From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A map of current communist states
A communist state is a form of government that combines the state leadership of a communist party through the supreme state organ of power , Marxism–Leninism or a related political philosophy , and an official commitment to the construction of a communist society . Communism in its modern form grew out of the socialist movement in 19th-century Europe and blamed capitalism for societal miseries. In the 20th century, several communist states were established, first in Russia with the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then in portions of Eastern Europe, Asia, and a few other regions after World War II . The institutions of these states were heavily influenced by the writings of Karl Marx , Friedrich Engels , Vladimir Lenin , Joseph Stalin and others. However, the political reforms of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev known as Perestroika and socio-economic difficulties produced the revolutions of 1989 , which brought down all the communist states of the Eastern Bloc bar the Soviet Union . The repercussions of the collapse of these states contributed to political transformations in the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia and several other non-European communist states. Presently, there are five communist states in the world: China , Cuba , Laos , North Korea and Vietnam .[ 1]
A map of all socialist states in 1980.
In applied communist practice, a socialist state is a communist state formation that is the product of a purported base and superstructural relation that is called the socialist mode of production , or simply socialism. Socialism acts as the base of the socialist state, while the superstructure is made up of two parts: the class character of the state and the organisational form of state power.
The majority of communist states have been unable to establish a socialist state. These states had, according to Marxist–Leninist doctrine, reached a lower form of development and designated themselves, or were designated, for example, as national democratic states , states of socialist orientation or as people's democratic states .
Overview of communist states that have self-described as socialist
State
Established
Dissolved
Duration
Leading party
Supreme state organ of power
Ref.
Albania
28 December 1976
29 April 1991
14 years, 122 days
Party of Labour [ a]
People's Assembly
Bulgaria
18 May 1971
12 July 1991
20 years, 55 days
Communist Party
National Assembly
China
17 November 1975
—
50 years, 268 days
Communist Party
National People's Congress
Cuba
24 February 1976
—
50 years, 169 days
Communist Party [ b]
National Assembly of People's Power
Czechoslovakia
11 July 1960
29 March 1990
29 years, 261 days
Communist Party
Federal Assembly
East Germany
8 April 1968
3 October 1990
22 years, 178 days
Socialist Unity Party
People's Chamber
Hungary
26 April 1972
23 October 1989
17 years, 180 days
Socialist Workers' Party [ c]
National Assembly
Mongolia
6 July 1960
12 February 1990
29 years, 221 days
People's Revolutionary Party
Great People's Khural
North Korea
27 December 1972
—
53 years, 228 days
Workers' Party
Supreme People's Assembly
Poland
10 February 1976
9 December 1989
13 years, 302 days
United Workers' Party
Sejm
Romania
21 August 1965
30 December 1989
24 years, 131 days
Communist Party [ d]
Great National Assembly
Somalia
21 October 1969
26 January 1991
21 years, 97 days
Revolutionary Socialist Party
People's Assembly
Soviet Union
30 December 1922 [ I]
26 December 1991
68 years, 361 days [ II]
Communist Party
Supreme Soviet
Vietnam
2 July 1976
—
50 years, 41 days
Communist Party
National Assembly
Yugoslavia
7 April 1963
27 April 1992
29 years, 20 days
League of Communists [ e]
Assembly
People's democratic states[ edit ]
A people's democratic state is a communist state formation. According to the Marxist–Leninist theory of people's democracy , it purportedly tries to transition society from a capitalist mode of production to a socialist mode of production after a successful people's democratic revolution . This process transforms the people's democratic state into a socialist state . According to Marxist–Leninist theorists, the people's democratic state is socialist-type state, but not a socialist state itself.[ citation needed ] The form of government of people's democratic states is unified state power of the supreme state organ of power , under the leadership of the ruling communist party . Despite this, forms of government have not always been identical in different states, with some slight institutional differences.[ citation needed ]
Overview of communist states that have self-described as people's democratic
State
Dates active
Duration
Leading party
Supreme state organ of power
Ref.
Afghanistan [ III]
30 April 1978 – 27 December 1979
1 year, 241 days
People's Democratic Party
Revolutionary Council
Albania
11 January 1946 – 28 December 1976
30 years, 352 days
Party of Labour [ a]
People's Assembly
Angola
10 December 1977 – 26 August 1992
14 years, 260 days
People's Movement for the Liberation
People's Assembly
Benin
23 May 1977 – 1 March 1990
12 years, 282 days
People's Revolutionary Party
National Revolutionary Assembly
Bulgaria
4 December 1947 – 18 May 1971
24 years, 245 days
Communist Party
National Assembly
Cambodia
7 January 1979 – 15 March 1992
13 years, 68 days
People's Revolutionary Party
National Assembly
China
1 October 1949 – 17 November 1975
26 years, 47 days
Communist Party
National People's Congress
Congo
31 December 1969 – 15 March 1992
22 years, 75 days
Party of Labour
National People's Assembly
Cuba
16 February 1959 – 24 February 1976
17 years, 8 days
Communist Party [ b]
National Assembly of People's Power
Czechoslovakia
25 February 1948 – 11 July 1960
12 years, 137 days
Communist Party
National Assembly
East Germany
9 October 1949 – 8 April 1968
18 years, 182 days
Socialist Unity Party
People's Chamber
Ethiopia
22 February 1987 – 28 May 1991
4 years, 95 days
Workers' Party
National Shengo
Hungary
18 August 1949 – 26 April 1972
22 years, 250 days
Socialist Workers' Party [ c]
National Assembly
Kampuchea
17 April 1975 – 7 January 1979
3 years, 2 days
Communist Party
Assembly of People's Representatives
Laos
2 December 1975
—
People's Revolutionary Party
National Assembly
Mongolia
24 November 1924 – 6 July 1960
35 years, 225 days
People's Revolutionary Party
Great People's Khural
Mozambique
25 June 1975 – 30 November 1990
15 years, 158 days
Liberation Front
People's Assembly
North Korea
9 September 1948 – 27 December 1972
24 years, 109 days
Workers' Party
Supreme People's Assembly
North Vietnam
2 September 1945 – 2 July 1976
30 years, 304 days
Workers' Party
National Assembly
Poland
14 December 1948 – 10 February 1976
27 years, 58 days
United Workers' Party
Sejm
Romania
30 December 1947 – 21 August 1965
17 years, 234 days
Communist Party [ d]
Great National Assembly
South Vietnam
30 April 1975 [ IV] – 2 July 1976
1 year, 63 days [ V]
People's Revolutionary Party
People's Assembly
South Yemen
30 November 1970 – 20 May 1990
19 years, 171 days
Socialist Party
Supreme People's Council
Tuva [ VI]
14 August 1921 – 11 October 1944
23 years, 58 days
People's Revolutionary Party
People's Khural
Yugoslavia
20 November 1945 – 7 April 1963
17 years, 138 days
League of Communists [ e]
Federal People's Assembly
Communist predecessor states to the USSR [ edit ]
Overview of communist predecessor states to the USSR
State
Established
Dissolved
Duration
Ref.
