Communist Parties: New Trends in the Development of Communist Parties in Developed Capitalist Countries
June 2025
Translated by Ferdi Bekir
Author Prof. Yu Weihai is an expert on world socialism and communist movement, School of Politics and International Relations, Central China Normal University, Wuhan
Source: Contemporary World, Issue 6, 2025
There are many standards for evaluating and observing the current state of socialism in the world, and the situation of communist parties in developed capitalist countries is an important aspect. The unprecedented changes of the past century are accelerating, with global, epochal, and historical transformations unfolding in unprecedented ways. What is the overall strength and development trend of communist parties in developed capitalist countries under these unprecedented changes? What new changes and characteristics are emerging in their discourse systems and practical explorations? What are their attitudes towards socialism with Chinese characteristics? These questions undoubtedly require in-depth and systematic research. Research on the new situation of communist parties in developed capitalist countries is one of the important bases for judging the development of contemporary world socialism, and it is also a necessary requirement for a deep understanding of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important judgment that socialism with Chinese characteristics has become “the banner of scientific socialism in the 21st century” and “the mainstay of the revitalization of world socialism.”
New Changes in Communist Parties in Developed Capitalist Countries
In the early 1990s, severely impacted by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe, many foreign communist organizations suffered enormous blows, and the socialist movement in developed capitalist countries also fell into a low ebb. Currently, with the unprecedented changes of the past century accelerating, communist parties in developed capitalist countries face many new historical conditions and have made many adaptive adjustments and reforms, resulting in some new development situations and trends overall.
First, some Communist Party organizations have made new progress in overcoming their organizational weaknesses and limitations. Since the beginning of the 21st century, especially after 2008, capitalism has been put on trial due to its deep involvement in financial crises, environmental crises, Covit pandemic crises, and security crises, leading to a surge in various social protest movements. Communist parties in developed capitalist countries seized this historical opportunity to strengthen party building and launched a new round of organizational “breakthroughs.” Many Communist parties have performed remarkably well, strengthening their party power and expanding their political and social influence, mainly in the following three aspects.
First, some communist parties have stabilized their positions and increased their membership. For example, the Belgian Workers’ Party had 2,885 members in 2007, reaching 8,000 in 2014, and 26,000 in 2023, an increase of nearly tenfold in just over a decade. The Communist Party of the United States had fewer than 2,000 members in 2011, reaching approximately 5,000 in 2018, and approximately 15,000 in 2023. The Communist Party of Great Britain has also achieved steady growth, with 915, 1,011, 1,200, and 1,308 members in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023 respectively. The Communist Party of Greece and the Communist Party of Canada, among others, have also seen increases in their membership.
Secondly, some communist parties have made breakthroughs in domestic elections. In 2021, the Communist Party of Austria defeated the right wing populist People’s Party, which had been in power for over 20 years, with 28.84% of the vote in Graz, and Communist Party member Elke Karl was elected mayor. On April 23, 2023, the Communist Party of Austria participated in the Salzburg City Council election and won its first seat in the city council since 1945. On June 25 of the same year, the Communist Party of Greece won 21 seats in the parliamentary election, an increase of 6 seats from 2019. On June 9, 2024, the Belgian Workers’ Party increased its number of seats in the federal parliamentary election from 12 to 15; in the local council elections, it won 9, 16, and 8 seats in Flemish, Brussels, and Wallonia, respectively. This brought the party’s total number of seats at the federal and regional levels to 65, making it the fourth largest party in Belgium.
Thirdly, a number of new communist parties seeking radical social change have been established. Amidst the global upheaval of the past century, the crisis of capitalism has intensified, leading to a surge in calls for social change and the formation of several communist parties advocating for radical social transformation. On June 28, 2019, the Communist Party of Australia was founded, hoping to “open a new path in the Australian socialist movement.” On November 21-22 of the same year, the First National Congress of the New Zealand Communist Party was held in Wellington, marking the re-establishment of a communist party in New Zealand since its dissolution in 1993. From June 21-23, 2024, a German communist organization held its First National Congress, announcing the formation of the Communist Party (Kommunistische Partei, KP).
