Communist State
A Communist State is a political and economic system characterized by the absence of private property and the goal of distributing labor benefits equally among the populace. Rooted in the theories of Karl Marx, communism seeks to eliminate class structures through revolutionary means and centralized control of various sectors such as credit, agriculture, and industry. As of 2024, five nations identify as communist states: China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam, although these governments often incorporate mixed economic models that allow for varying degrees of private ownership alongside state control.
In practice, Communist States are typically governed by a single political party, which exerts significant influence over all branches of government. Citizens in these states often have limited opportunities to select their leaders, as elections usually feature candidates pre-approved by the ruling communist party. Due to their authoritarian tendencies, many Communist States face criticism for human rights violations, including restrictions on free speech and political dissent. The concept of communism is often distinguished from socialism, with communists advocating for revolutionary change while socialists generally support gradual reforms to address economic inequalities. Overall, the implementation of communism has frequently fallen short of achieving the utopian ideals envisioned by its founders.
Subject Terms
Communist State
Guiding Premise
Communism is a political and economic system that seeks to eliminate private property and spread the benefits of labor equally throughout the populace. Communism is generally considered an outgrowth of socialism, a political and economic philosophy that advocates “socialized,” or centralized, ownership of the economy and the means of production. By 2024, five nations operated as communist states, though communist political parties also held some degree of power in various other countries. However, most observers suggest that a truly communist system has never been achieved at the state level.
Communism developed largely from the theories of Karl Marx (1818–83), who believed that a revolution led by the working class must occur before the state could achieve the even distribution of wealth and property and eliminate the class-based socioeconomic system of capitalist society. Marx believed that a truly equitable society required centralized control of credit, transportation, education, communication, agriculture, and industry, along with eliminating the rights of individuals to inherit or to own land.
Russia (as part of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1991) and China are the two largest countries to have been led by communist governments during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In both cases, the attempt to bring about a communist government came by way of violent revolutions in which members of the former government and ruling party were executed. Under Russian leader Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) and Chinese leader Mao Zedong (1893–1976), strict dictatorships were instituted, curtailing individual rights in favor of state control. Lenin sought to expand communism into developing nations to counter the global spread of capitalism. Mao, in his form of communism, considered ongoing revolution within China a necessary aspect of communism. Both gave their names to their respective versions of communism, but neither Leninism nor Maoism managed to achieve the idealized utopia envisioned by Marx and other communist philosophers.
The primary difference between modern socialism and communism is that communists believe that social revolution is needed to create the idealized state without class structure, where socialists believe that the inequities of class structure can be addressed and eliminated through gradual change.
Typical Structure
Most modern communist governments define themselves as “socialist,” though a national communist party exerts control over all branches of government. The designation of a “communist state” is primarily an external definition for a situation in which a communist party exerts single-party control over the government.
The five examples of modern socialist states operating under the communist model are the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Cuba, the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos), the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea), and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. However, each of these governments in fact operates through a mixed system of socialist and capitalist economic policies, allowing private ownership in some situations and sharply enforcing state control in others. They also often exhibit elements of authoritarianism or totalitarianism, most notably in the case of North Korea.
Typically, a communist state is led by the national communist party, a political group with voluntary membership and members in all sectors of the populace. While many individuals may join the communist party, the leadership of the party is generally selected by a smaller number of respected or venerated leaders from within the party. These leaders select a ruling committee that develops the political initiatives of the party, which are thereafter distributed throughout the government.
In China, the Communist Party elects both a chairperson, who serves as executive of the party, and a politburo, a standing committee that makes executive decisions on behalf of the party. In Cuba, the Communist Party selects individuals who sit for election to the National Assembly of People's Power, which then serves directly as the state's sole legislative body.
In the cases of China, Cuba, and Vietnam, the committees and leaders chosen by the communist party then participate directly in electing leaders to serve in the state judiciary. In addition, the central committees typically appoint individuals to serve as heads of the military and to lower-level, provincial, or municipal government positions. In China, the populace elects individuals to local, regional, and provincial councils that in turn elect representatives to sit on a legislative body known as the National People's Congress (NPC), though the NPC is generally considered a largely ceremonial institution without little power to enact legislation independently.
In effect, most modern communist states are controlled by the leadership of the national communist party, though this leadership is achieved by direct and indirect control of lesser legislative, executive, and judicial bodies. In some cases, ceremonial and symbolic offices created under the communist party can evolve to take a larger role in state politics. In China, for instance, the NPC has come to play a more important role in developing legislation in the twenty-first century.
Role of the Citizen
In modern communist societies, citizens generally have little voice in selecting the leadership of the government. In many communist states, popular elections are held at local and national levels, but communist party leaders choose the candidates and the citizens lack the option to vote for representatives of opposing political parties.
In most cases, the state adopts policies that give the appearance of popular control over the government, while in actuality, governmental policies are influenced by a small number of leaders chosen from within the upper echelons of the party. Popularly elected leaders who oppose party policy are generally removed from office.
All existing communist states have been criticized for human rights violations in terms of curtailing the freedoms available to citizens and of enacting dictatorial and authoritarian policies. Cuba, Vietnam, and China, for instance, all have laws preventing citizens from opposing party policy or supporting a political movement that opposes the communist party. North Korea, meanwhile, has been ruled as a totalitarian state by the Kim dynasty since 1948, when leader Kim Il Sung took control of the country. Communist governments have also been accused of using propaganda, censorship, and misinformation to control the opinion of the populace regarding party leadership and therefore reducing the potential for popular resistance to communist policies.
Bibliography
Caramani, Daniele. Comparative Politics. Oxford UP, 2008.
“Government Type.” The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/government-type. Accessed 9 July 2024.
Koss, Daniel. Where the Party Rules: The Rank and File of China's Communist State. Cambridge UP, 2018.
Priestland, David. The Red Flag: A History of Communism. Grove, 2009.
Rosenberg, Matt. “A List of Current Communist Countries in the World.” ThoughtCo., 5 May 2024, www.thoughtco.com/communist-countries-overview-1435178. Accessed 9 July 2024.
Service, Robert. Comrades! A History of World Communism. Harvard UP, 2007.