CPI@100: All Workers of India Unite

Origin of Communism and its Philosphy

All Workers of the World, Unite.

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“All workers of the world unite” is a popular English translation of the revolutionary slogan that concludes Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’s 1848 Communist Manifesto.

Origin and meaning

Original phrase: The original German phrase used in the Communist Manifesto is “Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt Euch!”, which translates literally to “Proletarians of all countries, unite!”.

Core meaning: The phrase encapsulates the concept of “proletarian internationalism,” the idea that the working classes globally should cooperate to overthrow capitalism and assert their collective interests in the class struggle.

Sub-themes: The slogan carries several layers of meaning:

Unionizing: Workers should join together in trade unions to demand better pay and working conditions.

Anti-capitalist solidarity: Laborers should unite to challenge the capitalist system as a whole, moving beyond the confines of individual craft unions.

Internationalism: Workers from different countries have more in common with each other than with the employers in their own country. The authorized English translation ends with the call, “Working Men of All Countries, Unite!”.

Famous companion quote: The slogan is famously paired with the lines: “The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win”

Origins and Early Years (1920s-1930s)

• Tashkent group & early communist ideas: As early as 1920, revolutionaries like M. N. Roy, Abani Mukherji, Evelyn Trent-Roy and others met in Tashkent, inspired by the Bolshevik revolution, sowing the seeds of a communist tendency in India. (The Indian Express)
• Founding of Communist Party of India (CPI), 1925: On 26 December 1925, various local communist groups (in Bengal, Bombay, United Provinces, Madras etc.) came together at Kanpur to formally establish the CPI. S. V. Ghate was the first General Secretary. (Wikipedia)
• Repression, conspiracy trials: Early communists were persecuted by British colonial rule. Key among these was the Kanpur Bolshevik Conspiracy Case (1924), the Meerut Conspiracy Case (1929-33), etc. These prosecutions both tried to suppress communist activity and inadvertently publicised communist ideology. (Wikipedia)
• Mass organizing and growth of peasant / worker movements: During the 1930s the CPI helped develop organizations of workers, peasants, students. Strikes and protest movements grew. (Tricontinental Institute)

Role during the Freedom Struggle (1940s)

• Legalisation in 1942: Around the time of World War II, CPI was legalized (or more precisely, allowed to operate more openly), because of British policies and wartime shifts. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• Naval Mutiny (1946): The Royal Indian Navy mutiny in 1946 had important support from communists. They called general strikes around it, signalling communist influence among working populations. (Tricontinental Institute)
• Peasant struggles:

o          Telangana Peasant Struggle (1946-51): In the princely state of Hyderabad under the Nizam, peasants led armed struggle against landlords and for land rights. (Tricontinental Institute)

o          Tebhaga Movement (Bengal, 1946-50): Sharecroppers demanded two-thirds of the produce and reduction in rents. This became one of the iconic peasant movements. (Tricontinental Institute)

o          Punnapra-Vayalar Uprising (Travancore, 1946): Workers and peasants protesting autocratic rule and for democratic rights. The CPI played a major role. (Tricontinental Institute)

After Independence (1947-1960s): Participation, Repression, Splits

• Post-1947 challenges: After India became independent, CPI had to adjust from anti-colonial struggle to participating in electoral democracy, policy making, land reform and social issues. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• First non-Congress state government: In Kerala, 1957, CPI, under E. M. S. Namboodiripad, formed the first non-Congress government in India. They initiated land reforms, tenant rights etc. (defenddemocracy.press)
• Internal divisions and ideological splits:

o          Differences surfaced over international alignments (Soviet vs Chinese line) and over strategy (armed revolution vs parliamentary democracy etc.). These differences escalated especially after the 1962 Sino-Indian war, which shook CPI’s balance. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

o          Formation of Communist Party of India (Marxist): In 1964, due to ideological disputes (including response to China, domestic strategy), a large faction broke away to form CPI(M). Key figures included E. M. S. Namboodiripad. (Wikipedia)

The Rise of Revolutionary/Maoist Tendencies: Naxalbari, CPI(ML)

