Communist party

In contrast, the Menshevik faction, which initially included Leon Trotsky, emphasized that the party should not neglect the importance of mass populations in realizing a communist revolution.

Under the leadership of the CPSU, the interpretations of orthodox Marxism were applied to Russia and led to the emergence of Leninist and Marxist–Leninist political parties throughout the world.

Some trade unions and students', women's, peasants', and cultural organizations have been connected to communist parties.

The Soviet Union unified many of the Comintern's original goals in the Eastern Bloc under the aegis of a new organization, the Cominform.

[citation needed] Recent scholarship has developed the comparative political study of global communist parties by examining similarities and differences across historical geographies.

[citation needed] Causes for these shifts in naming were either moves to avoid state repression or as measures to generate greater acceptance by local populations.

Those who sided with China and Albania in their criticism of the Soviet leadership, often added words like 'Revolutionary' or 'Marxist–Leninist' to distinguish themselves from the pro-Soviet parties.

[3] Following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc between 1989–1992, most of these parties either disappeared or were renamed and adopted different goals than their predecessors.

[6] Although the historical importance of communist parties is widely accepted, their activities and functions have been interpreted in different ways.

Multi-party studies, such as those by Robert C. Tucker and A. James McAdams, have emphasized the differences in both these parties' organizational structure and their use of Marxist and Leninist ideas to justify their policies.

[9] In contrast, other studies have emphasized these parties' ability to adapt their policies to changing times and circumstances.