People's republic explained

People's republic is an official title that is mostly used by current and former communist states, as well as other left-wing governments.[1] It is mainly associated with soviet republics, socialist states following the doctrine of people's democracy, sovereign states with a democratic-republican constitution that usually mentions socialism, as well as some countries that do not fit into any of these categories.

A number of the short-lived socialist states that formed during World War I and its aftermath called themselves people's republics. Many of these sprang up in the territory of the former Russian Empire, which had collapsed in 1917 as a result of the Russian Revolution. Decades later, following the Allied victory in World War II, the name "people's republic" was adopted by some of the newly established Marxist–Leninist states, mainly within the Soviet Union's Eastern Bloc.

As a term, people's republic is associated with socialist states as well as communist countries adhering to Marxism–Leninism, although its use is not unique to such states. A number of republics with liberal democratic political systems such as Algeria and Bangladesh adopted the title, given its rather generic nature, after popular wars of independence. Nonetheless, such countries still usually mention socialism in their constitutions.

Non-Marxist–Leninist people's republics

The collapse of the European empires during and following World War I resulted in the creation of a number of short-lived non-Marxist–Leninist people's republics during the revolutions of 1917–1923. In many cases, these governments were unrecognised and often had Marxist–Leninist rivals.

The Russian Empire produced several non-Marxist–Leninist people's republics after the October Revolution. The Crimean People's Republic was opposed to the Bolsheviks and the latter went on to capture its territory and establish the Taurida Soviet Socialist Republic.[2] The anti-Bolshevik Kuban People's Republic was established in Russia's Kuban region and survived until the Red Army captured the area.[3] The socialist-leaning Ukrainian People's Republic declared its independence from the Russian Republic, but it had a rival in the Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets (later the Ukrainian Soviet Republic) whom it fought during the Ukrainian War of Independence.[4] The Belarusian People's Republic tried to create an independent Belarusian state in land controlled by the German Imperial Army, but the Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia replaced it once the German army had left. All of these territories finally became constituent parts of the Soviet Union.

In the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, the West Ukrainian People's Republic was formed in eastern Galicia under the political guidance of Greek Catholic, liberal and socialist ideologies. The territory was subsequently absorbed into the Second Polish Republic. Meanwhile, the Hungarian People's Republic was established, briefly replaced by the Hungarian Soviet Republic and eventually succeeded by the Kingdom of Hungary.[5]

In Germany, the People's State of Bavaria (German: Volksstaat Bayern) was a short-lived socialist state and people's republic formed in Bavaria during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 as an attempt to establish a socialist state to replace the Kingdom of Bavaria. Its supporters clashed with the Bavarian Soviet Republic, founded five months later, before revolutionary activity was put down by elements of the German Army and the paramilitary Freikorps. The Free State of Bavaria, a state within the Weimar Republic, was then established on 15 September 1919.[6]

During the 1960s and 1970s, a number of former colonies that had gained independence through revolutionary liberation struggles adopted the name people's republic. Examples include Algeria,[7] Bangladesh[8] and Zanzibar.[9] Libya adopted the term after its Al Fateh Revolution against King Idris.[10]

In the 2010s, Ukraine's pro-Russian separatist movements during the Russo-Ukrainian War declared the oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk to be people's republics, but they did not receive diplomatic recognition from the international community.[11] In 2022 amid an ongoing invasion of Ukraine they were annexed by Russia.[12]

List of non-Marxist–Leninist people's republics

Current non-Marxist–Leninist people's republics include:

Historical people's republics include:

Marxist–Leninist people's republics

See main article: People's democratic state. The first people's republics that came into existence were those formed following the Russian Revolution. Ukraine was briefly declared a people's republic in 1917.[13] The Khanate of Khiva[14] and the Emirate of Bukhara,[15] both territories of the former Russian Empire, were transformed into people's republics in 1920. In 1921, the Russian protectorate of Tuva became a people's republic,[16] followed in 1924 by neighbouring Mongolia.[17] Following World War II, developments in Marxist–Leninist theory led to the appearance of people's democracy, a concept which potentially allowed for a route to socialism and dictatorship of the proletariat via multi-class, multi-party democracy. Countries which had reached this intermediate stage were called people's republics.[18] The European states that became people's republics at this time were Albania,[19] Bulgaria,[20] Czechoslovakia,[21] Hungary,[22] Poland,[23] Romania[24] and Yugoslavia.[25] In Asia, China became a people's republic following the Chinese Communist Revolution,[26] and North Korea also became a people's republic.[27]