• Naxalbari uprising (1967): A peasant insurrection in Naxalbari, West Bengal, led by radical communists (Charu Mazumdar, Kanu Sanyal etc.) rejecting parliamentary path, pointing to armed revolution. (Tricontinental Institute)
• Formation of CPI(ML), 1969: The All India Coordination Committee of Communist Revolutionaries (AICCCR) formally declared CPI(ML) in 1969, led by Charu Mazumdar. This marked the formalization of the extreme left (Maoist) path. (Wikipedia)
• These movements had periods of intense armed struggle, government repression, splits and reconfigurations, and continue to influence certain areas, now under the broad banner of “Naxalite/Maoist insurgency.” (The Washington Post)

State-Governments, Left Fronts and Electoral Politics (1970s-2000s)

• Left Front in West Bengal, Kerala, Tripura etc.: CPI and CPI(M) led or were part of Left Front coalitions in several states, especially strong in West Bengal (from 1977 to 2011), Kerala (alternating power), and Tripura. They implemented progressive policies in land reforms, local governance (panchayats), public services. (Tricontinental Institute)
• Emergency period (1975-77): When Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency, civil liberties were curtailed. The Left (particularly CPI(M)) opposed the Emergency, participated in movements against it. (Wikipedia)
• Decline in electoral fortunes: From the late 1990s onward (and accelerating in the 2000s-2010s), communist parties began to lose ground in many states — vote shares dropped, seat counts fell. Some reasons include rise of alternative political forces, changing class and caste dynamics, neoliberal economic policies, decline of trade unions etc. (cpiml.net)

Key Themes & Achievements

• Land reforms & agrarian struggles: Many major peasant struggles were led by communists. Reforms in Kerala and West Bengal redistributed land, limit landlord powers, tenancy rights etc. (Tricontinental Institute)
• Communal harmony and secularism: Communists early on took strong positions against communalism, caste discrimination. For example, passing resolutions against communal riots in early 1920s, refusing membership to communal organisations etc. (Peoples Democracy)
• Mobilization of marginalized sections: Workers, peasants, Dalits, tribals, women. In remote areas especially via leaf-on ground struggle (Naxalite/Maoist). They also pushed for rights, welfare, basic services. (Tricontinental Institute)
• Influence on constitutional, political discourse: Demand for Poorna Swaraj, constitutional rights, adult suffrage, workers’ rights, socioeconomic justice etc. Communist pressure contributed in shaping debates even if not always in power. (The Indian Express)

Challenges, Failures, Repression

• Repression & State Violence: Both during colonial period (conspiracy cases, imprisonments) and after independence (crackdowns on uprisings, banning or suppression of armed struggle). (Tricontinental Institute)
• Internal splits & fragmentation: The left in India has splintered multiple times — CPI → CPI(M) → CPI(ML), multiple smaller groups. Revolutionary vs parliamentary; Soviet vs Chinese (later vs Maoist) differences. This fragmentation often weakened effectiveness. (Wikipedia)
• Electoral limitations: Though successes in some states, communists seldom held power at center. Over time lost key strongholds (West Bengal, Tripura etc.). Difficulties adapting to new socio-economics, competition from regional and identity-based parties. (cpiml.net)
• Changing context: With globalization, neoliberal policies, privatization, rise of identity politics etc., many of the traditional bases (working class, peasantry) have shifted or fragmented. Also rising communalism, Hindutva politics present new ideological challenges. (cpiml.net)

Recent Years and the Present (2000s-2020s)

• Decline in state-level power: For example, Left Front losing in West Bengal (2011) ended over three decades of rule. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• Reduced parliamentary presence: Fewer seats in Lok Sabha for CPI, CPI(M); reduced vote share. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• Revival of militant Maoist insurgency: The Naxalite / Maoist movements remain active in several states (Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra etc.). The state has responded with security operations; civilian impacts are serious. (The Washington Post)
• Ideological contestation: More debates about socialism vs capitalism, role of democracy, secularism, caste, environment etc. Communists engage in activism, protests, legal-political opposition, though their influence is challenged. (cpiml.net)
• Centenary reflections: As the Communist Party (CPI) celebrates ~100 years (from 1925), there are efforts to reflect on lessons, to reorient for current challenges: neoliberalism, climate, identity politics, resurgence of right-wing politics. (cpiml.net)

Very Important Events / Dates

Here are some of the landmark events in the history of communism in India:

Year    Event

1920    Tashkent conference / formation of early communist group by M. N. Roy et al. (The Indian Express)

1924    Kanpur Bolshevik Conspiracy Case (Wikipedia)

1925    Founding of CPI (26 December, Kanpur) (Wikipedia)

1929-33           Meerut Conspiracy Case (Tricontinental Institute)

Mid-1930s       Growth of peasant and worker organisations; Communist Consolidation in Cellular Jail (Andamans) in 1935-38; hunger strikes etc. (Tricontinental Institute)

1942    CPI legalised during WWII / changed approach (Encyclopedia Britannica)

1946-51           Telangana Peasant Struggle; Tebhaga; Punnapra-Vayalar; Naval Mutiny etc. (Tricontinental Institute)

1957    CPI government in Kerala — first non-Congress government; land reforms initiated. (defenddemocracy.press)

1962    Sino-Indian war; ideological crisis in communist movement. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

1964    Split: formation of CPI(M) (Wikipedia)

1967    Naxalbari uprising (Tricontinental Institute)

1969    Formation of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI(ML)) (Wikipedia)

1975-77           Emergency in India, repression of civil liberties; opposition by communists. (Wikipedia)

1977 onward   Long Left Front rule in West Bengal; major presence of Left in state governments. (Tricontinental Institute)

2011    Loss of Left Front in West Bengal → end of over three decades of uninterrupted Left governance. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

2020-2025       Centenary of CPI; ongoing challenges: declining electoral strength, competition from right-wing forces, search for relevance. (cpiml.net)

Lessons Learned & Critical Reflections

• Success depends not only on ideology but on mass base: where communists were deeply embedded in rural / peasant struggles (Kerala, parts of Bengal, Telangana etc.), they could deliver reforms and sustain power. Where they were more urban / elite / radical but isolated, they suffered repression or marginalization.
• The balance between armed / revolutionary methods vs parliamentary democratic participation has always been a tension. Attempts at militancy (e.g. Naxalite) have inspired and mobilised sections, but also incurred heavy costs, divisions and repression.
• Adaptation to changing socio-economic and political contexts is crucial: shifts in class structure, migration, urbanization, media, identity politics etc. Parties that failed to adapt lost ground.
• Alliances matter: coalition politics, forming fronts (e.g. Left Front, alliances with social movements) have often boosted influence; isolation tends to weaken.
• Ideological clarity vs pragmatism: sometimes ideological rigidity has limited ability to respond to popular demands or build wider appeal; elsewhere, pragmatic shifts have led to internal frictions.

The Significance of 100 Years

• It is not just about CPI or CPI(M) etc., but a broader movement that has shaped Indian society: land reforms, labour laws, rights of peasants, workers; secularism; constitutional debates; resistance to communalism.
• Recognizing the sacrifices (many killed, jailed, tortured) and the sustained effort by communists and left activists over decades.
• The centenary is also a moment to assess relevance: can the communist movement address contemporary challenges — economic inequality, climate crisis, communal polarization, displacement etc.?

The Communist Party of India (Marxist)

The CPI(M) was formed at the Seventh Congress of the Communist Party of India held in Calcutta from October 31 to November 7, 1964. The CPI(M) was born in the struggle against revisionism and sectarianism in the communist movement at the international and national level, in order to defend the scientific and revolutionary tenets of Marxism-Leninism and its appropriate application in the concrete Indian conditions. The CPI(M) combines the fine heritage of the anti-imperialist struggle and the revolutionary legacy of the undivided Communist Party which was founded in 1920. Over the years, the Party has emerged as the foremost Left force in the country. The CPI(M) has grown steadily since its formation in 1964. The membership of the Party, which was 118,683 at the time of its formation, has grown to 985,757 in 2021. The Party has sought to independently apply Marxism-Leninism to Indian conditions and to work out the strategy and tactics for a people’s democratic revolution, which can transform the lives of the Indian people. The CPI(M) is engaged in bringing about this basic transformation by carrying out a programme to end imperialist, big bourgeois and landlord exploitation. The CPI(M) as the leading Left party is committed to build a Left and democratic front which can present a real alternative to the existing bourgeois-landlord policies.

In the last few elections, the CPI(M) has been contesting on an average 13 percent of the total seats. (India follows the “first past the post” system and not proportional representation) In the 2019 elections to the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Indian Parliament) the CPI(M) won 3 seats. The Lower House of Parliament has a strength of 543. In the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) the CPI(M) has 5 members.

The CPI(M) is currently heading one state government – Kerala. In Kerala, the Left Democratic Front headed by the CPI(M) was re-elected to office in the elections held in 2021. The Left Front government headed by the CPI(M) was  uninterruptedly in power in West Bengal since 1977 upto May 2011.The Left Front headed by CPI(M) was heading government in Tripura till 2018

The CPI(M) has representation in the following Legislative assemblies in the states of Kerala, Tripura, Bihar, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha , Tamil Nadu,  Maharashtra & Assam.

Website: https://cpim.org/

The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation

he Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation is an Indian communist party born in ferment of the Naxalbari uprising of May 1967. The Naxalbari uprising put the most oppressed sections of India’s people firmly on the map of Indian politics and in the driving seat of Indian revolution – and in doing so established continuity with the historic communist-led peasant movements of Punnapra-Wayalar and Telangana. The party was founded on the birth anniversary of Lenin, April 22 1969, committing itself to applying Marxism-Leninism in Indian conditions.

The CPI(ML) emerged as the firm defender of the revolutionary legacy of India’s communist movement, resisting revisionism as well as anarchist currents in the Indian communist movement. Right from the outset it braved the most brutal custodial torture and killings that claimed an entire generation of its leaders including its founding General Secretary Charu Mazumdar. The CPI(ML) Liberation since its earliest days developed a model of class struggle that championed questions of dignity and equality of the oppressed castes and women.

The CPI(ML) Liberation currently has elected representatives in the Assemblies of Bihar and Jharkhand, and leads movements of workers, peasants and various sections of people all over India. The CPI(ML)’s representatives in Parliament and Assemblies have played the role of a revolutionary Opposition. The CPI(ML) upholds the best of India’s traditions of anti-imperialist nationalism. In its approach to relations with neighbouring countries as well as to internal nationality questions, the party has been consistent in its opposition to every kind of national chauvinism and jingoism. The CPI(ML) has, from its inception, been at the forefront of struggles to expand and deepen India’s democracy. The CPI(ML) consistently resists state repression, fights for the abolition of draconian laws, fights for the annihilation of caste, resists gender violence, racism and homophobia and struggles against corporate plunder of land and resources. It is committed to resisting the growing communal fascism in India with all its might.

Website: https://cpiml.net/

The Revolutionary Communist Party of India

On the 91st Anniversary of the RCPI

Dear comrades and sympathisers of the Revolutionary Communist Party of India,

On this proud occasion, the 91st anniversary of our Party’s founding on 1 August 1934, the moment when Comrade Saumyendranath Tagore courageously broke from the CPI to establish the Communist League, later renamed the Revolutionary Communist Party of India (RCPI), we salute each one of you who carries forward the torch of revolutionary communism.

Our party’s ideology stands firmly against capitalism and reformist deviations, embracing a determined, proletarian-led socialist revolution that unites the working class, peasants, working intellectuals, and all exploited strata of society under a single banner of class struggle. We reject collaboration with bourgeois elements and uphold the timeless teachings of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, Gramsci, and many other revolutionary theorists, and above all, Tagore’s insistence that “democracy can exist and blossom only in its proletarian form”.

In different parts of the country, our party sustains its presence in students’ movements, trade unions, youth organisations, and among other oppressed social groups. Today, as we commemorate decades of struggle and sacrifice, we honour those courageous revolutionaries who gave everything—time, family, job, freedom, and even life—for the cause. We salute countless unnamed comrades, imprisoned, lamed, or assassinated, who faced repression rather than betray the revolutionary principles.

Comrades, on this foundation day, let us renew our pledge to uphold RCPI’s mission of revolutionary communism, to deepen our roots among workers, peasants, intellectuals, students, and youth. Let our struggle today be worthy of the sacrifices made by those who came before us. Let every protest, every pamphlet, every mobilisation carry the spirit of our ideology forward.

We extend revolutionary greetings to all members and sympathisers of the RCPI.

Long live the Revolution!

Biren Deka, General Secretary

The Communist Party of India

The Grand Old Party of Indian Communism

Website: https://www.communistparty.in/

This article is written by AI ChatGPT compiling many sources. We just publish it for the public interest.