World Communist Movement, an informal community of communist parties around the world. The world communist movement evolved out of the Communist International, which was dissolved in 1943. The WCM does not consist of all parties claiming to be communist, and the definition of WCM excludes trotskyist parties as well as the antirevionist ML-organizations (the latter generally refer themselves as belonging to an uncentered International Communist Movement).
Broadly, the components of the WCM, come out of the pro-Soviet communist tradition. The general principle has been that one country hosts one communist parties (exceptions from this rule was West Germany and Spain, which had separated regional CPs in West Berlin and Catalonia respectively), that receives recognition from other parties.
However, it has not been devoid of internal strife. Under the leadership of the Italian Communist Party, a eurocommunist countercurrent emerged. The eurocommunists did however not break-away entirely from the WCM, but remained as a tendency within. In some countries (such as Sweden, UK, Australia, Finland, Spain, etc.) were eurocommunists at some point emerged victorios in the internal debates in the national parties ortodox pro-Soviet forces organized separate communist parties, leading to situations were more than one party from one country being represented in the world movement.
The downfall of the Soviet Union caused a severe political crisis to various communist parties around the world. There were, however, clear national and regional differences in how the movement developed in the post-1989 situation.
A series of international and regional conferences and the international magazine World Marxist Review can be seem as gathering points of the WCM. Today the role of gathering the movement has to some extent been taken over by the Communist Party of Greece, which hosts an annual meeting of communist parties.
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During the Cold War years, CPs existed in all countries except the ministates Andorra, Lichenstein and the Vatican. In Iceland communists had opted for participation in a broader party, the Alžżšubandalagiš.
In Southern Europe CPs emerged as major political actors during these years. In Italy, San Marino and France CPs competed for government power in the electoral processes. In Spain, Portugal and Greece CPs formed the backbone of resistance to the authoritarian regimes, and after the downfall of these regimes the CPs became an important part of the electoral politics of each country.
In northern Europe CPs did not develop into mass parties like in the Mediterranean countries, with the exception of Finland. CPs were however represented in most national parliaments during 1970´s-1980´s.
In Western Europe the position of the eurocommunists was the strongest. Practically all parties had either eurocommunist majorities or minorities. Some parties such as the French Communist Party and the Communist Party of Spain switched between eurocommunist and more ortodox positions. The Communist Party of Greece was divided in two factions.
The following parties could be identified as eurocommunist during the 1980´s:
The following parties could be identified as belong to the ortodox tendency:
The following parties were ortodox break-away groups from parties were eurocommunists had gained the upper hand:
After 1989 many of the Western European CPs changed to character of their parties, towards a non-communist direction. Other maintained their communist charcter. The parties that abandonned communism did however evolve into very different parties, with some moving towards social democracy (like in Italy), left socialist positions (like in Sweden, Finland) and some even turned into Greens (like in the Netherlands).
CPs turned social democrats:
The above mentioned processes gave birth to two new parties, who retained the communist identity:
CPs turned general left parties/movements:
CPs fused into broader cooperations:
CPs that maintained their communist character:
In all of the Eastern european states the governing CPs lost their position as leading parties in the post-1989 process, even though some were able to return to government after having transformed themselves.
In Albania the Party of Labour of Albania had distanced themselves from the WCM earlier on. The Communist League of Yugoslavia (SKJ) had a peculiar role, but was for most of the time excluded from the WCM. Some eurocommunist parties maintained contacts with SKJ.
The different Eastern european CPs evolved in different ways in the post-1989 situation. Only in one country, the Czech Republic, did the CP remain as a communist party. In Eastern Germany the SED evolved into the Party of Democratic Socialism, a left-oriented socialist party. In other countries the CPs turned into social democratic parties. In response to this, new communist parties were formed which took the place of the old CPs in the WCM.
New groups taking part in WCM after 1989:
CPs exists or have existed in practically all countries in the region, except Libya and some small Gulf countries. In countries like Syria, Iraq, Iran and Bahrain communist played a major part in the national politics, and were at various times contenders for state power. In most countries communists have suffered under severe government repression. Another problem for the Middle Eastern communists were the tight connections between the Soviet Union and various Arab governments, which often put local communists in awkward positions. In general the communists in the region have been severly decimated.
In several countries, the referrents of the WCM grew out of the Arab Nationalist Movement rather than the ComIntern. This is the case of the Yemeni Socialist Party (no longer a marxist party today however), Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman (today largely defunct) and Communist Party of Saudi Arabia (today defunct).
Remaining WCM components are:
The Palestine Communist Party has transformed itself to Palestian Peoples Party, but a minority left the party and retook the name PCP.
In the Maghreb countries the CPs distanced themselves from their ideological origins. Parti de l'Avant-Garde Socialiste of Algeria became the Mouvement Démocratique et Social and the Communist Party of Tunisia became the Mouvement de la Rénovation. The Party of Progress and Socialism of Morocco has retained its name but is no longer a marxist-leninist party.
The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) fused with the Turkish Workers Party (TIP) to form the United Communist Party of Turkey (TBKP). TBKP made an attempt to register itself as a legal party, which failed. The people around TBKP later merged with the Freedom and Solidarity Party. The Party of Socialist Power (SIP) was renamed as TKP and has been granted the legal right to that name. This TKP today represents Turkey in the WCM. There are however several contenders to the name TKP, such as the Üzün group (which was formed out of elements of the original TKP).
The oldest CP in the region is Partido Comunista de Chile, which was founded as Partido Obrero Socialista in 1912. The first group to be organized as a modern communist party was Partido Comunista de Mexico, founded by the Indian revolutionary and ComIntern functionary M.N. Roy. During the Cold War years CPs existed in all countries in the region.
In Central America, the CPs of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras united with guevarist and other revolutionary organizations to form united revolutionary fronts. When these guerilla organizations turned political parties during the 1990´s, the CPs fused with the new parties.
In Spanish-speaking South America CPs remain active in all countries. In Ecuador the CP had fused with the Socialist Party, but a group later resurrected the PCE.
In Brazil the PCB became the Partido Popular Socialista and moved towards the right. The role of Partido Comunista Brasiliero as the Brazilian referent has been taken over by m-l breakaway group from 1956, Partido Comunista do Brasil, and to a minor extent by a group that resurrected a party with the name Partido Comunista Brasiliero when the old one became PPS.
The Communist Party of Australia took a eurocommunist position, which led to the formation of an orthodox break-away party, the Socialist Party of Australia. When the old CPA dissolved, SPA took the name CPA.
The Communist Party of New Zeeland was the only of the old "western" CPs that took the side of China in the Sino-Soviet split. This led to the formation of a pro-Soviet group, the Socialist Unity Party. Today SUP is dissolved and has been replaced by the Socialist Party of Aotearoa (a group that broke away from SUP in 1990) in the WCM.