Many of these countries also called themselves socialist states in their constitutions. During the 1960s, Romania and Yugoslavia ceased to use the term people's in their official names, replacing it with the term socialist as a mark of their ongoing political development. Czechoslovakia also added the term socialist into its name during this period. It had become a people's republic in 1948, but the country had not used that term in its official name.[28] Albania used both terms in its official name from 1976 to 1991.[29] In the West, these countries are often referred to as communist states. However, none of them described themselves in that way, as they regarded communism as a level of political development that they had not yet reached.[30] [31] [32] [33] Terms used by communist states include national-democratic, people's democratic, socialist-oriented and workers and peasants states.[34] The communist parties in these countries often governed in coalition with other progressive parties.[35]

During the postcolonial period, a number of former European colonies that had achieved independence and adopted Marxist–Leninist governments took the name people's republic. Angola,[36] Benin, Congo-Brazzaville,[37] Ethiopia,[38] Cambodia,[39] Laos,[40] Mozambique[41] and South Yemen[42] followed this route. Following the Revolutions of 1989, the people's republics of Central and Eastern Europe (namely Albania,[43] Bulgaria,[44] Hungary,[45] and Poland[46]), as well as Mongolia,[47] dropped the term people's from their names due to the term's association with their former communist governments, and became known simply as republics, adopting liberal democracy as their system of government.[48] At around the same time, most of the former European colonies that had taken the people's republic name began to replace it as part of their move away from Marxism–Leninism and towards democratic socialism or social democracy.[49] [50]

List of Marxist–Leninist people's republics

The current officially Marxist–Leninist states that use the term people's republic in their full names include:

Historical examples include:

Other titles commonly used by Marxist–Leninist and socialist states are democratic republic (e.g. the German Democratic Republic, the Somali Democratic Republic, or the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia between 1943 and 1946) and socialist republic (e.g. the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam).

21st century

Five countries use the title People's Republic in their official names: Algeria, Bangladesh, China, Laos and North Korea. Bangladesh and China officially style themselves as the "People's Republic of Bangladesh" and the "People's Republic of China" respectively. The other three countries use the title in combination with the adjective "democratic"; Algeria and Laos are officially named "People's Democratic Republic of Algeria" and "Lao People's Democratic Republic" respectively, while North Korea's official name is "Democratic People's Republic of Korea". Of these:

Algeria is the only people's republic in Africa. Bangladesh, China, Laos and North Korea are people's republics in Asia. Currently, there are no people's republics in the Americas, Europe or Oceania. All of the people's republics are developing countries. Of these:

In previous years or periods, there were people's republics in Europe. People's republics never existed in the Americas or Oceania.