On June 21 of the same year, the American Communist Party (ACP) was founded, and its First National Congress was held in Chicago on October 12. Since the end of 2023, a number of Trotskyist-style communist parties with the name “Revolutionary Communist Party” have held founding ceremonies in countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Austria, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, the United States, and Canada. They then held street parades and rallies and used online media platforms for propaganda, attracting considerable attention.
Of course, in terms of organizational strength, some political parties have failed to achieve an organizational “breakthrough,” with some even experiencing a decline in membership. For example, the number of members in the Communist Parties of France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Italy has all shown varying degrees of decline. Among them, the Japanese Communist Party, the largest in developed capitalist countries, saw its membership drop from approximately 305,000 in 2014 to 250,000 in 2024. The French Communist Party’s membership decreased from 70,000 in 2011 to 57,000 in 2016, and is expected to further decline to 42,000 in 2023. The Spanish Communist Party’s membership decreased from 10,000 in 2015 to 7,000 in 2022. The Portuguese Communist Party’s membership decreased from 80,000 in 1994 to 50,000 in 2020, and is expected to further decline to 48,000 in 2024. In terms of political influence, several historically influential communist parties have also failed to achieve good results in domestic elections. For example, in Portugal’s parliamentary elections on January 30, 2022, the coalition of the Portuguese Communist Party and the Green Party won only 6 out of 230 seats, with a vote share of 4.4%, marking its worst performance in the 21st century. In Italy’s general election on September 25 of the same year, the three main communist parties—the Communist Party of Italy Refoundation, the Communist Party (Italy), and the Italian Communist Party—also participated in the election in different ways, but all ultimately failed to win any seats, and their respective electoral coalitions received less than 2% of the vote.
Second, they have actively promoted the localization and modernization of Marxism and strengthen the Party’s theoretical innovation and adaptive transformation. Many communist parties in developed capitalist countries, in accordance with the demands of the times, have continuously promoted the localization and modernization of Marxism, strengthened the Party’s theoretical innovation and adaptive transformation, and made new theoretical explorations on issues such as environmental protection, digital technology, and on the issue of identity politics.
For a long time, political economy has been a central concern for communist parties in developed capitalist countries. With the deterioration of the global ecological environment, there is a need to “both innovate political programs—moving beyond economism to answer and respond to new ecological demands—and change the way politics are acted—strengthening alliances with green forces and expanding the anti-capitalist coalition.”
Many communist parties in developed capitalist countries have progressively prioritized environmental ecological protection in their goals and political agendas. The Communist Party of the United States put forward the resounding slogan “Man and the planet above profits.” The French Communist Party proposed “eco-communism” and even redesigned its party flag, incorporating green leaf elements. The Italian Communist Party of Refoundation explicitly adopted eco-socialism as one of its guiding theories. The inclusion of environmental protection as a key component in party program documents, theoretical discussions, international exchanges, electoral alliances, and social struggles not only innovates the party’s theoretical achievements on ecological and environmental issues but also cultivates a progressive image among the masses.
A new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation led by intelligent technologies is in full swing. Communist parties in developed capitalist countries are strengthening their research on digital capitalism, extensively exploring the new changes in capitalism in the digital age, the characteristics of new forms of capitalist exploitation, and the conditions and forms of the struggle for socialism, providing a contemporary interpretation of Marxism. For example, the political resolution adopted at the 21st Congress of the Communist Party of Portugal pointed out the essence of digital technology development: contrary to the rhetoric of “digital democracy” and “free access to knowledge and information,” the global network technology owned by multinational telecommunications companies has now become one of the main means of attack for imperialist ideology. Through the privatization of digital technology, imperialism is committed to strengthening its dominance and manipulation of information and communication technologies. The Communist Party of Finland stated in its platform that major capitalist powers and monopoly groups, in order to consolidate their position and privileges, use information hegemony and technological monopoly to corrupt and undermine the labor movement.
