A socialist-oriented state seeks to reach socialism by non-capitalist development.

[62] As a term, it is substantially different from the concept of the national-

democratic state.[62] The singular difference is that the socialist-oriented state
was divided into two stages, firstly into a national-democratic socialist-oriented
state and secondly into a people's democratic socialist-oriented state.[61]
Countries belonging to the national-democratic socialist-oriented state category
were also categorised as national-democratic states.[61] Examples of national-
democratic socialist-oriented states are Algeria ruled by the National Liberation
Front, Ba'athist Iraq and Socialist Burma.[61] In contrast, people's democratic
socialist-oriented states had to be guided by Marxism�Leninism and accept the
universal truths of Marxism�Leninism and reject other notions of socialism such as
African socialism.[61]

The socialist-oriented states had seven defining features, namely they were
revolutionary democracies, had a revolutionary-democratic party, class
dictatorship, defense of the socialist-oriented states, had organs of
socialisation, initiated socialist construction and the type of socialist-oriented
state (either national-democratic or people's democratic).[63] The political goal
of revolutionary democracy is to create the conditions for socialism in countries
were the social, political and economic conditions for socialism do not exist.[64]
The second feature to be met is the establishment of a revolutionary-democratic
party which has to establish itself as the leading force and guide the state by
using Marxist�Leninist ideology.[65] While introduced in these states, democratic
centralism is rarely upheld.[66]

Unlike capitalism which is ruled by the bourgeoisie class and socialism were the
proletariat leads, the socialist-oriented state represents a broad and
heterogeneous group of classes that seek to consolidate national independence.[66]
Since the peasantry were usually the largest class in socialist-oriented states,
their role were emphasised�similar to the working class in other socialist states.
[67] However, Marxist�Leninist admitted that these states often fell under the
control of certain cliques such as the military in Ethiopia.[67] The establishing
of a legal system and coercive institutions are also noted to safeguard the
socialist-oriented nature of the state.[68] The fifth feature is that the media and
educational system has to be taken over by the socialist-oriented state while
establishing mass organisations to mobilize the populace.[69] Unlike the Soviet
economic model, the economy of the socialist-oriented states are mixed economies
that seek to attract foreign capital and which seeks to maintain and develop the
private sector.[70] In the words of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, these states
were in the process of taking over the commanding heights of the economy and
instituting a state planned economy.[60] According to Soviet sources, only Laos was
the one socialist-oriented state that has managed to develop into a socialist
state.