Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist)
Encyclopedia
Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist) is a political party
in Sri Lanka
. The party surged in 1964 following a split in the Ceylon Communist Party. Initially the party just called itself 'Ceylon Communist Party' as well, and was distinguished from the main CCP by denomintions like 'Ceylon Communist Party (Peking Wing)', etc. In the end of the 1960s the party was one of the major leftist parties in the country. The general secretary was N. Shanmugathasan
.
Following the death of Mao Zedong
and the take-over in China
by Deng Xiaoping
, the party strongly denounced the new line of the Chinese leadership. The party regrouped internationally amongst those who reaffirmed Maoism
, and was one of the signatories of the founding declaration of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement
.
The strength of the party did however decline, and it suffered several splits. In 1991 a conference was held which reconstructed it as 'Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist)'. Shanmugathasan led the party until his death in 1993.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. The party surged in 1964 following a split in the Ceylon Communist Party. Initially the party just called itself 'Ceylon Communist Party' as well, and was distinguished from the main CCP by denomintions like 'Ceylon Communist Party (Peking Wing)', etc. In the end of the 1960s the party was one of the major leftist parties in the country. The general secretary was N. Shanmugathasan
N. Shanmugathasan
Nagalingam Shanmugathasan was a trade unionist and Maoist revolutionary leader in Sri Lanka. He was the founding General Secretary of the Ceylon Communist Party .- Life :...
.
Following the death of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
and the take-over in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
by Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
, the party strongly denounced the new line of the Chinese leadership. The party regrouped internationally amongst those who reaffirmed Maoism
Maoism
Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
, and was one of the signatories of the founding declaration of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement
Revolutionary Internationalist Movement
The defunct Revolutionary Internationalist Movement was an international Communist organization which upheld a version of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism founded in 1984 sought to "struggle for the formation of a Communist International of a new type, based on Marxism-Leninism-Maoism"...
.
The strength of the party did however decline, and it suffered several splits. In 1991 a conference was held which reconstructed it as 'Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist)'. Shanmugathasan led the party until his death in 1993.