Identity politics
Identity politics has become an unavoidable arena for communist parties in developed capitalist countries, profoundly impacting their development. Many communist parties view the struggle against all forms of discrimination, including racial and gender discrimination, as part of the class struggle. In terms of discourse logic, traditional working-class discourse has expanded to include more diverse identity subjects who are oppressed and discriminated. Is this a deviation from and a weakening of the traditional working class as a whole, or a modernization and refinement of the working-class connotation? This is a controversial question. For example, the Communist Party of Great Britain led by (Marxist-Leninist) Joti Brar stated at its Eighth Congress that “propagating identity politics, including the LGBTQ+ community, is reactionary and anti-working-class; identity politics distracts and diverts the proletariat’s focus from the class struggle for social liberation, and party members who participate in such propaganda will be expelled from the party.”
The Communist Party of the United States, however, takes a completely opposite stance, openly supporting identity politics in its discourse and daily actions. “Our ranks proudly march with rainbow flags bearing the word ‘Socialism’ in bold, and signs with creative slogans such as ‘Homosexuality is okay…and being a Communist!'”
Third, inter-party struggles have become more frequent, and differences have become increasingly apparent. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe, communist parties in various countries consciously sought to strengthen mutual exchange and cooperation, leading to the establishment of the International Conference of Communist and Workers’ Parties (ICCWP). Emphasizing unity and cooperation rather than highlighting differences and disagreements became a major aspect of inter-party relations in developed capitalist countries. However, after the outbreak of the 2008 international financial crisis, developed capitalist countries were severely impacted, triggering a series of social contradictions and large-scale protests. Some parties thus concluded that a change in the defensive strategy of the world socialist movement was necessary and frequently criticized other communist parties for their “erroneous” theoretical understanding and strategic choices. Against this backdrop, contradictions between communist parties have been openly exposed.
Ukraine crisis
On issues such as the current Ukraine crisis, internal divisions and disputes among communist parties in developed capitalist countries are more severe and acute. They hold differing views on issues such as the definition of imperialist countries, the nature and main direction of war, united fronts, and the tasks and goals of the struggle.
Jorti Brar, Vice-President of the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist), mentioned that at an international conference hosted by the Korean People’s Democratic Party in May 2022, participants showed significant differences in their understanding of the Ukraine crisis. “Many ‘brotherly parties’ even took a bourgeois stance, advocating that ‘Russian aggression’ was the culprit behind the escalation of the situation in Ukraine, and that ‘Russian imperialism’ was the root cause of this ‘inter-imperialist’ conflict.” Brar criticized the Communist Party of Greece as a “brotherly party” which is now standing on such an erroneous position. At an internal online meeting initiated by the European Communist Parties and Workers’ Parties in September 2023, the Communist Party of Greece suddenly and unilaterally announced the dissolution of this international organization, and publicly published an article, “On the Termination of the European Communist Initiative and the Role of Opportunism,” attacking the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) for organizing the establishment of a world anti-imperialist international platform: “A small party, the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist), has launched an outrageous provocative attack on the Communist Party of Greece through open distortion and lies.”
It is evident that communist parties in developed capitalist countries pay close attention to global issues such as the Ukraine crisis, imperialism, and international solidarity. Some communist parties also focus their main efforts on domestic parliamentary activities, striving to expand their political and social influence. In short, from the perspective of theoretical propositions and policy choices, communist parties in developed capitalist countries have become increasingly diversified and categorized, which is a noteworthy issue.
New Characteristics of the Development of Communist Parties in Capitalist Countries
The new developments and changes in the communist parties of developed capitalist countries present a partial picture of the development of world socialism under the changing global landscape. Compared with the early stages of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe, these new developments and changes have many new historical characteristics.
