Communist party

A political party organized around communist principles, often seeking revolutionary or transformative social change and the abolition of capitalist class relations.

Vanguard party: A political organization that claims to lead a revolutionary movement on behalf of the working class. Leninist parties cast themselves as disciplined leaders of revolutionary action.
Communist Manifesto: An 1848 political pamphlet by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels presenting a program for communist transformation. It supplied an influential statement of the movement’s aims and class analysis.
Karl Marx: A German philosopher and political economist whose critique of capitalism shaped modern communist theory. His writings became a foundational source for communist party programs.
Anarchism: A family of political philosophies opposing coercive hierarchy and advocating voluntary, self-governing forms of association. Anarchists often reject the centralized party and state structures favored by Leninist communists.
Soviet Union: A federal socialist state that existed from 1922 to 1991 and was governed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It became the first durable state led by a communist party and a global model.
Democratic centralism: An organizational principle combining internal discussion with binding decisions and unified public action. It has shaped how many communist parties make decisions and enforce discipline.
First International: An international association of socialist, labor, and anarchist groups founded in London in 1864. It connected early socialist organizers before separate communist parties became established.
Friedrich Engels: A German socialist theorist and collaborator of Karl Marx who helped develop and popularize Marxism. He helped formulate the ideas later adopted by Marxist parties.
Trotskyism: A Marxist political tradition associated with Leon Trotsky, permanent revolution, and opposition to Stalinist bureaucracy. Trotskyist parties challenge the Soviet model that dominated much twentieth-century communism.
Chinese Communist Party: The ruling political party of the People’s Republic of China, founded in 1921. Its continuing rule shows how a communist party can adapt while retaining a political monopoly.

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