity is Iranian. Iranian nationalism consists of political and social movements and sentiments prompted by a love for Iranian culture, language and history, and a sense of pride in Iran and...
of the National Front
National Front (Iran)
The National Front of Iran or Jebhe Melli is a Democratic, political opposition group founded by Mohammad Mossadegh and other secular Iranian leaders of Nationalist, Liberal, and Social-Democratic political orientation who had been educated in France in the late 1940s...
party as the main anti-monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
force in Iran, reaching power (1949 - 1953), and it remained with that strength even in opposition (after the overthrowning of Mossadegh) until the rise of islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
and the Islamic Revolution. The Tudehs have moved towards basic socialist communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
since then.
Kemalism can very arguably be added to the list, as it happeared before the notion of Third World was created in post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it added populism to the equation (something not all Third World socialists did; Nasser and Nkrumah, for example, did), and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
is more developed than the typical notion of a Third World Country. But as it was used as a model of government after the Turkish Independence War to rebuild Turkey and recover it from the underdeveloppement of Ottoman Turkey, creating a strong nation in face of the prospect of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an Colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
, it can be considered as reaching the templates of a Third World Socialism movement. And from the 1960s onwards, Third World socialist and Third Worldist thought influenced Left-Kemalism.
Anyway, the Kemalist experiment, Fabian Socialism (and social democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
in general), and the main Third World communist regime, the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, were big influences on the movement.
Despite being inspired by Social Democracy, most of this regimes were affected in one time or the other by strongmen
Strongman (politics)
A strongman is a political leader who rules by force and runs an authoritarian regime. The term is often used interchangeably with "dictator," but differs from a "warlord".A strongman is not necessarily always a formal head of government, however...
or bigmen leaders or one-party systems. In any case, all Third World Socialist regimes are followers of social democratic reformism
Reformism
Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures...
(normally state-guided
Statism
Statism is a term usually describing a political philosophy, whether of the right or the left, that emphasises the role of the state in politics or supports the use of the state to achieve economic, military or social goals...
), preferring it to revolution
Revolutionary socialism
The term revolutionary socialism refers to Socialist tendencies that advocate the need for fundamental social change through revolution by mass movements of the working class, as a strategy to achieve a socialist society...
, though some adopted a kind of permanent revolution
Permanent Revolution
Permanent revolution is a term within Marxist theory, established in usage by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels by at least 1850 but which has since become most closely associated with Leon Trotsky. The use of the term by different theorists is not identical...
stance on the social progress to a socialist society
Socialist society
Socialist society may refer to one of the following.*A society based on socialism; inclusive collaborative decision-making*The societies of the Communist states*Socialist Society; a periodical*Socialist society...
.
See also
- African socialismAfrican socialismAfrican socialism is a belief in sharing economic resources in a "traditional" African way, as distinct from classical socialism. Many African politicians of the 1950s and 1960s professed their support for African socialism, although definitions and interpretations of this term varied...
- Arab socialismArab socialismArab socialism is a political ideology based on an amalgamation of Pan-Arabism and socialism. Arab socialism is distinct from the much broader tradition of socialist thought in the Arab world, which predates Arab socialism by as much as fifty years...
- Melanesian socialismMelanesian socialismThe concept of Melanesian socialism was first advocated by Father Walter Lini of the New Hebrides , who became the country's first prime minister upon its independence from France and the United Kingdom in 1980...
- Labour Zionism