Arab Socialism (ar. الاشتراكية العربية, al-ishtirākīya al-‘arabīya) is a political ideology based on an amalgamation of Pan-Arabism and Socialism. The concept of Arab Socialism should not be confused with the much broader tradition of socialist thought in the Arab World, which predates Arab Socialism by as much as 50 years. Pan-Arabism is a movement for unification among the Arab peoples and nations of the Middle East. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control. ... The Arab world The Arab world ( العالم العربي Al-Alam Al-Arabi) consists of twenty-two countries stretching from Mauritania in the west to Oman in the east. ...

Background and influence

Arab Socialism represents a historically very important political trend in the Arab world, although its influence has since diminished. The intellectual and political influence of Arab Socialism peaked during the 1950s and 60s, when it constituted the ideological basis of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and, to a lesser extent, of the Nasserite movement. The term Arab Socialism itself was coined by Michel ‘Aflaq, one of the founders of the Ba'ath Party, in order to distinguish his version of socialist ideology from Marxist socialism and the other types of socialism that developed in either European or other non-Western countries (China, USSR, etc.), and to highlight its authenticity and originality. Baath Party flag The Arab Socialist Bath Party (also spelled Baath or Baath; Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي) was founded in 1945 as a radical, secular Arab nationalist political party. ... Nasserism is an Arab political ideology based on the thinking of the Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. ... Michel ‘Aflaq (1910 - June 23, 1989) was the ideological founder of Ba’athism, a form of Arab nationalism. ... Marxism is the philosophy, social theory and political practice based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German, Jewish, socialist philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... The term Western world or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ...

Ideology

To ‘Aflaq, Arab Socialism was a necessary consequence of the quest for Arab unity and freedom, as only a socialist system of property and development would overcome the social and economic legacy of colonialism. At the same time, he vigorously rejected orthodox Marxism, considering its materialist, internationalist and atheist foundations ill-adapted to the Arab situation. While Arab Socialism endorsed much of the economic and social programme of European-style socialism, its divergent intellectual and spiritual foundations imposed some limits on its revolutionary potential: The ownership of the means of production was to be nationalized, but only within the constraints of traditional values such as private property and inheritance. "Primitive" social structures such as feudalism, nomadism, tribalism, religious factionalism and the oppression of women were to be overcome, but not at the cost of severing the social ties that constituted the Arab identity. Arab Socialism was frequently pictured as a "middle way" between the Capitalist West and the Communist East, and as a modern expression of traditional Arab values. See colony and colonisation for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism. ... Atheism, in its broadest sense, is the absence of theism (the belief in the existence of deities). ... The means of production are physical, non-human, inputs used in production. ... This page deals with property as ownership rights. ... Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, and obligations upon the death of an individual. ... Roland pledges his fealty to Charlemagne; from a manuscript of a chanson de geste. ... Communities of nomadic people move from place to place, rather than settling down in one location. ... The word tribalism can refer to two related but distinct concepts. ... For other uses, see Capitalism (disambiguation). ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ...

Arab Socialism is difficult to disentangle from the anti-colonial nationalist paradigm of the day, and this also manifested itself in the political and economic doctrines of the ideology. For example, the economic programme of Arab Socialists was often heavily focused on severing ties with the former colonial power, redistributing land that had been confiscated by settlers or foreign rulers, and creating self-reliance in the economic sphere as a means of securing political independence. See colony and colonisation for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix Nationalism is a form of identity that holds that (ethnically or culturally defined) nations are the fundamental units for human social life, and makes certain cultural and political claims based upon that belief; in particular, the claim that the nation is the... See colony and colonisation for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism. ...

Arguably, the most notable economic manifestations of Arab Socialism were the land reforms in Egypt (1952), Syria (1963) and Iraq (1970) and the nationalization of major industries and the banking systems in those countries. In Egypt and Syria, many of these policies were later reversed. They were more successful in Iraq, possibly due to the country's oil wealth, until the beginning of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980. Land reform (also agrarian reform although that can have a broader meaning) is the government-initiated or government-backed redistribution of — i. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and elaion – oil or Latin oleum – oil ) or crude oil is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid. ... Combatants Iran Iraq Commanders Ayatollah Khomeini Saddam Hussein Ali Hassan al-Majid Strength 100,000+ (Plus Civilians, Militias) 100,000+ (Plus Civilians, Militias) Casualties Est. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