First, organized international cooperation and struggle among parties coexist, and we can see the network relations among parties. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe, communist parties in developed capitalist countries established or participated in numerous common platforms and mechanisms. These platforms served as bridges for exchange and mutual learning among communist parties, meetings for unity and cooperation, and bastions for criticism and struggle. Examples include the International Conference on Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations established in 1994; the International Symposium on Communism founded by the Belgian Workers’ Party in 1996 (which ceased operations in 2014); the International Conference of Communist and Workers’ Parties initiated and led by the Communist Party of Greece in 1998; the European Communist and Workers’ Party Initiative established in 2013 (which dissolved in 2023); the World Anti-Imperialist Platform established in 2022; the “European Communist Action” established in 2023; and the Revolutionary Communist International established in June 2024. On these platforms, communist parties in developed capitalist countries have engaged in intensive exchanges and interactions, uniting their efforts and showcasing the unity of world socialism by organizing meetings, mobilizing support, and signing joint statements on major holidays, important time nodes, and key issues.
However, these diverse platforms exhibit both compatible overlaps and dissimilar parallels, even mutually exclusive struggles, reflecting the current multicultural, typified, and fragmented characteristics of the world socialist movement. On May 5, 2024, at the Istanbul Conference of the European Communist Action İnitiative, the Communist Party of Greece criticized the World Anti-Imperialism Platform: “A new international organization has emerged under the false name of the ‘World Anti-Imperialism Platform,’ composed of social democratic forces and communist parties or groups with no influence over their own working class, clearly siding with the imperialist bandit camp.” In July 2024, at the Sixth Washington International Conference of the World Anti-Imperialism Platform, the Revolutionary Unification of Humanity organization from Greece argued (Patelis): “The Communist Party of Greece and others fail to prioritize the goals of the movement in a rational and effective manner, confusing the monopolistic stage of capitalist countries with the state of imperialism; a representative viewpoint is the so-called ‘imperialist pyramid theory.'”
It is evident that diverse platforms such as the World Anti-Imperialist Platform and the “Eurocommunist Action” have become tools for the organized unity and struggle of communist parties worldwide. Communist parties in developed capitalist countries, through equal participation in these diverse platforms, have both strengthened international exchange and cooperation and actively engaged in “sectarian” struggles. The current parallel exploration and intertwined progress, the multi-faceted alliances and frequent struggles among communist parties reflect new characteristics of the 21st-century international communist movement. In this process of both alliance and struggle, the relationships between communist parties exhibit a new “network” pattern, specifically manifested in the more prominent categorized main forces, more frequent and intensive exchanges and interactions, more obvious diversified modes of connection, a more pronounced loose internationalism, and a more significant normalized state of conflict.
Second, online media is increasingly integrated into the organizational structure and daily operations of political parties, with some parties showing a clear tendency towards media mobilization. With the development of internet technology and the widespread use of mobile communication devices, cyberspace has become an important arena for political party propaganda and competition. Communist parties in developed capitalist countries are increasing their efforts in information technology development, using the internet and new media to carry out party building, expand their political and social influence, and strengthen party and masses relations.
Digitization of socialist media
First, fully leverage the influence of traditional print newspapers to digitalize Party media. In the internet age, to adapt to changing reading habits, communist parties in developed capitalist countries have been actively promoting the digitization of their media. Newspapers such as *La Radical* (Greek Communist Party), *Akahata* (Japanese Communist Party), *People’s World* (Communist Party of the United States), *Forward!* (Portuguese Communist Party), *Voice of the People* (Communist Party of Canada), *The Guardian* (Communist Party of Australia), and *Workers’ World* (Communist Party of Spain) have not only launched independent websites and digitized their media, but also opened accounts on social media platforms such as Facebook, Facebook, Instagram, etc., to promptly update Party news and facilitate mobile browsing and interaction.
