The following is a list of successful and unsuccessful communist revolutions and coups throughout history. Among the lesser-known revolutions, a number of borderline revolutions have been included which may or may not have been communist revolutions. The nature of unsuccessful revolutions is particularly contentious since one can only speculate as to the kinds of policies that would have been implemented by the revolutionaries had they achieved victory.
Successful propaganda poster • 1917–1923: The
October Revolution and the subsequent
Russian Civil War led to the establishment of the
Soviet Union. • 1921: The
Mongolian Revolution ended imperial Chinese rule over Mongolia and established the
Mongolian People's Republic. • 1927–1949: The
Chinese Communist Revolution led to the establishment of the
People's Republic of China and
fleeing of the Republic of China to Taiwan. • 1941–1945: The
Yugoslav People's Liberation War led to the defeat of axis powers in the Balkans, abolishment of the Yugoslav monarchy, and the establishment of the
Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. • 1942–1945: The
National Anti-Fascist Liberation Movement in Albania established the
People's Socialist Republic of Albania. • 1944: The
Bulgarian coup d'état led to the immediate abolishment of the Bulgarian monarchy, followed soon after by the establishment of the
People's Republic of Bulgaria. • 1945: The
August Revolution forced
Emperor Bảo Đại to abdicate and established the
Democratic Republic of Vietnam. • 1946–1954:
First Indochina War • 1948:
Czechoslovak coup d'état. • 1953–1959: The
Cuban Revolution overthrew the dictatorship of
Fulgencio Batista, reestablishing the Republic of Cuba as a socialist state. • 1955–1975:
Vietnam War • 1959–1975:
Laotian Civil War • 1961–1974:
Angolan War of Independence • 1961–1979: The
Nicaraguan Revolution sees the Sandinistas oust the Somoza government. • 1963:
Les Trois Glorieuses in
Congo-Brazzaville. • 1968–1975:
Cambodian Civil War • 1969: The
Corrective Move in
South Yemen. • 1969: The
Somali coup d'état led to the formation of the
Somali Democratic Republic. • 1972:
Mathieu Kérékou leads a military coup in Benin, leading to the creation of the
People's Republic of Benin. • 1974:
Carnation Revolution (while the revolution overthrew the
Estado Novo and created a governing alliance between army captains and the Communists, the demands for a workers' democracy were quashed by a new coup on 25 November 1975 that installed a
minority government of the center-left
Socialist Party with the backing of the United States and its Western allies) • 1974: The
1974 Ethiopian coup d'état. • 1978: The
Saur Revolution leads to the establishment of the
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the start of the
Afghan conflict. • 1979: The
New JEWEL Movement overthrow's
Eric Gairy's government in Grenada, creating the
People's Revolutionary Government. • 1983: The
Upper Voltan coup d'état led by
Thomas Sankara and
Blaise Compaoré.
Upper Volta was renamed
Burkina Faso. Compaoré later led the
1987 Burkina Faso coup d'état, which killed Sankara and reversed his far-left policies. • 1996–2006:
Nepalese Civil War.
Unsuccessful National Guard on 18 March 1871 during the
Paris Commune. • 1871:
Paris Commune • 1915–1920:
Jungle Movement of Gilan • 1916:
Easter Rising • 1918:
Finnish Civil War • 1918–1925:
Canadian Labour Revolt • 1918:
Aster Revolution • 1918–1919:
German Revolution of 1918–19 • 1918:
Red Week • 1918:
Luxembourg communist revolution • 1918–1920:
Estonian War of Independence • 1919–1923:
Irish soviets . • 1919:
Hungarian Soviet Republic • 1919:
Bender Uprising • 1920:
Georgian coup attempt • 1921:
Proština rebellion . • 1923:
September Uprising • 1923:
Hamburg Uprising • 1924:
Tatarbunary Uprising • 1924:
Estonian coup d'état attempt • 1932:
1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising • 1935:
Brazilian communist uprising • 1936–1937:
Spanish Revolution of 1936 • 1942–1954:
Hukbalahap Rebellion • 1945:
Saigon Commune • 1946–1954:
Hukbalahap rebellion • 1946–1949:
Greek Civil War • 1946–1951:
Telangana Rebellion • 1948–1949:
Jeju uprising • 1948–1989:
Communist insurgency in Burma • 1948–1960:
Malayan Emergency • 1948:
Madiun Affair • 1960–1996:
Guatemalan Civil War • 1962–1990:
Communist insurgency in Sarawak • 1965–1983:
Communist insurgency in Thailand • 1968–1989:
Communist insurgency in Malaysia • 1970:
Teoponte Guerrilla • 1971:
JVP insurrection • 1971:
Sudanese coup d'état helicopter of the
Brazilian Air Force conducting anti-communist operations in Araguaia. • 1972–1974:
Araguaia Guerrilla War • 1975:
7 November 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état • 1979–1992:
Salvadoran Civil War • 1982:
Amol uprising • 1987–1989:
JVP insurrection • 2021–2023:
Eswatini protests Ongoing • 1964–present:
Colombian conflict • 1967–present:
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency • 1969–present:
New People's Army rebellion and
communist armed conflicts in the Philippines • 1972–present:
Maoist insurgency in Turkey • 1980–present:
Internal conflict in Peru • 1990–present:
DHKP/C insurgency in Turkey • 2021–present:
Myanmar civil war (2021–present) Table of revolutions }, , , , , •
One Big Union •
Communist Party of Canada •
Kingdom of Hungary •
Hungarian Social Democratic Party • Soldiers' Councils • Hungary terminated
Austria-Hungary • End of the
First World War in Hungary • Establishment of
First Hungarian People's Republic •
SPD •
USPD •
Spartacus League •
KPD •
IKD •
Revolutionary Stewards •
FVdG Soviet Republics: •
People's State of Bavaria •
Bavarian Soviet Republic •
Bremen Soviet Republic •
Saxon Soviet Republic •
Würzburg Soviet Republic •
Alsace-Lorraine Soviet Republic • Fall of the
German Empire • Suppression of leftist uprisings, including the
Spartacist uprising • End of the
First World War • Establishment of the
Weimar Republic • Abdication of
Marie-Adélaïde •
1919 Luxembourg referendum }} •
Treaty of Moscow signed •
Communist Party of Italy •
Chinese Civil War •
Chinese Communist Revolution •
Brazilian Communist Party UGT • •
BCP •
NOVA •
BZNS •
Communist Party of Korea •
New People's Party of Korea ---- •
Workers' Party of South Korea •
Workers' Party of North Korea ---- •
Workers' Party of Korea •
Democratic Army •
Communist Party of Greece and allies • Ex-
EAM members and other communist guerrillas' local groups •
People's Civil Guard •
People's Liberation Army Union of India •
Việt Minh • •
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia • pro-communist faction of the
Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party •
Union of Burma •
Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma •
Union of Burma •
Communist Party of Burma •
Communist Party (Burma) •
Shan State Communist Party •
Communist Party of Arakan •
Federation of Malaya • •
Malayan National Liberation Army •
People's Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam •
Pathet Lao •
PGT •
MR-13 •
EPS MAP-ML •
MILPAS • North Kalimantan People's Army }} •
Communist Party of Thailand •
Malayan Communist Party •
Pathet Lao •
Khmer Rouge (until 1978, 1979–1983) ----
Red Mantaro Base Committee ----
Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement •
Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya •
Patriotic People's Armed Troops (Until 2024) •
People's Liberation Army, Nepal •
People's Liberation Army (Myanmar) •
National Unity Government •
Brotherhood Alliance ==See also==