list of communist parties

There are, at present, a number of communist parties active in various countries across the world, and a number who used to be active. The formation of communist parties in various countries was first initiated by the formation of the communist Third International by the Russian Bolsheviks. Undoubtedly the most important of these parties were those of the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.

Some Communist parties have names such as Socialist Party, Socialist Workers Party, Workers' Party, etc. The parties on this list are mostly those that were aligned with either Moscow or Beijing during the Cold War and their offshoots. See also: World Communist Movement, List of left-wing internationals, List of Trotskyist internationals, List of members of the Comintern, List of left communist internationals, List of political parties

List

Ruling

Formerly ruling, now defunct

Afghanistan -People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan
Albania - Albanian Party of Labour
Bulgaria - Bulgarian Communist Party (known from 1938 to 1948 as the Bulgarian Workers Party)
Cambodia - Communist Party of Cambodia (Khmer Rouge)
Czechoslovakia - Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
Ethiopia - Workers' Party of Ethiopia
Germany (East) - Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919) - Hungarian Communist Party
Hungary - Hungarian Workers Party, Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party
Mongolia - Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party
Poland - Polish United Workers Party
Romania - Romanian Communist Party (Romanian Workers Party until 1965)
Soviet Union - Communist Party of the Soviet Union (before 1918, Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic and Labour Party)
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen - Yemeni Socialist Party
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - League of Communists of Yugoslavia

Modern

Former

Afghanistan - Parcham faction of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, became Democratic Watan Party of Afghanistan
Albania - Socialist Party of Albania
Brazil - Brazilian Communist Party, became Popular Socialist Party
Bulgaria - Bulgarian Socialist Party
Cambodia - Cambodia People's Party
Ethiopia - All Ethiopian Socialist Movement
Germany (East) - Socialist Unity Party of Germany, became Party of Democratic Socialism
Hungary - Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, became Hungarian Socialist Party
Iceland - Popular Alliance
Italy - Democrats of the Left
Mongolia - Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party
Slovakia - Party of the Democratic Left
Sweden - Left Party - Communists, became Left Party
Palestine - Palestine Communist Party, became Palestinian People's Party
Poland - Polish United Workers Party, became Alliance of the Democratic Left
Romania - Communist Party of Romania, became Democratic Socialist Party of Romania and then Social Democratic Party of Romania
San Marino - Communist Party of San Marino, became Party of Democrats
Tunisia - Tunisian Communist Party, became Movement for Renewal
Yemen - Yemeni Socialist Party

Defunct (non-ruling)

Australia - Communist Party of Australia (original)
Canada - Labour-Progressive Party founded in 1943 when Communist Party of Canada was banned (resumed former name in 1959), Workers' Communist Party of Canada (Maoist)
Channel Islands - Communist Party of Jersey
Cuba - People's Socialist Party, joined Cuban Communist Party
El Salvador - Communist Party of El Salvador, joined FMLN
Germany - Spartacist League formed in 1918 and became the Communist Party of Germany
Germany (West) - Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin, Communist Party of Germany (banned 1956 in West Germany)
Guatemala - Guatemalan Party of Labour, joined URNG
Honduras - Communist Party of Honduras, dissolved into Partido Renovacin Patritica
Indonesia - Communist Party of Indonesia
Israel - Maki (1948-1973) split in 1965 with formation of largely Arab Rakah which changed its name to Maki in 1989.
Italy - Communist Party of Italy
Malaysia - Communist Party of Malaya, North Kalimantan Communist Party
Mexico - Mexican Communist Party
Mauritania- Communist Party of Mauritania
Netherlands - Communist Party of the Netherlands became part of GroenLinks in 1989
New Zealand - Communist Party of New Zealand, Socialist Unity Party
Nicaragua - Socialist Party of Nicaragua
Palestine - Communist Party of Palestine (1921-1948)
Poland - Communist Party of Poland, see Polish minority in Soviet Union
Saudi Arabia - Communist Party of Saudi Arabia
Taiwan - Taiwanese Communist Party
Thailand - Communist Party of Thailand
United Kingdom - Communist Party of Great Britain
United States - Provisional Communist Party, Communist Party Marxist-Leninist, May 19th Communist Movement