Secondly, they have vigorously developed their official websites and instant messaging platforms. Communist parties in developed capitalist countries have significantly increased their efforts in building their official websites, promptly publishing basic documents such as party constitutions, programs, statements, and resolutions. To facilitate reading for users of different languages, many websites also offer multilingual versions. For example, the website of the Communist Party of Greece uses 12 languages, including Greek, English, Arabic, German, and Turkish, fully reflecting the “international” nature of the communist cause. The official website of the French Communist Party connects its homepage with instant messaging media, providing real-time updates on the party’s official accounts on platforms such as X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok in a modular format, better suited to the reading habits of younger users.
However, objectively speaking, for communist parties in developed capitalist countries, resolving the urgent issues such as weak party-labor union relations, weak party-mass relations, and low party influence in the short term is extremely difficult.
Some political parties, due to over-reliance on information technology and digitalization, have become detached from the masses, resulting in poor grassroots organization building, very limited effective means of implementing the mass line, and a gradual decline in their influence among the working class and the masses. Ultimately, they exhibit a tendency towards mediaization, becoming “networked grassroots movements” that prioritize the internet over direct practice, risking becoming “internet parties” and “media parties.” For example, critics accuse the Revolutionary Communist Party of America (RCPA), founded in 2024, of making a strong debut through media hype, arguing that the party “seems more interested in projecting an image of active action (dozens of people marching in neat red clothes) than in conducting actual organizational work,” and “seems more like a social club than a political party or a radical political group.”
Furthermore, driven by digital technology, some emerging political parties have risen rapidly, including extreme left-wing parties. These extremist parties, through online campaigning, are constantly encroaching on the political space of traditional communist parties. This fragmented party structure has led to greater homogeneous competition and more chaos within communist parties. This is a major challenge facing communist parties in developed capitalist countries.
Third, the internal problems hindering the development of political parties persist, while external factors have increasingly impacted their development. On the one hand, for a long time, communist parties in developed capitalist countries have faced internal problems such as theoretical “left-wing” and “right-wing” deviations, aging membership, weakening of party purity, weak party cohesion and weak combat effectiveness, and financial constraints.
“Left-wing” deviation
The theoretical “left-wing” deviation refers to some communist parties being constrained by traditional historical baggage in their theoretical exploration, rigidly and inflexibly understanding and applying Marxist theory and Soviet experience, exhibiting a certain “ultra-left” tendency.
Right-wing deviation
The theoretical “right-wing” deviation refers to some parties, in order to promote party modernization and adaptive reform, being eager to de-“revolutionize,” and supporting a kind of “Stalinism,” and “Leninism” ghosts. They are shifting their political stance towards the center and the right wing. Both “left-wing” and “right-wing” deviations are detrimental to the healthy development of the communist party.
Furthermore, many communist parties face the challenge of an aging membership. In December 2024, the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of Portugal adopted a political resolution pointing out that the party’s membership was severely aging. In terms of age structure, those under 40 years old accounted for 10.4%, those between 41 and 64 years old accounted for 36.9%, and those over 64 years old accounted for 52.7%. To reverse the situation of a small membership and low influence, most communist parties have opened online application channels and simplified the membership application process. However, due to insufficient human and financial resources, the management, supervision, and education of party members are inadequate, resulting in declining member loyalty and significantly negatively impacting party cohesion.
On the other hand, the role and influence of external factors are increasingly effecting development of political parties.
First, various forms of anti-communist attacks have emerged. To curb the development of socialist and workers’ movements, many capitalist governments have maintained their consistent anti-communist stance, creating difficulties for the activities and development of communist parties. A statement from the “Eurocommunist Action” on February 17, 2025, noted that since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, “anti-communism and various forms of oppression have increased, and democratic rights, trade union rights, and freedoms have been greatly weakened.”
Second, current party politics are increasingly fragmented. Many communist parties in developed capitalist countries participate in elections by forming alliances with other left-wing parties.
These alliances have expanded the political influence of communist parties, enabling some of their policy proposals to be successfully translated into laws or government policies.
