Soap Box Ravings' asks, "On a scale of socialists where does this one fit?"
This is a list of countries, past and present, that declared themselves socialist either in their names or their constitutions. No other criteria are used; thus, some or all of these countries may not fit any specific definition of socialism. Their only common feature is using the label "socialist" for themselves, under any interpretation. There are few, if any, definitions of socialism that could fit all the countries on this list. However, most definitions of socialism fit at least some of these countries at some points in their histories.
There are many countries that have been ruled by socialist political parties for extended periods of time without ever adopting socialism as an official ideology in their names or constitutions. Such countries are not listed here. However, see the article on the Socialist International for an up-to-date list of countries that are currently ruled by member parties of the SI (the largest present day organization of socialist political parties).
Conversely, there are some countries that maintain constitutional references to socialism without being currently ruled by a socialist political party. Those countries are included on this list.
Marxist-Leninist:
These countries are known as "Communist states" in the West, because their ruling parties generally use the name "Communist Party of [country]." However, the countries themselves are referred to as socialist republics, not communist, in their own constitutions. They are defined by a form of government in which the state operates under a one-party system and declares allegiance to the ideology of Marxism-Leninism. In accordance with Marxism-Leninism, the constitutions of these countries claim that all power belongs to the working class, that a democratic dictatorship of the proletariat has been implemented within their borders, and that they are building socialism, with the goal of achieving communism one day.
Current:
Republic of Mozambique
North Korea - Democratic People's Republic of Korea
China - People's Republic of China
Cuba - Republic of Cuba
Laos - Lao People's Democratic Republic
Vietnam - Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Cyprus - Republic of Cyprus
Moldova - Republic of Moldova
Nepal - Republic of Nepal
Republic of Angola
Former:
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
People's Socialist Republic of Albania
People's Republic of Angola
People's Republic of Benin
People's Republic of the Congo
Republic of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Finnish Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
Political Committee of National Liberation (Greece)
People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada
People's Republic of Hungary
Hungarian Soviet Republic
Democratic Kampuchea
People's Republic of Kampuchea
Mongolian People's Republic
People's Republic of Mozambique
People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Romania
Socialist Republic of Romania
Somali Democratic Republic
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Tuvinian People's Republic
Democratic Republic of Vietnam
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist and Leftwing:
These are countries whose constitutions make references to socialism, but do not subscribe to Marxist-Leninist ideology. As such, they represent a wide variety of different interpretations of the term socialism.
Current:
Republic of Nicaragua
People's Republic of Bangladesh
Arab Republic of Egypt
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Republic of India
Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Portuguese Republic
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Syrian Arab Republic
United Republic of Tanzania
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Republic of Bolivia
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
Democratic Republic of Madagascar
Republic of Bulgaria
Republic of Chile
Republic of Ecuador
Republic of Costa Rica
State of Eritrea
Oriental Republic of Uruguay
Former:
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
Republic of Bolivia
Burkina Faso
Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma
Republic of Cape Verde
Republic of Ghana
Republic of Guinea
Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Republic of Indonesia
Republic of Iraq
Democratic Republic of Madagascar
Republic of Mali
Republic of Nicaragua
Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
Republic of Senegal
Republic of Seychelles
Democratic Republic of Sudan
Republic of Suriname
Tunisian Republic
Republic of Uganda
Former states:
Socialist Republic of Chile (República Socialista de Chile)
United Arab Republic (now Syrian Arab Republic and Egyptian Arab Republic)
People's Republic of Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania)
Ephemeral:
These are short-lived political entities that emerged during wars or revolutions (mostly in the aftermath of World War I) and declared themselves to be socialist under some interpretation of the term, but did not survive long enough to create a stable government or achieve international recognition.
Alsace Soviet Republic
Azerbaijan People's Government
Bavarian Soviet Republic
Bessarabian Soviet Socialist Republic
Bukharan People's Soviet Republic
Donetsk-Krivoy Rog Soviet Republic
Asturian Socialist Republic
Estonian Workers' Commune
Far Eastern Republic
Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic
Galician Soviet Socialist Republic
German Socialist Republic
Hunan Soviet
Chinese Soviet Republic
Khorazmian People's Soviet Republic
Lithuanian-Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
Republic of Mahabad
Mughan Soviet Republic
Soviet Republic of Naissaar
Paris Commune
Persian Socialist Soviet Republic
Republic of South Vietnam
Slovak Soviet Republic
Turkestan Socialist Federative Republic
Democratic Republic of Yemen
The complete article with references that this information came from can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_socialist_countries
The flags on the wall of Obama's Houston campaign office are Cuban flags with well known Communist mass murderer Che Guevara's likeness on them.
Soap Box Ravings says when we become a socialist country we will join a long list of other failure countries; past, present and still failing.. But those who do not learn from history are doomed to continually repeat history.
Today Limbaugh reported that some large newspapers had come out in support of John McCain. He also reported that reporters from those newspapers now supporting John McCain were immediately banned henceforth from traveling on Obama One with Barack Hussein Obama. Coupling that report with the TV stations that Obama and Company will no longer allow interviews with; it looks like the media is about to reap the results of what they have sown.