Other uses

As a term, people's republic is sometimes used by critics and satirists to describe areas perceived to be dominated by left-wing politics, such as the People's Republic of South Yorkshire.[51] [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: People's Republic. https://web.archive.org/web/20191230221217/https://www.lexico.com/definition/people%27s_republic. dead. December 30, 2019. Oxford Dictionaries. [People's Republic –] Used in the official title of several present or former communist or left-wing states.. 2 January 2020.
  2. Book: Magocsi, Paul R.. A History of Ukraine: The Land and Its Peoples. University of Toronto Press. 2010. 9781442610217. 545–6.
  3. Book: Smele, Jonathan D.. Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars, 1916-1926. Rowman & Littlefield. 2015. Historical Dictionaries of War, Revolution, and Civil Unrest. 2. 9781442252813. 636.
  4. Book: Nations and Nationalism: A Global Historical Overview. Guntram H.. Herb. David H.. Kaplan. ABC-CLIO. 2008. 9781851099085. 713.
  5. Book: Fiscal Decentralization Reforms: The Impact on the Efficiency of Local Governments in Central and Eastern Europe. 73. Michal. Plaček. František. Ochrana. Milan Jan. Půček. Juraj. Nemec. Springer Nature. 2020. 19. Public Administration, Governance and Globalization. 9783030467586.
  6. Merz. Johannes. 1997. 'Freistaat Bayern': Metamorphosen eines Staatsnamen. Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte. de. 45. 121–142. 5 August 2020.
  7. Book: Byrne, Jeffrey James. Meca of Revolution: Algeria, Decolonization, and the Third World Order. Oxford University Press. 2016. Oxford studies in international history. 9780199899142. 2.
  8. Book: Obaidullah, A. T. M.. Institutionalization of the Parliament in Bangladesh. Springer. 2018. 9789811053177. 21.
  9. Book: Massey, A.. International Handbook on Civil Service Systems. Edward Elgar Publishing. 2011. Elgar Original Reference Series. 9781781001080. 178.
  10. Book: St John, Ronald Bruce. Libya: Continuity and Change. Routledge. 2015. 9781135036546. 60.
  11. News: Ukraine's rebel 'people's republics' begin work of building new states. Luhn. Alec. The Guardian. 6 November 2014. 17 February 2020.
  12. Web site: Trevelyan . Mark . 30 September 2022 . Putin declares annexation of Ukrainian lands in Kremlin ceremony . . 12 July 2024.
  13. Book: Åslund, Anders. How Ukraine Became a Market Economy and Democracy. Peterson Institute. 2009. 9780881325461. 12.
  14. Book: Minahan, James. Miniature Empires: A Historical Dictionary of the Newly Independent States. Routledge. 2013. 9781135940102. 296.
  15. Book: Tunçer-Kılavuz, Idil. Power, Networks and Violent Conflict in Central Asia: A Comparison of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Routledge. 2014. 9781317805113. Routledge advances in Central Asian studies. 5. 53.
  16. Book: Khabtagaeva, Bayarma. Mongolic Elements in Tuvan. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. 2009. 9783447060950. Turcologica Series. 81. 21.
  17. Book: Peoples of Eastern Asia. 8: Mongolia–Nepal. Marshall Cavendish. 2004. Fiona. Macdonald. Gillian. Stacey. Philip. Steele. 9780761475477. 413.
  18. Book: White, Stephen. Communism and Its Collapse. Routledge. 2002. 9781134694235. 13.
  19. Book: Gjevori, Elvin. Democratisation and Institutional Reform in Albania. Springer. 2018. 9783319730714. 21.
  20. Book: Stankova, Marietta. Bulgaria in British Foreign Policy, 1943–1949. Anthem Press. 2014. Anthem Series on Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. 9781783082353. 148.
  21. Book: Cabinets in Eastern Europe. 10.1057/9781403905215_6. Palgrave Macmillan. Jean. Blondel. Ferdinand. Müller-Rommel. Ferdinand. Müller-Rommel. Zdenka. Mansfeldová. Chapter 5: Czech Republic. 2001. 978-1-349-41148-1. 62.
  22. Book: Hajdú, József. Labour Law in Hungary. Kluwer Law International. 2011. 9789041137920. 27.
  23. Book: Legal Reform in Post-Communist Europe: The View from Within. Stanisław. Frankowski. Paul B.. Stephan. Martinus Nijhoff. 1995. 9780792332183. 23.
  24. Book: Paquette, Laure. NATO and Eastern Europe After 2000: Strategic Interactions with Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Bulgaria. Nova. 2001. 9781560729693. 55.
  25. Book: Lampe, John R.. Yugoslavia as History: Twice There Was a Country. Cambridge University Press. 2000. 9780521774017. 233.
  26. Web site: The Chinese Revolution of 1949. Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs. United States Department of State.
  27. Book: North Korea: The Politics of Regime Survival. Young Whan. Kihl. Hong Nack. Kim. Routledge. 2014. 9781317463764. 8.
  28. Book: Webb, Adrian. The Routledge Companion to Central and Eastern Europe Since 1919. Routledge. 2008. Routledge Companions to History. 9781134065219. 80, 88.
  29. Book: Da Graça, John V. Heads of State and Government. 2nd. 2000. St. Martin's Press. 978-1-56159-269-2. 56.
  30. Book: Wilczynski, J.. The Economics of Socialism after World War Two: 1945-1990. Aldine Transaction. 2008. 978-0202362281. 21. Contrary to Western usage, these countries describe themselves as 'Socialist' (not 'Communist'). The second stage (Marx's 'higher phase'), or 'Communism' is to be marked by an age of plenty, distribution according to needs (not work), the absence of money and the market mechanism, the disappearance of the last vestiges of capitalism and the ultimate 'whithering away' of the State..
  31. Book: Steele, David Ramsay. From Marx to Mises: Post Capitalist Society and the Challenge of Economic Calculation. Open Court. September 1999. 978-0875484495. 45. Among Western journalists the term 'Communist' came to refer exclusively to regimes and movements associated with the Communist International and its offspring: regimes which insisted that they were not communist but socialist, and movements which were barely communist in any sense at all..
