Comrade President Center-Forward

The term ''comrade'' (russian: товарищ, tovarisch) generally means 'mate', 'colleague', or 'ally', and derives from the Spanish and Portuguese, term , literally meaning 'chamber mate', from Latin , meaning 'chamber' or 'room'. It may also specifically mean "fellow soldier". Political use of the term was inspired by the French Revolution, after which it grew into a form of address between socialists and workers. Since the Russian Revolution, popular culture in the Western world has often associated it with communism.

Background

Upon abolishing the titles of nobility in France, and the terms and (literally, 'my lord' and 'my lady'), the revolutionaries employed the term for men and for women (both meaning 'citizen') to refer to each other. The deposed King Louis XVI, for instance, was referred to as to emphasize his loss of privilege.

When the socialist movement gained momentum in the mid-19th century, socialists elsewhere began to look for a similar egalitarian alternative to terms like "Mister", "Miss", or " Missus". In German, the word had long been used as an affectionate form of address among people linked by some strong common interest, such as a sport, a college, a profession (notably as a soldier), or simply friendship. The term was often used with political overtones in the revolutions of 1848, and was subsequently borrowed by French and English. In English, the first known use of the word ''comrade'' with this meaning was in 1884 in the socialist magazine ''Justice''.

Russo-Soviet usage

In the late 19th century Russian Marxists and other leftist revolutionaries adopted as a translation of the word the Russian word for (russian: товарищ) (from Old Turkic ; abbreviated ), whose original meaning was "business companion" or "travel (or other adventure) mate", deriving from the noun (, 'merchandise').Anrede "Genosse" nicht mehr zeitgemäß
/ref> as a form of address in international (especially German) social democracy and in the associated parts of the labour movement. For instance, one might be referred to as or '' Chairman'', or simply as . After the Russian Revolution, translations of the term in different languages were adopted by communists worldwide. However, due to its common usage in portrayals of the Soviet Union in Cold War films and books, the term became most strongly associated in public consciousness with communism as known in the Soviet Union, even though many other socialists would continue to use ''Comrade'' among themselves (e.g., German and Austrian social-democrats and, to this day, left wing members of the British Labour Party).

In the early years of Soviet power, the Bolsheviks used when addressing or referring to people assumed sympathetic to the revolution and to the Soviet state, such as members of the Communist party (and originally of other pro-revolution leftist formations such as the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries) and people from the "working masses". The more neutral republican form of address would translate as ''Citizen''. Accordingly, supporters of the White movement in the Russian Civil War would use mockingly as a derogatory term for their enemies – although at the same time, the various socialist anti-Bolshevik forces such as the Socialist Revolutionary Party and the Mensheviks also used among themselves.

By the mid-1920s, the form of address became so commonplace in the Soviet Union that it was used indiscriminately in essentially the same way as terms like "Mister" and "Sir" are employed in English. That use persisted until the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Still, the original meaning partly re-surfaced in some contexts: criminals and suspects were only addressed as "citizens" and not as , and expressly refusing to address someone as would generally be perceived as a hostile act or, in Stalinist times, even as an accusation of being "Anti-Soviet".

The term ''Comrade'' is not used in Russian society, and the term is not often used in contemporary society, but it is still the standard form of address in the Russian Armed Forces and Police of Russia, where officers and soldiers are normally addressed as '' Colonel'', '' General'', '' Sergeant'', or the like. The term is also used as part of idioms, for example: ('fellow-sufferer', from German ) or ( arbuddy), or as a part of such words as (partnership) that do not associate with communism. Sometimes it's used as an in-joke to address foreigners with obviously non-communist left-wing preferences.

Chinese usage

In Chinese, the translation of ''comrade'' is (), literally meaning '(people with) the same spirit, goal, ambition, etc.'. It was first introduced in the political sense by Sun Yat-sen to refer to his followers. The (Nationalist Party), which was co-founded by Sun Yat-Sen, has a long tradition of using this term to refer to its members, usually as a noun rather than a title; for example, a KMT member would say "Mr. Chang is a loyal and reliable comrade ()."

Nevertheless, the term was promoted most actively by the Chinese Communist Party during its struggle for power. It was used both as a noun and as a title for basically anyone in mainland China after the People's Republic of China was founded. For example, women were ('female comrade'), children were ('little comrade') and seniors were ('old comrade'). However, after the 1980s and the onset of China's market-oriented reforms, this term has been moving out of such daily usage. It remains in use as a respectful term of public address among middle-aged Chinese and members of the Chinese Communist Party. Within the Communist Party, failure to address a fellow member as is seen as a subtle but unmistakable sign of disrespect and enmity.

At party or civil meetings, the usage of the term has been retained. Officials often address each other as , and thus the usage here is not limited to Communist Party members alone. In addition, is the term of preference to address any national leader when their titles are not attached (e.g., ''Comrade'' Mao Zedong, ''Comrade'' Deng Xiaoping).

In October 2016, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party issued a directive urging all 90 million party members to keep calling each other "comrades" instead of less egalitarian terms. It is also in the regulations of the Chinese Armed Forces as one of three appropriate ways to formally address another member of the military ("comrade" plus rank or position, as in "Comrade Colonel", or simply "comrade/s" when lacking information about the person's rank, or talking to several servicepeople.)

The SAR territories of Hong Kong and Macau generally use as a catch-all term to refer to members of the LGBT community; its use as a word for "comrade" has historically been uncommon due to both territories formerly being under foreign administrations. This definition of is becoming increasingly popular among mainland Chinese youth and a growing number of older Chinese people have stopped using due to its new association with the LGBT community.

South African usage

During the 1970s and 1980s, ''comrade'' emerged as a popular revolutionary form of address in South Africa among those involved in anti-apartheid political activities. For example, members of the African National Congress and South African Communist Party frequently referred to each other as ''comrade''.

Among poor residents of the country's segregated townships, it was also used to specifically denote members of militant youth organisations. These radical activists led consumer boycotts, organised anti-apartheid rallies and demonstrations, and intimidated those suspected of having ties to the South African government or security forces. In this particular context, the English title ''comrades'' was also used interchangeably with the Xhosa term .

Zimbabwean usage

In Zimbabwe, the term is used for persons affiliated with the ZANU–PF political party. The state media also use ''Cde'' as short for ''comrade''. Members of other political parties mainly the Movement for Democratic Change are often referred by their names or Mr, Mrs or Prof.

The revived Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) members also call themselves comrades.

South Sudanese usage

Members of the Sudan People's Liberation Army call each other 'Comrade'.

British usage

The British Union of Fascists used the word commonly to refer to members. The Marching Song, set to the music of the began 'Comrades, the voices'. The writer, E.D. Randall, defended the usage of the word by stating that 'comrades' ‘fittingly and completely expresses the ideal of unity in the service of a common cause’

In other languages

*In Albanian, the word (meaning ''friend'', from Latin ) was used within communist circles. The female form is .
*In Ethiopia the Amharic word for "comrade" is "Guade" written with ancient Geez script as "ጓድ". The word "Guade" trace its origin to the Amharic word of "Guadegna/ ጓደኛ" meaning " a friend". The word was in popular use after the 1974 revolution particularly by members of the socialist party to refer to another person of the similar political group, belongs to the same ideology, or similar style. The usage of the word is eroded since 1991 and it is limited to political party conventions or meetings. A rather the most popular variation of the word in the past and currently is "Guadochae/ ጓዶቼ" meaning "my friends" which is a hamble way of address for a valued colleague or friend.
*The Arabic word () (meaning ''comrade, companion'') is used in Arabic, Urdu

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases