I'd say a bold sans serif in white on red/black will do nicely. No fancy ligatures or elegance here...
There's a left wing party here in The Netherlands (SP) having their campaigns in that style.

Just my 2c.

Cheers, JB

I don't think you can define such features as features of the font. As JB suggests, it's more a matter of use and presentation.
Or, if your intent is satiric, you could use a font with only left pointing serifs ;-)

There are several typefaces available today that were designed at Typo Art in the former East Germany. These typefaces were mostly for books, and they did try to instil them with "socialist" ideas. For instance, the types shouldn't to too showy, or take up too much space. In other words, they should allow for easy-to-read, economic setting. Look for Karl-Heinz Lange's typefaces at PrimeType, or Lapture at JustAnotherFoundry.com. Lapture is Tim Ahrens's revival of Albert Kapr's Leipziger-Antiqua. Maxima, from Gerd Wunderlich, is sort of experiencing something of a comeback in Berlin and Leipzig, I hear. You can get a digitisation of the fonts from URW.

Search around for a a few more! Also for the Grafotechnica typefaces from the former Czechoslovakia. Some Czechoslovak typefaces from the communist era have also been revived, like Tim revived Leipziger Antiqua into Lapture.

Oh, Andreas, I disagree! The people who made these typefaces thought that they were putting socialist features in the typefaces. They said that they were doing this, and they wrote it down. They wanted people to know what they were doing, why they were doing it … and they wanted to be viewed in a certain light. So, if one is looking for a "socialist" typeface, one could consider designers' intent as a possible factor in the selection process. Otherwise, I don't see how you get away from the kind of clichés that shessler is trying to avoid.

As for a "left wing" typeface, I have no idea what could make a typeface left wing. Although, the suggestion to look at what left-wing politicians use in the campaign graphics and literature could be interesting. I doubt much, though, that typeface-choice is that clear cut. I think that, in most republics, the left and the right wings of a political system probably use the same basic pool of typefaces.

A EULA that claims you are entitled to use it provided you pay your taxes.

Gill Sans Condensed was used for signage in former GER. Does this make it socialist? I agree with Andreas that it is nearly impossible to attribute such a feature to a typeface. And the mimickry of typefaces from the Russian revolutionary era definitely aren’t either. I wouldn’t know, for instance, how to put a religious feature into a typeface. Accentuating cross elements in letters, would that make it a Christian type? No, it would just be a special design treatment. But you can’t put belief in a type.

Andreas, are Kapr's late-1970s Ästhetik der Schriftkunst and early 1980s book of collected essays not enough proof? I could look for more, if you want. I think that his writing is fabulous, but he has a clear bias, and writes repeatedly about a socialist program of book design, and also typefaces. There was also a (half-hearted) effort across several Eastern block countries to establish a complete suite of typefaces for all text applications, into which Maxima and Leipziger Antiqua both fit (and rather well at that, too!).

Computer Modern, or anything released under GPL might be viewed as 'socialist', but this is a licensing feature rather than a design feature.

André

Road sign fonts: designed for the public good with tax money.

@ Dan: Albert Kapr was a communist, already during the third Reich. So it is hardly surprising that he incorporated thoughts of the sort into his writings. But his typefaces (and other designs) show just excellent workmanship and the taste of the time. There is nothing socialist about it even if he would have claimed that it be so.
The propaganda can hardly be the relevant reference. Under the Nazis every rolling wheel was a an approach towards the endsieg, under the Kozis every letter standing upright was a contribution to the final weltrevolution. Do we care?

For Kapr’s works see here

Things are very complicated. As we are designers, our task is (at least trying) to create better solutions. So we should be conscious of broad complexity of certain problems.

First, let's notice, that speaking in language of economy, the systems installed in the countries of the Eastern Block were nothing else than a variety of capitalism, called the state capitalism. (Yoy can agree or disagree, but the above statement isn't important). That slowly lead the economy to ruin, and was - as long as possible - maintained by violence. However there is no denying that these countries maintained some elements of socialism, like free education, healthcare, social security, space planning, etc.

These so-called "achievements of socialism" are not obvious, however. Particularly looking at the example of Germany, where after the unification, some solutions were found to be quiet compatible. In contrast to East Germany, Poland found itself in a difficult geopolitical situation, with the advent of market economy, and today we are dealing with a deliberate and progressive destruction of those (after all-) achievements.

This generates some kind of nostalgy, which is very similar in forms to German Ostalgie. Probably we all miss those anchors of a lucky childhood: symbols of little stability, small prosperity, safety. And probably we don't really miss socialism at all, but just elements of well designed past. I don't care if athors, illustrators and typesetters of my fairytales were socialists. I saved the books, and me and my son use them with joy now, because they have been damn good, despite of poor technologies.

I belive, that the connotations of the idea of socialism can be achieved in typography, only through appropriate, wisely balanced context. If we're fascinated by lettering of propaganda posters, we must be aware that behind the appropriation of avant-garde aesthetics stood the terror apparatus.
If, however, the applied arts of one of the former socialist countries inspire us, remember that it is one of the local varieties of modernism (or whatever else) - and as such will not be properly read everywhere.
The Cyrillic-like games aren't only cliché, but have literally nothing to do with our memories, nor with the topic.

I cannot point any typeface and any formal solution, which could be regarded as "socialist", without knowing a purpose. I can only write, that (both times for NGO's) once I used Chaparral to say "we are here and we demand respecting rights" (and it worked), and Museo to say "something is going to change" (and nothing have changed).

Any open source font.

HA-HA-Hahaha !!!

touché.

Any open source font.

As long as it's not too well made.

As long as it's not too well made.

That is true. Some of the best looking open source fonts are merely autotraced capitalist fonts.

Are there any contemporary typefaces made today that would be regarded socialist?

I'll try again: Any open source font that's not basically a copy of a well-known classic font. There are a lot of useful opensource fonts to choose from.

I've seen some open font sites where the majority of original fonts are "so-so" quality. When they're seen alongside adaptations of Avant Garde, Helvetica & Franklin Gothic the contrast is stark.

Open Font Library is not like this. Most of the fonts are original and they've obviously picked some of the best ones. The adaptation of older fonts on http://openfontlibrary.org/ seems good to me; they look pro.

I have seen a lot of attractive auto-traced classic open source fonts on other open source font sites. With some open source font sites where there appears to be a low quality bar, the auto-traced classics stand head and shoulders above. That's what I thought Nick meant.

Perhaps a crowd-sourced, open source font would best represent socialism. There's kind of a similar thing going on there.

I'm glad you're not using typical Russian constructivist fonts. If anything it would lead people to believe socialists are incapable of drawing letters without a graph paper and ruler.

Says who?

Says who? Not Lenin!

But with regard to type, as I understand it, creative type design ceased during the Soviet regime, because types were considered to be capitalist tools of consumerism.

@Nick - Only in terms of professionalism as expecting money or other remuneration in exchange for your skills. The other type, that of wanting to be "the best whore in the whorehouse" is not restricted to any one country or bloc.

These guys are all the same height and width.

Choosing a typeface to evoke a particular ideology is hardly enough to do the job. Much of the tone is set with how it is used. You also have to ask what aspects of Socialism are you emphasizing? Is this the early revolutionary writing of movement leaders or just a discussion of socialized medicine in long-established governments today?

The proof is in the pudding, not in just one of the ingredients.

The medium is the message

Unemployment by Eric Gill

If Massimo were setting "The Diary of Anne Franck", would he have chosen Helvetica Extra Light or Helvetica Extra Bold?

As offtopic, while I can't load the picture: I guess, Vignelli would use Garamond or Times and Futura.

@ myself. A capitalist font is a collection of beautiful letters.
A socialist font is a beautiful collection of letters.

I should have said, "...
A socialist font is a beautiful collective of letters.