  32. Book: Rosser, Mariana V. and J Barkley Jr.. Comparative Economics in a Transforming World Economy. limited. MIT Press. 23 July 2003. 978-0262182348. 14. Ironically, the ideological father of communism, Karl Marx, claimed that communism entailed the withering away of the state. The dictatorship of the proletariat was to be a strictly temporary phenomenon. Well aware of this, the Soviet Communists never claimed to have achieved communism, always labeling their own system socialist rather than communist and viewing their system as in transition to communism..
  33. Book: Williams, Raymond. Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society. revised. Oxford University Press. 1983. 978-0-19-520469-8. 289. Socialism. The decisive distinction between socialist and communist, as in one sense these terms are now ordinarily used, came with the renaming, in 1918, of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party (Bolsheviks) as the All-Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks). From that time on, a distinction of socialist from communist, often with supporting definitions such as social democrat or democratic socialist, became widely current, although it is significant that all communist parties, in line with earlier usage, continued to describe themselves as socialist and dedicated to socialism.. registration. https://archive.org/details/keywordsvocabula00willrich/page/289.
  34. Book: Nation. R. Craig. Black Earth, Red Star: A History of Soviet Security Policy, 1917-1991. 1992. Cornell University Press. 978-0801480072. 85–6. 19 December 2014.
  35. Book: Wegs, J. Robert. Europe Since 1945: A Concise History. Macmillan International Higher Education. 1996. 9781349140527. 28–29.
  36. Web site: Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola. Encyclopaedia Britannica.
  37. Book: Hughes, Arnold. Marxism's Retreat from Africa. Routledge. 2015. 9781317482369. 10–11.
  38. Book: Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia. David H.. Shinn. Thomas P.. Ofcansky. Scarecrow Press. 2013. 9780810874572. 105.
  39. Book: Schliesinger, Joachim. Ethnic Groups of Cambodia. 9781633232327. Booksmango. 2015. 1: Introduction and Overview. 75.
  40. Book: Anderson, Ewan W.. Global Geopolitical Flashpoints: An Atlas of Conflict. Routledge. 2014. 9781135940942. 194.
  41. Book: Wilczynski, Jozef. An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Marxism, Socialism and Communism. Macmillan International Higher Education. 1981. 9781349058068. 318.
  42. Book: Busky, Donald F.. Communism in History and Theory: Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2002. 9780275977337. 73.
  43. Book: Europe Review 2003/04: The Economic and Business Report. Kogan Page Publishers. 2003. 9780749440671. World of Information. 3.
  44. Book: Dimitrov, Vesselin. Bulgaria: The Uneven Transition. Routledge. 2013. 9781135136772. Postcommunist States and Nations. ix.
  45. Book: Yup, Xing. Language and State: An Inquiry Into the Progress of Civilization. Rowman & Littlefield. 2017. 9780761869047. 138.
  46. Encyclopedia: pl. http://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo.php?id=4575043. Polska. Historia. Internetowa encyklopedia PWN. PWN Internet Encyklopedia. 11 July 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20061001084717/http://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo.php?id=4575043. 1 October 2006. Internetowa encyklopedia PWN.
  47. Book: Bulag, Uradyn E.. Collaborative Nationalism: The Politics of Friendship on China's Mongolian Frontier. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 2010. 9781442204331. 65.
  48. Journal of Democracy. Explaining Eastern Europe: The Crisis of Liberalism. July 2018. Jacques. Rupnik. 29. 3. 24–38. National Endowment for Democracy and Johns Hopkins University Press. 10.1353/jod.2018.0042. 158078514.
  49. Book: Sargent, Lyman Tower. 2008. Contemporary Political Ideologies: A Comparative Analysis. limited. 14th. Wadsworth Publishing. 117. 9780495569398. Because many communists now call themselves democratic socialists, it is sometimes difficult to know what a political label really means. As a result, social democratic has become a common new label for democratic socialist political parties..
  50. Book: Lamb, Peter. 2015. Historical Dictionary of Socialism. 3rd. Rowman & Littlefield. 415. 9781442258266. In the 1990s, following the collapse of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the breakup of the Soviet Union, social democracy was adopted by some of the old communist parties. Hence, parties such as the Czech Social Democratic Party, the Bulgarian Social Democrats, the Estonian Social Democratic Party, and the Romanian Social Democratic Party, among others, achieved varying degrees of electoral success. Similar processes took place in Africa as the old communist parties were transformed into social democratic ones, even though they retained their traditional titles [...]..
  51. Web site: People's Republic, the. The Hub. 10 November 2003. 2 January 2020.
  52. Web site: Welcome to the People's Republic of New Jersey. Caruba. Alan. Enter Stage Right. 28 June 2004. 2 January 2020.
  53. News: Takoma Park. Reinink. Amy. The Washington Post. 16 September 2011. 2 January 2020.
  54. Web site: Dispatch From the People's Republic of California. Hedgecock. Roger. Human Events. Townhall Media. 14 October 2011. 2 January 2020. 21 September 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180921115930/http://humanevents.com/2011/10/14/dispatch-from-the-peoples-republic-of-california/. dead.
  55. News: Polarisation in the People's Republic of Madison. The Economist. 5 June 2012. 2 January 2019.
  56. News: The People's Republic of California. Levi. Michael. Foreign Policy. 4 December 2012. 2 January 2019.
  57. News: Dublin South Central: 'It's the right thing to do' Fianna Fail candidate calls for full recount. Treacy. Ciara. The Irish Times. 27 February 2016. 2 January 2020.
  58. News: More than 12,000 Brighton and Hove residents 'declare independence' from blue Britain. Yeomans. Emma. The Argus. Brighton, England. 16 May 2015. 2 January 2019.
  59. Web site: Go Local in Boulder. Colorado Tourism. 12 July 2019. 2 January 2020.

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