The State of Socialism: A Note on Terminology

Abstract

Scholars use a variety of terms to refer to the regimes of the former Soviet bloc. Some prefercommunist, while others usesocialistorstate socialist. In this article, Andrew Roberts argues thatcommunismis the better choice. Usingsocialismorstate socialismto refer to these regimes stretches the concept unnecessarily, making one label refer to two regimes with little in common. This conceptual stretching has two negative consequences. First, it impedes efficient scholarly communication. Second, it impoverishes political debate by diminishing the achievements of democratic socialists. A solution to this problem is to use the termcommunistto refer to Soviet-style regimes.