The South African Communist Party and the collapse of the Soviet Union

Ellis, S. (1992)

Article / Letter to editor

Sum.: For 40 years (1950-1990) the South African Communist Party (SACP) was banned by a government that represented international communism as the source of all political evil. The conditions of exile go some way towards explaining the SACP's continuing attachment to Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy. As the Communist Party of the Soviet Union collapsed, followed by the USSR itself, the SACP did not renounce its faith in Marxism-Leninism. Its reaction was simply to admit the failings of socialism in Eastern Europe and then continue much as before. The practical consequences of the quasi-Stalinist regime which the SACP introduced in ANC camps in Angola, especially, were unknown to people back home in South Africa. The fact that the SACP was such a militant foe of apartheid, but did not have a record in government to defend, has contributed to its popularity among black South Africans today. It is arguably the only communist party in the world whose popularity is on the increase. 

• Africa
• Angola
• South Africa
• communist parties

• All authors: Ellis, S.
• Date: 1992
• Journal: The Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 145 - 159