List of communist states

A map of communist states:
  Current
  Former

The following are lists of current and former states that claimed to be communist states.

Current communist states

The following countries are one-party states in which the institutions of the ruling communist party and the state have become intertwined. They are adherents of Marxism–Leninism. They are listed here together with the year of their founding and their respective ruling parties.[1]

Overview of current states espousing Marxism–Leninism
Country Local name Since Ruling party Ideology
 People's Republic of China[nb 1] Chinese: 中华人民共和国
Pinyin: Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó 		1 October 1949 (1949-10-01) Communist Party of China Socialism with Chinese characteristics
 Republic of Cuba Spanish: República de Cuba 1 January 1959 (1959-01-01)
24 February 1976 (1976-02-24) (communist constitution adopted) 		Communist Party of Cuba
 Lao People's Democratic Republic Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ
Lao romanisation: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao 		2 December 1975 (1975-12-02) Lao People's Revolutionary Party Kaysone Phomvihane Thought
 Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vietnamese: Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam 2 September 1945 (North Vietnam[nb 2])
30 April 1975 (South Vietnam)
2 July 1976 (unified) 		Communist Party of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh Thought

Disputed

Although founded as a Marxist–Leninist state, North Korea began moving away from orthodox Marxism–Leninism and replaced all references to Marxism–Leninism in the Constitution of North Korea with Juche in 1992.[2] In 2009, the constitution was quietly amended so that not only did it remove all Marxist–Leninist references present in the first draft, but it also dropped all reference to communism.[3] According to North Korea: A Country Study by Robert L. Worden, Marxism–Leninism was abandoned immediately after the start of de-Stalinisation in the Soviet Union and it has been totally replaced by Juche since at least 1974.[4] The government's official ideology is now the Juche part of Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism policy of Kim Il Sung as opposed to orthodox Marxism–Leninism. The ruling Workers' Party of Korea reinstated its goal towards communism in 2021.[5] Some communists, especially the anti revisionists, call the DPRK a non marxist socialist state.

Country Local name Since Ruling party Ideology
Democratic People's Republic of Korea Korean: 조선민주주의인민공화국
MR: Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk 		9 September 1948 (1948-09-09) Workers' Party of Korea Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism

Multi-party states with governing communist parties

See also: Socialism in liberal democratic constitutions

There are multi-party states with communist parties leading the government. Such states are not considered to be communist states because the countries themselves allow for multiple parties and do not provide a constitutional role for their communist parties. Nepal was previously ruled by the Nepal Communist Party, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) between 1994 and 1998 and then again between 2008 and 2018 while states formerly ruled by one or more communist parties include San Marino (1945–1957 and 1978-1990), Moldova (2001–2009), Cyprus (2008–2013), and Guyana (1992–2015).

Nicaragua has been ruled by a socialist party from 1984–1990, and from 2007 on by Daniel Ortega, who is a Sandinista.

Venezuela is currently ruled by Nicolás Maduro, who has been President since 2013 (disputed since 2019). Maduro is the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), which is considered far-left and Marxist.[6]

During the socialist Free Peru party's rule over Peru, many international observers described the party as being somewhat Marxist[7][8][9] or even Marxist–Leninist.[10][11]

In 2024, Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Marxist-Leninist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was elected President of Sri Lanka, and the JVP's broader coalition, National People's Power won a landslide in parliamentary elections shortly thereafter. This represents the first time a communist party has been the ruling party of Sri Lanka.[12]

Former communist states

See also: People's republic
     Officially ruling parties in communist states
     Communist parties as ruling parties or part of a governing coalition in multi-party states
     Formerly ruling in a one-party system
     Formerly ruling in a parliamentary majority or minority government
     Formerly ruling as a coalition partner or supporter
States that had communist governments in red, states that the Soviet Union believed at one point to be moving toward socialism in orange, and states with constitutional references to socialism in yellow

The following communist states were socialist states committed to communism. Some were short-lived and preceded the widespread adoption of Marxism–Leninism by most communist states.