Armenia
29 November 1920
30 December 1922
2 years, 31 days
Azerbaijan
2 September 1920
27 October 1922
1 year, 318 days
Bukhara
8 October 1920
27 October 1924
4 years, 19 days
Byelorussia, 1st attempt
1 January 1919
27 February 1919
57 days
Byelorussia, 2nd attempt
31 July 1920
31 December 1922
2 years, 153 days
Crimea
12 May 1919
26 June 1919
45 days
Donetsk–Krivoy Rog
12 February 1918
20 March 1918
36 days
Estonia
29 November 1918
5 June 1919
188 days
Far Eastern Republic
6 April 1920
15 November 1922
2 years, 223 days
Galicia
8 July 1920
21 September 1920
75 days
Georgia
25 February 1921
30 December 1922
1 year, 308 days
Khorezm
26 April 1920
24 October 1924
4 years, 181 days
Latvia
17 December 1918
13 January 1920
1 year, 27 days
Lithuania
16 December 1918
27 February 1919
73 days
Lithuania and Belorussia
27 February 1919
31 July 1920
1 year, 155 days
Mughan
15 May 1919
25 June 1919
41 days
Odessa
1 March 1918
13 March 1918
12 days
Russia
7 November 1917
30 December 1922
5 years, 53 days
Ukraine, 1st attempt
25 December 1917
18 April 1918
114 days
Ukraine, 2nd attempt
10 March 1919
30 December 1922
3 years, 295 days
Overview of ephemeral communist states
State
Established
Dissolved
Duration
Ref.
Azerbaijan
20 November 1945
12 December 1946
1 year, 22 days
Bavaria
7 April 1919
2 May 1919
25 days
Bremen
10 January 1919
4 February 1919
21 days
Chile
4 June 1932
13 September 1932
101 days
China
7 November 1931
22 September 1937
5 years, 319 days
Fatsa
14 October 1979
11 June 1980
241 days
Finland, 1st attempt
29 January 1918
5 May 1918
96 days
Finland, 2nd attempt
1 December 1939
12 March 1940
102 days
Hungary
21 March 1919
3 August 1919
135 days
Mahabad
22 January 1946
15 December 1946
327 days
Persia
20 May 1920
20 September 1920
123 days
Slovakia
16 June 1919
7 July 1919
21 days
East Turkestan
7 November 1944
1 July 1946 [ VIII]
1 year, 236 days
↑ The Soviet Union was established on 30 December 1922, but was not declared a socialist state until 5 December 1936, when the second Soviet constitution was adopted. Vladimir Lenin , the first leader of the Soviet Union, was unsure how to categorise the Soviet state. He made it clear that he did not believe either the state or society of the Soviet Union to be socialist. Joseph Stalin , who eventually succeeded Lenin, initiated policies in the late 1920s to create socialism in the Soviet Union. His theory of the socialist state was formulated in the mid-1930s. He claimed that the Soviet Union had become a socialist state in the 1930s, and the constitution formalised it in 1936.
↑ If one only counts the period the Soviet Union self-designated as a socialist state, the USSR was socialist for 55 years, 21 days.
↑ The first communist leaders of communist Afghanistan, Nur Muhammad Taraki and Hafizullah Amin , believed they had created a people's democratic state . An internal party faction, the Parcham , believed they had created a national democratic state . The Soviets agreed with the former.
↑ The Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam was formally established on 8 June 1969, but did not capture state power until the fall of the US-backed Republic of Vietnam on 30 April 1975.
↑ If one counts days from the formal establishment of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam in June 1969, it existed for 7 years, 24 days.
↑ The Tuvan People's Republic did not claim to have reached socialism or to have created a socialist state . The Soviet Union believed its material base, meaning its socio-economic level, was too low to establish socialism, and it was believed it was on the path of non-capitalist development. It was termed a people's republic , but at this time, the Soviets had not created a cohesive theoretical framework to explain what the Tuvan People's Republic was. The first such attempt came later in the form of people's democracy .
↑ The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan produced a new Afghan state leadership headed by Babrak Karmal . This leadership believed the Saur Revolution had produced a national democratic state : the Soviets concurred.
↑ East Turkestan was reformed to the Ili District Council and became a part of the Coalition Government of Xinjiang Province .
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