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In the early days, the Soviet Union established a socialist system, which was adopted by 26 countries. However, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, most of the socialist countries came to an end. At present, there are only five countries in the world that adhere to the socialist system, so what are the other four countries besides China, and what is their development?
What is a Socialist State?
The core goal of a socialist country is to realize the social ownership of the means of production through public ownership or ownership by the whole people, so as to gradually realize the fairness and rationality of production, distribution, exchange, and consumption in society, and to ensure a social system of common prosperity for society. Socialist countries usually emphasize the values of equality and justice, strive to eliminate class differences, and pursue comprehensive economic and social development. In the 20th century, with the widespread spread of Marxism-Leninism, many countries and regions tried to embark on the road of socialist development.
Socialism is not immutable, and it has developed and manifested itself differently in theory and practice according to the actual conditions of different countries and regions. From 1989 to 1991, the drastic changes in Eastern Europe were like a storm that quickly swept through the entire Eastern European region. The upheaval began in Poland and quickly spread to Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, and other countries.
In the process, regimes collapsed, including in many socialist countries in Eastern Europe. These countries generally experienced the transition from a one-party system to a multi-party system, from a planned economy to a market economy, and the collapse of the socialist camp in Eastern Europe. Poland can be considered the birthplace of the upheavals in Eastern Europe. In the early 1980s, Polish workers launched a strike movement, which eventually led to the formation of Solidarity.
After a long struggle, in 1989, Poland held partially free elections and Solidarity won a landslide victory, which marked the end of the socialist regime in Poland. Soon after, Hungary was also transformed. In 1989, Hungary embarked on political and economic reforms, culminating in free elections in 1990, ending the Communist Party's one-party rule.
In East Germany, a series of popular protests eventually ushered in the reunification of East and West Germany. In 1989, with the fall of the wall and the opening of the borders, the socialist regime in East Germany came to an end. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the number of socialist countries also decreased dramatically, and the countries that were able to barely survive also ushered in an unprecedented crisis. There are only five socialist countries that still exist today.
China has become a representative of socialist development
After the middle of the 19th century, the Opium War broke out. Since then, China has entered a stage from a feudal dynasty to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The successive defeats of the Qing government, the signing of unequal treaties, the invasion of foreign powers, and the internal corruption and feudal system shackled Chinese society into unprecedented difficulties.
At that time, China made a series of attempts to find a way out to save the country and the people, including the Wuxu Reform and the Xinhai Revolution, but none of them could completely change the plight of Chinese society. In the process, a group of advanced intellectuals began to turn their attention to the theory of socialism, believing that socialism provided a possible way to solve China's problems once and for all.
In 1917, the success of the October Revolution in Russia injected new vitality into the world socialist movement, and at the same time gave great encouragement to the advanced elements in China. In 1921, the Communist Party of China was founded, marking the starting point of the socialist movement in China. After years of struggle, especially the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, in 1949, the People's Republic of China was founded, and China officially embarked on the road of socialism.
China's choice of socialism was not achieved overnight, but it was constantly explored in practice and gradually formed a socialist road with Chinese characteristics. Since the beginning of socialist construction, China has experienced many twists and turns, but it has also made remarkable achievements. The most eye-catching thing is the rapid economic growth and all-round social progress since the reform and opening up. China has successfully introduced the mechanism of the market economy into the socialist system, formed a socialist market economic system, and successfully got rid of all kinds of drawbacks under the planned economic system, making China one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Under the guidance of the policy, China has made tremendous progress in the fields of science and technology, education, public health, and culture, and the people's living standards have improved markedly. The key lies in the fact that China has maintained a unique pace of development by following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. By adopting a strategy of getting rich first and helping the latter get rich, China has successfully lifted some 100,000 poor rural residents out of poverty, and this is only the achievement of the past decade. Vietnam, which is closely following China, is also developing rapidly.
Vietnam
Vietnam is located in the eastern part of the Southeast Asian peninsula, bordered by China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, and the South China Sea to the southeast. Vietnam's topography can be divided into three main parts: the mountainous areas in the north, the narrow plains in the middle, and the Mekong Delta in the south. This topography makes Vietnam's climate and agriculture have significant regional characteristics.
The northern region, especially in the mountainous areas along the Chinese border, has complex terrain and deep valleys and is home to ethnic minorities in Vietnam. The central zone, despite its narrow terrain, is home to many historical sites and cultural attractions, such as Hoi An Ancient City and Hue Imperial City. The Mekong Delta in the south is Vietnam's breadbasket, producing rice, an important export commodity for Vietnam.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Vietnam was under French colonial rule for a long time, and ethnic oppression and social injustice led to a downturn in Vietnamese society. After the end of World War II, Vietnam under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh broke out a war against French colonial rule. At that time, Vietnam's independence struggle was not only supported by the Soviet Union and other socialist countries, but also successfully attracted widespread attention to national liberation and social justice at home and abroad.