Notes

  1. ^ Hong Kong and Macau are administrated under the "one country, two systems" principle.
  2. ^ Vietnam was divided on 21 July 1954
  3. ^ Although the government's official ideology is now the Juche part of Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism policy of Kim Il Sung as opposed to orthodox Marxism–Leninism, it is still considered a socialist state. In 1992, all references to Marxism–Leninism in the Constitution of North Korea were dropped and replaced with Juche.[2] In 2009, the constitution was quietly amended so that not only did it remove all Marxist–Leninist references present in the first draft, but it also dropped all reference to communism.[37] According to North Korea: A Country Study by Robert L. Worden, Marxism–Leninism was abandoned immediately after the start of de-Stalinisation in the Soviet Union and it has been totally replaced by Juche since at least 1974.[38]

References

  1. ^ "North Korea". The World Factbook. CIA. Archived from the original on 13 June 2009.
  2. ^ a b Dae-Kyu, Yoon (2003). "The Constitution of North Korea: Its Changes and Implications". Fordham International Law Journal. 27 (4): 1289–1305. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  3. ^ Park, Seong-Woo (23 September 2009). "Bug gaejeong heonbeob 'seongunsasang' cheos myeong-gi" 북 개정 헌법 '선군사상' 첫 명기 [First stipulation of the 'Seongun Thought' of the North Korean Constitution] (in Korean). Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  4. ^ Worden, Robert L. (2008). North Korea: A Country Study (PDF) (5th ed.). Washington, D. C.: Library of Congress. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-8444-1188-0.
  5. ^ "북한 노동당 규약 주요 개정 내용" [Major revisions to North Korea's Workers' Party rules]. Yonhap News Agency. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Libro Rojo" [Red Book] (PDF). psuv.org.ve (in Spanish). December 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Pedro Castillo: The primary school teacher who became Peru's president". BBC News. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021. Casting himself as a man of the people, Mr Castillo was rarely seen without the traditional white, broad-rimmed hat of his Cajamarca region, and a huge inflatable pencil, the symbol of his Marxist Free Peru party which also represents his background in education.
  8. ^ "Peru president challenged by his own party over Cabinet". AP News. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Havana-Trained Marxist Pushes Peru's New President to the Left". Bloomberg. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Peru's Congress postpones Cabinet confirmation vote to next week". Reuters. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Peru confirms new moderate-left cabinet". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  12. ^ https://frontline.thehindu.com/news/sri-lanka-election-2024-npp-victory-dissanayake-reforms-tamil-support-parliament-majority-economic-agenda/article68871257.ece
  13. ^ Tanner, Väinö (1956). The Winter War: Finland Against Russia, 1939–1940, Volume 312. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press. p. 114.
  14. ^ Trotter, William (2013). A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939–1940. Algonquin Books. p. 58, 61.
  15. ^ Kokoshin, Andrei (1998). Soviet Strategic Thought, 1917–91. MIT Press. p. 93.
  16. ^ Tarnas, R. (2006). Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View. Viking. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-670-03292-1. Retrieved 6 February 2023 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ Gallardo, P.; Russell, E. (2014). Yesterday's Tomorrows: On Utopia and Dystopia. Cambridge Scholars Publisher. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-4438-5877-9. Retrieved 6 February 2023 – via Google Books.
  18. ^ Hoffrogge, Ralf (2014). "Working-Class Politics in the German Revolution". In Müller, Richard (ed.). The Revolutionary Shop Stewards and the Origins of the Council Movement. Leiden: Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-21921-2.
  19. ^ Till Schelze-Brandenburg, Till (2008). "Die Bremer Räterepublik" [The Bremen Soviet Republic]. University of Bremen. Archived from the original on 28 June 2008.
  20. ^ Hooglund, Eric James (1966). The Munich Soviet Republic of April, 1919. Orono, Maine: University of Maine – via Google Books.