Decline

Arab Socialism, woven into Arab Nationalism and Pan Arab thought, lost much of its appeal after the defeat of the Arab nations in the Six-Day War of 1967, in which Gamal Abdel Nasser's Egypt was widely discredited. While the ideology continued to hold sway for years to come, the war set in motion a fundamental rethinking of Arab politics, which many saw as the beginning of the end of the Arab Socialist era. As the Ba'ath Parties in both Iraq and Syria gradually transformed in the late 1960s from ideology-driven movements into instruments of ethnically defined, totalitarian rule, Arab Socialism lost its political importance. Today, it is no longer a major political force, although a lasting heritage of Arab Socialism is the secular character of many Arab regimes. However, Arab Socialist ideas are still widely held by intellectuals of the Arab world, and its ideas of social egalitarianism and of a 'third way' between 'egoist' capitalism and 'anti-spiritual' socialism remain important in modern Arab political thought. Arab nationalism refers to a common nationalist ideology in wider Arab world. ... Pan-Arabism is a movement for unification among the Arab peoples and nations of the Middle East. ... Combatants Israel Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq Commanders Yitzhak Rabin, Moshe Dayan, Uzi Narkiss, Israel Tal, Ariel Sharon Abdel Hakim Amer, Abdul Munim Riad, Zaid ibn Shaker, Hafez al-Assad Strength 50,000 troops (264,000 including mobilized reservists); 197 combat aircraft Egypt 150,000 troops; Syria 75,000; Jordan 55... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Gamal Abdel Nasser (January 15, 1918 – September 28, 1970; Arabic: جمال عبد الناصر name also transliterated as Jamal Abd al-Naser and other variants) was the leader of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. ... Totalitarianism is a typology employed by political scientists, especially those in the field of comparative politics, to describe modern regimes in which the state regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior. ... Secularity is the state of being free from religious or spiritual qualities. ... Egalitarianism can refer to moral as well as factual theories. ...

Some Arab Socialists

The following is a list of people who have been seen as adherents of Arab Socialism, or have been influential within the Arab Socialist school of thought, although some of them may not have used the term, or may even have opposed it.

• Michel ‘Aflaq
• Salah al-Din al-Bitar
• Zaki al-Arsuzi
• Hafez al-Assad
• Bashar al-Assad
• Ahmed Ben Bella
• Gamal Abdel Nasser
• Mehdi Ben Barka
• Akram al-Hawrani
• Saddam Hussein Al Tikriti
• Dyab Abou Jahjah

Michel ‘Aflaq (1910 - June 23, 1989) was the ideological founder of Ba’athism, a form of Arab nationalism. ... Salah al-Din al-Bitar ( 1911), a Sunni Muslim, co-founder of the Bath Party in Syria. ... Zaki al-Arsuzi is a Syrian philosopher, and founder of the Baath Party. ... Hafez al-Assad (Arabic: ‎) (October 6, 1930 – June 10, 2000) was the president of Syria from 1971 to 2000. ... President Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (Arabic: ‎) (born September 11, 1965) is the current President of Syria (The Syrian Arab Republic), Regional Secretary of the Baath Party and the son of former President Hafez al-Assad. ... Ahmed Ben Bella Mohamed Ahmed Ben Bella (Muhammad Ahmad Bin Balla) (Arabic: ) (born December 25, 1918?, Maghnia, Algeria) was the first President of Algeria, and seen by many as the Father of the Nation. ... Gamal Abdel Nasser (January 15, 1918 – September 28, 1970; Arabic: جمال عبد الناصر name also transliterated as Jamal Abd al-Naser and other variants) was the leader of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. ... Mehdi Ben Barka (1920 in Rabat – disappeared 1965 in Paris) was a Moroccan politician. ... Akram al-Hawrani (born Hama 1912, died Jordan 1996), was a Syrian politician who played a prominent role in the formation of a widespread populist, nationalist movement in Syria and in the rise of the Bath Party. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic: ), (born April 28, 1937 ), was the President of Iraq from 1979 until the United States-led invasion of Iraq reached Baghdad on April 9, 2003. ... Dyab Abou Jahjah (Born: Lebanon, 24th June 1971) is an Arab political activist who came from Lebanon to Belgium as an asylum seeker. ...

See also

• Islamic socialism
• Nasserism
• Arab Nationalism
• Pan Arabism

Islamic socialism is a term coined by various muslim leaders to counter the demand at home for a more spiritual form of socialism. ... Nasserism is an Arab political ideology based on the thinking of the Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. ... Arab nationalism refers to a common nationalist ideology in wider Arab world. ... Pan-Arabism is a movement for the unification of the arab race and the Arab peoples and and nations of the Middle East. ...

Reference

• Nasser and Arab Socialism