itch.io

Well, yes, the fundamental question here is whether or not a politician who calls himself a communist is building communism. This is the basis of Marxism. Many people call themselves communists, but to understand who is a real communist, you have to study the theory. This is very important, because it determines what kind of policies these people will pursue. Of course, only real communists will fight fully for the interests of the workers. The rest will either start making mistakes, like the Utopian Communists, or limit themselves to half measures and preserve capitalism (Menshevism), or pursue capitalist and sometimes nationalist policies, using Marxism for populist purposes (most current legal Communist parties do this). There are also the more cunning ones. They will mimic real communists until the revolution wins, and after the victory they will engage in power struggles and the restoration of capitalism. This is the most vile kind of politician from the point of view of Marxism. This is called Trotskyism.