Third, the influence of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the development of communist parties in developed capitalist countries is gradually strengthening.
According to incomplete statistics, in the past decade or so, communist parties in more than 20 developed capitalist countries, including the Communist Party of Canada, the Communist Party of the United States, the Communist Party of France, the Communist Party of Italy, the Communist Party of Spain, the Communist Party of Portugal, the Communist Party of Germany, the Communist Party of Switzerland, and the Communist Party of Australia, have significantly increased their attention, support, and positive feedback on socialism with Chinese characteristics. For example, the document “Discussions on China by the Communist Party of Germany” produced at the 25th Congress of the Communist Party of Germany in March 2023 expressed recognition and support for socialism with Chinese characteristics. In short, socialism with Chinese characteristics is gradually exerting a profound influence on communist parties worldwide, including those in developed capitalist countries, and is quietly changing the political agendas of many communist parties.
Lessons from the New Development of Communist Parties in Developed Capitalist Countries
During unprecedented changes of the 20th century, communist parties in developed capitalist countries, deeply encircled by the capitalist system, have not succumbed to adverse situations. They have steadfastly upheld the banner of Marxism, continuously explored a socialist development path with their own national characteristics, and actively waged various anti-capitalist struggles, demonstrating the indomitable spirit and relentless progress of Marxist parties. Studying the new changes and characteristics of communist parties in developed capitalist countries offers significant insights into the current state, development trends, and laws of contemporary world socialism.
First, the new developments of communist parties in developed capitalist countries indicate that world socialism has entered a different phase from the prolonged low ebb following the collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe—a state of active progress and pursuit of new breakthroughs.
Under the impact of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe, the sharp decline in the number of socialist countries and their transformation, the disintegration and predicament of many communist parties, the weakening and disappearance of international socialist interaction and cooperation, and the waning of socialist discourse under the influence of the “end of history” thesis, all contributed to a precipitous decline in the socialist cause pursued by communist parties in developed capitalist countries. Many communist parties thus fell into a period of reorganization, splitting, and self-reflection. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Although world socialism may experience twists and turns in its development, the general trend of human social development has not changed and will not change.” In recent years, although communist parties in developed capitalist countries have not yet achieved final victory in practical struggles, they have exposed and criticized the contradictions and crises of capitalism, actively engaged in the struggle to defend people’s livelihoods and civil rights, and waged a struggle against capitalism and imperialism through various means such as trade union movements, demonstrations, joint statements, and international conferences. They are striving forward on the road to socialism and communism and are an important force in promoting the socialist struggle and movement in developed capitalist countries.
Meanwhile, communist parties in many developed capitalist countries have vigorously promoted adaptive adjustments and reforms, more actively fighting on the front lines against capitalism, and exploring their own socialist paths with a more proactive attitude. Through strengthening international cooperation and building united mechanisms and united fronts, the fragmented world socialist movement has gradually regained its united struggle momentum. This indicates that world socialism has begun to show a positive trend of striving forward and seeking breakthroughs. On May 9, 2025, the “European Communist Action Initiative” held a conference in Berlin, Germany, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the anti-fascist struggle. Dimitris Kutsoumbas, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece, emphasized that the victory in the anti-fascist struggle 80 years ago proved to the world that people of all countries are capable of coping with various challenges and the predicaments of the international communist movement. “The future of humanity is not capitalism, but a new socialist world!” It is precisely through the continuous efforts of generations of communists in various countries that the flame of communism has been spread and continued, and the struggle for socialism and communism has continuously achieved victories in adversity. The explorations of communist parties in developed capitalist countries are further proving to the world, through concrete actions, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s scientific judgment that “we are still in the historical era indicated by Marxism.” (transition from capitalism to socialism)
Second, the new developments of communist parties in developed capitalist countries indicate many new historical characteristics of world socialism, posing new tasks for academic research on socialism.