In 1954, after a desperate battle, Vietnam gained independence at the Geneva Conference, with a socialist system in the north and a republic developed on the Western capitalist model in the south. After 20 years of the Vietnam War, Vietnam was finally reunified in 1975. The daunting task of rebuilding a reunited Vietnam, combined with its international isolation during the war, led Vietnam to opt for a model of closer cooperation with the Soviet Union and other socialist countries.
Since 1975, the once poor country has gradually transformed into a fast-growing emerging economy, and has even successfully joined the group of five countries with projected economic growth prospects for the next year. In the past few years, with the help of its huge population advantage and the rapid development of the manufacturing industry, Vietnam's GDP has reached 2.3 trillion yuan as of 2021, and the proportion of manufacturing industry has exceeded 25%. In the textile, machinery manufacturing, steel processing and other industries, the share of the global market is also increasing, and there is great potential to become the world's manufacturing center after China. If we ignore China and Vietnam, two fast-growing countries, the other three socialist countries, despite some shortcomings in their development, have not stagnated in their progress over the past few years and continue to move forward in the direction of socialism.
The level of development of Cuba, Laos and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Cuba is located between the southern Florida state of the United States and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Cuba is the largest island nation in the Caribbean, the main island is called Cuba, and there are about 1,600 islands of various sizes that make up this island nation.
At the end of the 15th century, the arrival of Spanish colonists began a centuries-long process of colonial rule in Cuba. During this time, the economic structure of Cuba was completely changed, the indigenous population suffered severe exploitation and oppression, and Cuban sugar and tobacco became important commodities in the Spanish colonial trade.
At the beginning of the 20th century, despite its apparent independence, Cuba still had to face strong intervention by the United States. The capital and political influence of the United States have penetrated into all corners of Cuba's economy and society, resulting in a huge gap between the rich and the poor in Cuba and an intensification of social contradictions. All this laid the foundation for the success of the Cuban Revolution in 1959.
In 1959, the revolutionary forces led by Fidel Castro overthrew the corrupt regime led by Forhencio Battista and established the Republic of Cuba. The Cuban Revolution was not only a revolt against colonialism and imperialism, but also a search for a path suitable for Cuba's own development. In the context of the cold war, Cuba chose socialism, hoping that through such a system, national independence, economic development and social justice could be better achieved.
Joining the camp of socialist countries, Cuba has established close relations with the Soviet Union and other socialist countries in political, economic, and cultural aspects. Although Cuba faced economic blockade and political pressure from the United States in the following decades, and experienced severe economic difficulties after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Cuban government and people still adhered to the socialist road and made remarkable achievements in education, medical care, science and technology.
The second is Laos, the full name of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, which is bordered by China to the north, Vietnam to the east, Thailand and Myanmar to the west, and Cambodia to the south. It covers an area of about 236,800 square kilometers and extends more than 1,700 kilometers from north to south, but only about 500 kilometers at its widest point. The territory is mainly mountainous and plateau, and the plains are distributed along the rivers, the most important of which is the Mekong River, part of which forms the natural border of Laos with Thailand and Myanmar.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Laos became a French colony and did not gain autonomy until 1949. In 1953, Laos completely broke free from French rule and became an independent country. However, internal political struggles and external Cold War repercussions followed. The Lao People's Revolutionary Party began to gain influence at home in the early 1960s and was supported by Vietnam and the Soviet Union during the Vietnam War.
In 1975, the Lao People's Revolutionary Party succeeded in gaining state power, proclaimed the establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and opened the road to socialism. Laos' geographical location determined its strategic importance in Southeast Asia, and the Vietnam War and deepening relations with neighboring socialist countries (e.g., China and Vietnam) made Laos lean towards the socialist camp in the context of the Cold War.
At that time, the economic foundation of Laos was weak, the industry was basically blank, and agriculture was the main body of the national economy. Socialism provides a model for concentrating resources on national construction and development in the hope of promoting economic and social development through the power of the state. With the passage of time, while adhering to the socialist road, Laos is also gradually carrying out reform and opening up and seeking new ways of economic development.
The last socialist country is North Korea, which is located in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula and has a total area of about 120,000 square kilometers. It is bordered by China to the north by the Yalu and Tumen rivers, to the northeast by the Tumen River, to the east by the magnificent Sea of Japan, and to the west by the wide Yellow Sea and the Korean Gulf. The internal topography is complex and varied, mostly mountainous and plateau, and the low plains are mainly distributed in the western coastal areas and some river valleys.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Korean Peninsula was under the pressure of foreign forces, especially Japan's colonial rule. In 1945, at the end of World War II, the Korean Peninsula was liberated, but it also ushered in the fate of division. The Soviet Union and the United States divided it into north-north and south-north parts with the 38th parallel as the boundary, and the northern region established the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with the support of the Soviet Union and adopted a socialist system.
In fact, as early as the anti-Japanese struggle, many Korean communists established close ties with the Soviet Union, and these people later became the leading force in northern Korea. North Korea's leader, Kim Il Sung, and his followers believe that socialism can offer a path away from imperialist oppression and national independence and economic development.