The South African Communist Party and the Collapse of the Soviet Union by Stephen Ellis

Origin date: 1992
Updated: 9 Jul 2021

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Summary

For 40 years (1950-90) 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 to explaining the SACP's continuing attachment to Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy. 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.

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01The South African Communist Party and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Stephen Ellis, Leiden Universtiy, 1992

Last updated · 9 Jul 2021

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2021, July 7). The South African Communist Party and the Collapse of the Soviet Union by Stephen Ellis. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0150997

South African History Online (2021) 'The South African Communist Party and the Collapse of the Soviet Union by Stephen Ellis', South African History Online, 7 July. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0150997 (Accessed: 10 September 2026).

South African History Online, The South African Communist Party and the Collapse of the Soviet Union by Stephen Ellis [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0150997, (accessed 10 September 2026).

"The South African Communist Party and the Collapse of the Soviet Union by Stephen Ellis." South African History Online, 7 July 2021, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0150997. Accessed 10 Sept. 2026.

South African History Online. "The South African Communist Party and the Collapse of the Soviet Union by Stephen Ellis." South African History Online. July 7, 2021. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0150997.