In political contexts, comrade means a fellow party member. The political use 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 United States has often associated it with communism. As such, it can also be used as a reference to leftists, akin to "". In particular, the Russian word () may be used as a reference to communists.
The influence of the term in communism in the 20th century has led to some anarchists preferring the term "companion", a term that has been used in Western Europe since the end of the 19th century.
Etymology The term comrade generally means "mate", "colleague", or "ally", and derives from the Spanish and Portuguese term ,Camarade – Académie française , from Latin , . It may also specifically mean "fellow soldier", comrade in arms.
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.
Political usage Russian and Soviet usage
In the late 19th century, Russian Marxists and other leftist revolutionaries adopted the word "" () as a translation for the German term . Originally, "tovarisch" meant "business companion" or "travel (or other adventure) mate" deriving from the Old Turkic ; abbreviated , and related to the noun (, meaning "merchandise").Anrede "Genosse" nicht mehr zeitgemäß In socialist and labour movements, it became a common form of address, as in or Chairman or simply as (especially German) social democracy. After the Russian Revolution, translations of "tovarisch" spread globally among communists, though the term "comrade" became closely associated with the Soviet Union specifically in the eyes of many.
With the February Revolution of 1917, traditional forms of address common in Tsarist Russia would become deeply unpopular and were replaced by the more republican and egalitarian title of citizen. However, this would be overshadowed by the address of comrade due to the more revolutionary connotations. The term "citizen" did not seem sufficiently pro-revolutionary as many monarchists identified themselves as "Russian citizens and loyal subjects of the sovereign-Emperor". In contrast being called "comrade" implied a kind of revolutionary zeal and exceptionalism. Yet, it was widely used across society: socialists in the Provisional Government were known as "comrade ministers", policemen and Cossacks were addressed as "comrades", and even rural witch-doctors became "comrade spirits".
During the revolutionary period, once the Bolsheviks had taken power, they continued to use "comrade" to address or refer to people presumed to be sympathetic to the revolution and to the Soviet state, such as workers, members of the Communist Party, and (for a time) Left Socialist-Revolutionaries. For everyone else, citizen was the preferred term; however, it could also serve as an insult, especially if the individual expected a more respectful address. For instance, the guards of Nicholas II deliberately called him "citizen Romanov" during his captivity. The anti-Bolshevik socialists, such as the Socialist Revolutionaries and the Mensheviks, also addressed each other as "comrade", while the Whites mockingly, referred to their enemies as "the comrades". As discontent with the Bolshevik regime grew, even within the Soviet camp, comrade could be seen as an insult. in one instance, a woman on a Petrograd tram, when addressed as "comrade", replied: "What's all this "comrade" talk? Take your "comrade" and go to hell!".
By the mid-1920s, the address had become so widespread in the Soviet Union that it was used casually as titles like "Mister" or "Sir" 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, during the Stalin era, even as an accusation of being "Anti-Soviet".
Currently, in the Russian Armed Forces, is used as a statutory form of address. Accordingly, it is always to be used by military personnel when referring to one another. Senior officers referring to subordinates must call them either by their military rank and last name, or only their military rank with being added before the rank. The reverse is also true, though subordinates are not permitted to call their superiors by their last name. One example is "Comrade Senior Lieutenant" (товарищ старший лейтенант).
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 ()."See, for example, the remarks of Frank Hsieh after losing the Republic of China presidential election in 2008: 凝聚黨內團結 謝長廷：我決定留到五二五 : "很多同志希望我能夠留到五月二十五日" ("Many comrades hoped that I could stay to May 25". See 中國國民黨第17屆中央委員會第2次全體會議出、列席同志發言須知 ("Rules for speaking for attending comrades at the 2nd plenary meeting of the 17th central committee of the Chinese Kuomintang") for an example of its usage in the Kuomintang.
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.
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. Their 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".
Kenyan usage In Kenya, the use of the word comrade is in a more traditional sense to mean "member". It is commonly used by trade unionists, political parties and University students as a form of solidarity and common identity. It features prominently in chant songs by University student leaders and popular youth culture as a term of endearment.
Cuban usage In Cuba, the corresponding revolutionary form of address in Spanish was compañero, e.g., Compañero Fidel.Sánchez-Boudy, José (1978). Diccionario de cubanismos más usuales (Cómo habla el cubano) (in Spanish). Miami: Ediciones Universal. En Cuba, hoy en día, se llama a todo el mundo «compañero».
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 Geʽez 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 humble way of address for a valued colleague or friend. The Arabic word () (meaning comrade, companion) is used in Arabic, Urdu and Persian with the same political connotation as "comrade". The term is used both among Arab communists as well as within the Ba'ath movement, the Yemeni Socialist Party, and the Lebanese Forces. The term predates modern political usage, and is an Arabic male proper name. Iranian communists use the same term. In Pakistan, the term is sometimes used to refer to Islamist members of Jama'at-e-Islami and Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami).