What if everything you thought you knew about socialism was wrong? Socialism: the 100-Year-Old Misnomer invites you to rethink a century of political and cultural myth-making.
Dana Neacşu distinguishes real socialism—rooted in democracy and wealth redistribution—from its authoritarian counterfeit: Soviet-style state capitalism. Drawing on political theory, political economy, law, and culture, and using layered textual analysis, Neacşu exposes how language, ideology, and legal systems conspired to mislabel repression as revolution. Featuring rare visuals and sharp close readings, this book equips you to separate fact from fiction and rethink what justice, ownership, and power could truly mean.
Publication date: November 6, 2026
Foreword
George P. Fletcher
Acknowledgments
List of Figures, Maps and Tables
Introduction: Socialism and Its Long Misnomer History
1 Why Now?
2 Ersatz Socialism and State Monopoly Capitalism
3 Technologically Mediated Commonsense
4 Choosing the Path of Commonsense Built on Insight
Part 1 Socialism as Theory and Practice
1 Socialism’s 19th Century Pedigree
2 Ersatz Socialism as Soviet Theory and Practice
1 Capitalism and Ersatz Socialism
2 The Theoretical Foundation of 20th Century Soviet or Ersatz Socialism
3 John Reed’s Account of 20th Century Ersatz Socialism
4 Bertrand Russell’s Account of 20th Century Ersatz Socialism
5 Soviet Socialism—Actuating State Capital Monopoly
Part 2 The Political, Economic, and Legal Scaffolding of Ersatz Socialism
3 Beyond the Narrative of Failed Socialism
4 Government and Politics
1 Democracy Begins in Conversation
2 Oligarchy and Dictatorship
3 Ersatz Socialism Strived as an Authoritative Political Regime
5 State Corporate Capitalism as the Most Profitable Economic Policy
1 How Does Non-Competitive Capitalism Work?
2 Why Is a Non-Competitive State Capitalism Capitalist and Not Socialist?
3 Democratic Capitalism Encourages Free Enterprise; Ersatz Socialism Encourages Corporate Monopoly
4 Non-Democratic Capitalism Encourages State Corporate Domination and Planned Competition
5 Ersatz Socialism Strives on the Socialization of Production and Centralization of Profit
6 So, What Is the Connection between Socialism and Capitalism?
6 The Rule of Law in Ersatz Socialism
1 Brief Definition of the Rule of Law in a Liberal Democracy
2 Brief Definition of Soviet Rule of Law in Ersatz Socialism
3 Soviet Private (Civil) Law. The Law of Property and Contracts
4 Soviet Public Law Implemented a Dictatorial Rule of Law
Part 3 Socialism—From Ersatz to Knowledge
7 The 100-Year-Old Socialist Misnomer and “Dialectical Criticism”
8 Things, Concepts, and Judgment Calls as the Building Block of Common Knowledge
9 The Dynamic Nature of Insight and Commonsense Knowledge
Conclusion
Appendix A: J.V. Stalin: Constitution (Fundamental Law) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Appendix B: U.S. Constitution. 1787. https://constitution.congress.gov /constitution/
References
Indexå
