List of Remaining Communist Countries in the World
Here is the list of remaining communist countries in the world (the last communist countries in the world).
Currently, there are only 5 communist countries left in the world.
During the reign of the Soviet Union, communist countries can be found in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. Communist countries in the 20th century included Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Benin, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Congo, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Ethiopia, Hungary, Mongolia, Mozambique, Poland, Romania, Somalia, South Yemen, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.
China (since 1949)
The People’s Republic of China is one of the few remaining socialist states in the world. Its form of government has been described as communist and socialist, but also as authoritarian and corporatist , 127 with strong restrictions in many areas, most notably regarding free access to the Internet , freedom of the press , freedom of assembly , the right to having children, the free formation of social organizations and freedom of worship . 128 Its leaders classify the political and economic system as «socialism with Chinese characteristics ” — Marxism-Leninism adapted to Chinese circumstances — and “ socialist market economy ”, respectively.
The country is governed by the Communist Party of China (CPC), whose power is enshrined in the constitution. 130 The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China is the fundamental law of the State, and was approved and put into force on December 4, 1982. It also establishes two administration systems: one central and one local. The Central Administration System— or State Council—comprises the central administrative bodies that are under the National People’s Congress, that is, the departments or ministries. For its part, the Local Administration SystemIt governs at the provincial and district levels, and includes the organisms corresponding to a local government.
Laos (since 1975)
After 43 years of communist rule, Laos is one of the poorest countries in Asia. The former French colony (until 1953) became communist at the end of 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War, after the overthrow of the monarchy by communist revolutionaries.
The Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (PRPL), which holds political and military power, controls the people’s courts and the media. In 1986, he opted for a liberalization of the economy. The country has been a member of ASEAN since 1997 and of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2013.
Vietnam (since 1945 in North Vietnam and 1975 in South Vietnam . Reunification in 1976)
At the end of the Indochina War in 1954, Vietnam was split in two: the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the north led by Ho Chi Minh, the Republic of Vietnam in the south supported by the Americans. At the end of the Vietnam War, the Communists of the North entered Saigon on April 30, 1975, renamed Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam was reunified in 1976.
The regime opened up to the market economy from 1986. In 1994 the American embargo was lifted and the country experienced a boom in foreign investment. In 2000, a trade agreement was signed with Washington and the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange opened. In 2007, Vietnam joined the WTO. Despite strong growth (7.1% in 2018), poverty reached 9.8% of the population in 2018 (World Bank). Repression has intensified since 2017, according to Amnesty International, pushing political activists and human rights defenders into exile.
Against the Communist Regime, Orwell’s 1984 Political Novel (Summary and Analysis)
Cuba (since 1959)
Communists have been in power in Cuba for 60 years. On January 1, 1959, the revolution led by Fidel Castro overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, establishing a socialist republic. Raul Castro succeeded his brother in 2006, encouraging private initiative. At the end of 2011, he authorized individuals to buy and sell their homes and in 2013 ended the restrictions preventing Cubans from traveling abroad.
From 2014, it encourages foreign investment. In April 2018 Miguel Diaz-Canel becomes president. Under US embargo since 1962, Cuba is currently experiencing a gasoline shortage due to increased US sanctions, in retaliation for its support of Venezuela. Since this year, a new Constitution recognizes the market and private property as inherent in the national economy but insists on the “irrevocable” character of socialism. 2.7% of the population lives on less than 3 dollars a day (UNDP, 2018). Amnesty denounces arbitrary detention of dissidents and censorship.
North Korea (since 1948, although officially with the Juche doctrine, removing references to communism from its constitution in 1992 and 2009)
The Communist Party has ruled North Korea, one of the most closed countries in the world, for 74 years. In 1945, Korea was divided between a Soviet-supported North under the rule of Kim Il Sung and a South protected by the United States. On September 9, 1948, Kim Il Sung founded the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
In the 1990s, this autarkic country suffered a famine causing between 900,000 and 2 million deaths. In 2002, Kim Jong Il, son of Kim Il Sung, encouraged economic liberalization but maintained strict state control of the economy.
The most militarized country in the world recognized in 2003 seeking to obtain atomic weapons, leading many States to suspend their diplomatic relations or to sanction it.
In 2009, the country revised its Constitution, removing any reference to communism and proclaiming the supremacy of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism. Kim Jong Un became the third leader of the Kim dynasty in 2011. 120,000 people are arbitrarily detained in political prison camps, according to Amnesty.
Sources: PinterPandai, ThoughtCo, Public Radio International
Photo credit: Santeri Viinamäki (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons
