China The
Chinese Communist Party emerged as the dominant political entity in
mainland China following the
Chinese Civil War of 1927–1949. On October 1, 1949,
Mao Zedong declared the People's Republic of China from atop
Tiananmen.
Cuba Following the 1953–1959
Cuban Revolution, the new government led by
Fidel Castro transitioned the country into a one-party state, with all meaningful opposition media closed to transferred to state control by the end of 1960. In 1976 a national referendum ratified a new
constitution, with 97.7% in favour, which secured the Communist Party's central role in governing
Cuba.
Laos Communist rule in
Laos began in March 1975 after the
Khmer Rouge army took power with the support of the
North Vietnamese after the
Fall of Saigon and the end of the
Vietnam War. In December 1975 King
Sisavang Vatthana was forced to abdicate and the Lao People's Democratic Republic was pronounced, and a very authoritarian system introduced – non-communist newspapers were closed, and a large-scale purge of the civil service, army and police was launched.
Vietnam The
Communist Party of Vietnam was created in 1930 but didn't come in to power until the
Japanese occupation of Vietnam from 1940 to 1945. The
Democratic Party of Vietnam was formed and, due to failed negotiations between anti-communist French, led to the
First Indochina War. After the war, the
Geneva Accord (1954) split the country in to a communist North (known as
Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and an anti-communist South (Known as
The State of Vietnam). This would lead to the
Vietnam War and the withdrawal of anti-communist soldiers from the area. ==Current states with a history of communist rule==