socialism of fools

noun

Anti-Semitism.

OriginGerman Sozialismus der dummen Kerle →
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Meanings

nounthe socialism of fools (uncountable)
  1. derogatoryuncountableAnti-Semitism.

    A quest to swap out the irrational hatreds of the vulnerable with worthier targets—economic systems, ideologies, structural inequities. To replace the socialism of fools with the socialism of facts.

    2023, Naomi Klein, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World, Penguin, →ISBN, page 290

Origin

  1. GermanSozialismus der dummen Kerle
  2. Englishsocialism of fools

Calque of German Sozialismus der dummen Kerle (literally “socialism of the stupid fellows”), attributed to Austrian politician Ferdinand Kronawetter (1838–1913).

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

socialism of fools. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/socialism%20of%20fools

MLA

“socialism of fools.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/socialism%20of%20fools. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “socialism of fools,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/socialism%20of%20fools.

Source: socialism of fools on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.