Social imperialism

As a political term, social imperialism is the political ideology of people, parties, or nations that are, according to Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, "socialist in words, imperialist in deeds".

Socialists in pre-WWI Germany and 20th century Russia who advocated for imperialism justified their views with select quotations from Marx about great nations conquering smaller nations, as well as Marx's denigration of Slavs. They also argued that anything that advances the power of a leading socialist state, including conquest and imperialism, is good because it ultimately advances socialism.

Some academics use this phrase to refer to governments that engage in imperialism meant to preserve the domestic social peace.

Political use

The term "social imperialism" is a Marxist expression, typically used in a derogatory fashion. The phrase was first used in Marxist circles during the early 20th century discussions on the position of the international workers' movement towards the impending European war and particularly in regard to the Social Democratic Party of Germany. In this context it is very similar to, but not interchangeable with, the terms social chauvinism and social patriotism.

In the later decades the most significant use of the phrase has been in the Maoist critique of the Soviet Union. Mao Zedong argued that the Soviet Union had itself become an imperialist power while maintaining a socialist façade. Albanian leader and Chinese ally Enver Hoxha agreed with Mao in this analysis, before later using the expression to also condemn Mao's Three Worlds Theory amid the Sino-Albanian split.