Socialist nomenclature

People throw around terms like socialism, Marxism, communism, and Stalinism as though they are interchangeable. But they are distinct schools of thought that largely build on each other.

Below are my succinct notes on the differences, based on my reading of various history books, essays, and articles.

Socialism

• Social ownership of the means of production. Emerged in the 1820s & 1830s.
• Social ownership can be interpreted in different ways. Could be represented by the state, cooperatives, or some other structure.
• Flexible in the implementation or governance method.
• Predates Marx.
• Potentially accepting of religion.

Marxism

• General term for the theories of Karl Marx (1818 - 1883) and Friedrich Engels.
• Focused on class struggle and the abolition of capitalism.
• Historical materialism for social analysis.
• Espouses the economic system of communism.
• Critical of religion.
• Considers race and class, advocating for equality; similar in terms of gender.

Communism

• An idealistic, classless and stateless society. Common ownership, no money or capitalism/capitalists.
• Implemented via a proletarian revolution.
• Many communist regimes view(ed) state-run socialism as a stepping stone towards stateless communism. So, communist nations and parties are ambitiously named and rarely claim to actually be communist.
• Historical materialism claimed that communism was the logical and inevitable step after industrialised capitalism.
• Generally atheist.

Leninism

• General term for the theories of Vladimir Lenin (1870 - 1924).
• Discarded the Marxist notion of industrialisation as a prerequisite for communism.
• Sought to establish socialism early, as a way to centrally plan industrialisation, and transition towards communism.
• Atheist.

Stalinism

• General term for the theories of Joseph Stalin (1878 - 1953)
• Doubled down on centrally planned industrialisation.
• Everything state-owned and centrally planned.
• Totalitarianism as a way to maintain power.
• Pivoted to state church. Orthodox Christianity.
• Racist and Russian-centric. Featured ethnic purges. Promoted Russian culture over all others.
• Dual view of women, where they are expected to participate in the workforce, and yet still meet traditional gender roles and responsibilities in the family.

Maoism

• General term for the theories of Mao Zedong (1893 - 1976).
• Peasant-based revolution. Agrarian socialism, driven not by industrialisation but by agriculture.
• Huge focus on cultural transformation and rejection of cultural elites.
• Anti-religious.
• Oppressive of culture.

Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

• Originated with Deng Xiaoping (1904 - 1997).
• Embraced markets and private enterprise in a mixed economy to modernise China.
• A significant watering down of socialism.
• Led to Chinese ascendency.
• Potentially a politically correct way to transition towards capitalism, rather than communism as previously intended.
• Atheist but somewhat tolerant of some religions.
• Han-centric; issues with ethnic minorities.
• Family values and traditional gender roles.

Xi Jinping Thought

• Originated with Xi Jinping (1953).
• Focused on Chinese supremacy. Anti-liberalism and anti-west. Limited space for cultural diversity.
• Accepting of a mixed economy, but with heavy checks and balances on industry.
• Suspicious of any potentially powerful institution (large corporations, tech industry, religions) that may challenge party hegemony.
• Anti-corruption.
• Halting of any transition to capitalism or liberalism.
• Focus on collective prosperity over individual liberty.
• Expand Chinese influence globally, particularly with other developing countries.
• Militaristic.
• Atheist but somewhat tolerant of some religions; highly suspicious of religious organisations.

Critical Theory

• Originated within the Frankfurt School in the 1930s. Popularised by Herbert Marcuse (1898 - 1979).
• Looks at culture and cultural revolution through a combined Marxist and Freudian lens, de-emphasising economics.
• Analyses media, language, history, and conversations to question who benefits from and who is oppressed by the structure of the current system and culture.