  21. ^ Mitchell, Allan (1965). Revolution in Bavaria, 1918–1919: The Eisner Regime and the Soviet Republic. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 346. ISBN 978-1400878802.
  22. ^ Gaab, Jeffrey S. (2006). Munich: Hofbräuhaus & History: Beer, Culture, and Politics. Peter Lang / International Academic Publishers. p. 58. ISBN 978-0820486062.
  23. ^ Kletzin, Jochen (1978). "Die Würzburger Sozialdemokratie in der Weimarer Republik" [The Würzburg Social Democracy in the Weimar Republic]. In Loew, Hans Werner; Schönhoven, Klaus (eds.). Würzburgs Sozialdemokraten: vom Arbeiterverein zur Sozialdemokratischen Volkspartei [Würzburg's Social Democrats. From the Workers' Association to the Social Democratic People's Party] (in German). Würzburg: Stürtz. pp. 60–64.
  24. ^ Stickler, Matthias (2007). "Neuanfang und Kontinuität: Würzburg in der Weimarer Republik." [New Beginnings and Continuity: Würzburg in the Weimar Republic.]. In Wagner, Ulrich (ed.). Geschichte der Stadt Würzburg [History of the City of Würzburg] (in German). Stuttgart: Theiss. pp. 1269 note 18. ISBN 978-3-8062-1478-9.
  25. ^ Evans, Richard J. (2003). The Coming of the Third Reich. New York: Penguin. pp. 158–161. ISBN 0-14-303469-3.
  26. ^ Evans, Richard J. (2003). The Coming of the Third Reich. New York: Penguin. pp. 158–161. ISBN 0-14-303469-3.
  27. ^ Major, Patrick; Osmond, Jonathan (2002). The Workers' and Peasants' State: Communism and Society in East Germany Under Ulbricht 1945–71. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-6289-6.
  28. ^ Milza, Pierre (2009). L'année terrible: La Commune (mars–juin 1871) [The terrible year: La Commune (March–June 1871)] (in French). Paris: Perrin. ISBN 978-2-262-03073-5.
  29. ^ Rougerie, Jacques (2014). La Commune de 1871. Paris: Presses universitaires de France. ISBN 978-2-13-062078-5.
  30. ^ Gluckstein, Donny (2006). The Paris Commune: A Revolutionary Democracy. Bookmarks. ISBN 978-1-905192-14-4.
  31. ^ Archer, Julian P. W. (April 1972). "The Crowd in the Lyon Commune and the Insurrection of La Guillotiere". International Review of Social History. 17 (1): 183–188. doi:10.1017/S0020859000006489. ISSN 0020-8590. JSTOR 44594905.
  32. ^ Moissonnier, Maurice (1972). La premiere internationale et la commune a Lyon (1865–1871) [The international premiere and the commune in Lyon (1865–1871)] (in French). Paris: Editions sociales. OCLC 902707001.
  33. ^ Arjakas, Küllo; Laur, Mati; Lukas, Tõnis; Mäesalu, Ain (1991). Eesti ajalugu [History of Estonia] (in Estonian). Tallinn: Koolibri. p. 261.
  34. ^ Attitudes of Major Soviet Nationalities (PDF). Vol. II. The Baltics. Center for International Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1973. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  35. ^ Swanson, John C. (2017). Tangible Belonging: Negotiating Germanness in Twentieth-Century Hungary. University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-8229-8199-2.
  36. ^ Völgyes, Iván (1970). "The Hungarian Dictatorship of 1919: Russian Example versus Hungarian Reality". East European Quarterly. 1 (4): 58. ISSN 0012-8449.
  37. ^ Park, Seong-Woo (23 September 2009). "Bug gaejeong heonbeob 'seongunsasang' cheos myeong-gi" 북 개정 헌법 '선군사상' 첫 명기 [First stipulation of the 'Seongun Thought' of the North Korean Constitution] (in Korean). Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  38. ^ Worden, Robert L. (2008). North Korea: A Country Study (PDF) (5th ed.). Washington, D. C.: Library of Congress. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-8444-1188-0.
  39. ^ Layne, Joseph Ewart (2014). We Move Tonight: The Making of the Grenada Revolution. Grenada Revolution Memorial Foundation.
  40. ^ Khadzhiev, Georgi (1992). "The Transfiguration Uprising and the 'Strandzha Commune': The First Libertarian Commune in Bulgaria". Nat︠s︡ionalnoto osvobozhdenie i bezvlastnii︠a︡t federalizŭm [National Liberation and Libertarian Federalism] (in Bulgarian). Translated by Firth, Will. Sofia: Artizdat-5. pp. 99–148. OCLC 27030696. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020.
  41. ^ Vasséva, Sonia (2 August 2013). "2 août: Insurrection de la Saint Elie et de la Transfiguration" [August 2: Insurrection of Saint Elijah and the Transfiguration] (in French). Radio Bulgaria. Retrieved 12 December 2016.

Bibliography

General

References for when the individuals were elected to the office of CCP leader, the name of the offices and when they established and were abolished are found below.

Articles and journal entries

Books