Since its inception, socialism has undergone a process of moving from utopianism to science, from theory to practice, and from practice in one country to development in multiple countries. Under the changing global landscape of the past century, the new characteristics and problems of the overall development of communist parties in developed capitalist countries deserve in-depth study by the academic community.
For example, in understanding the current global socialist movement and the international communist movement as a whole, it is essential to emphasize the study of various new socialist factors and situations developing within a single country. In recent years, communist parties in many developed capitalist countries have achieved some successes; however, achieving victory in the socialist struggle at the national level remains a long and arduous task. At the same time, under the backdrop of a century of change, many developed countries in Europe and America are facing numerous internal contradictions and launching frequent social protests, leading to a rise in socialist discourse and socialist factors. Communist parties in various countries are focusing on the socialist struggle both within and outside the parliamentary system, committed to promoting international unity and cooperation, and making positive contributions to the development of world socialism. Therefore, studying the new situation of the socialist movement in developed capitalist countries under the backdrop of a century of change requires not only strengthening research on the political ecology and development trends of communist parties, but also emphasizing the study of new socialist factors and new situations.
For example, at the theoretical level, under the backdrop of a century of change, communist parties in developed capitalist countries have enriched and developed Marxist understanding on many issues in order to cope with new changes. On issues such as identity politics versus class politics, global ecological and environmental issues versus class-based party discourse, the adaptive development of nationalism versus the revolutionary tradition of internationalism, the parliamentary path versus street politics, the united front versus independence and autonomy, digital network propaganda versus traditional propaganda and education, and the mass line versus grassroots organization building, many communist parties in developed countries have made new theoretical and practical explorations and accumulated some experience. At the same time, these issues have also troubled many communist parties and affected their healthy development. For example, the wave of withdrawals from the Communist Party of Canada before its 40th Congress in 2022 was a crisis arising from identity politics discourses such as those concerning sexual minorities and racism, as well as negative effect of online media. Therefore, it is crucial to study the new explorations and changes of communist parties in developed capitalist countries at the theoretical and practical levels under the backdrop of a century of change. Only in this way can we more accurately grasp their knowledge system and discourse system and thus understand the current state of development of socialism in the world as a whole.
Third, the new development trend of communist parties in developed capitalist countries further demonstrates that socialism with Chinese characteristics is becoming the banner of scientific socialism in the 21st century and a mainstay for the revitalization of world socialism.
Under the backdrop of a century of change, many communist parties in developed capitalist countries have made adaptive adjustments and reforms, striving to make “breakthroughs” and achieved some progress. However, constrained by factors such as a poor political environment, heavy historical burdens, and weak Party building, the political development of many communist parties remains sluggish. Meanwhile, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, China has achieved historic achievements and undergone historic changes in various undertakings. The successful practice of “socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era” has brought about a significant shift in the historical evolution and competition between socialism and capitalism—two ideologies and two social systems—in favor of socialism worldwide. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has a tremendous influence on world socialism, playing a significant driving and guiding role in both theoretical logic and practice. Against this backdrop, communist parties in developed capitalist countries are increasingly paying attention to and engaging with the Communist Party of China, and their positive evaluations of socialism with Chinese characteristics have significantly increased. They actively learn, interpret, promote, and defend socialism with Chinese characteristics through hosting or participating in conferences, studying or writing articles, giving interviews, and organizing support activities. As Mauro Alboresi, Secretary of the Italian Communist Party, stated in May 2021, Socialism with Chinese Characteristics demonstrates “the existence of another way of organizing socio-economic activities and handling relations between different countries and regions, proves the feasibility of socialism in the 21st century, and has accumulated extremely important experience, contributing to the revitalization of socialist ideals globally. This highlights the importance of the Communist Party of China to the Chinese and international communist movements.” Socialism with Chinese Characteristics has become the banner of scientific socialism in the 21st century and a mainstay in revitalizing world socialism. This is a significant historical change since Socialism with Chinese Characteristics entered a new era, and also a trend in historical development.