The South African Communist Party

Since the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, communist parties are widely regarded as passé or irrelevant. But these parties still exist, act and sometimes thrive in various corners of the world. This comprehensive history describes how the South African Communist Party has not only survived but flourished in a harsh political environment. Formed in 1921 as an umbrella organization of leftist groups, the SACP for decades fought against the racist Apartheid regime, ascending to power in 1994 with its senior alliance partner, the African National Congress. Approaching its centennial, the SACP now faces possibly its greatest challenge: working towards a socialist future for South Africa while governing a diverse and complex capitalist country.

Thomas Stanley Kolasa is a tenured professor doing research and teaching at Troy University. He lives in Wetumpka, Alabama.

Thomas Stanley Kolasa
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 260
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7804-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2059-6
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments v

Introduction: Dinosaur or Adaptor? 1

1. The SACP and Ideology: The Uncertain Path Between Faith and Pragmatism 15

2. The Alliance: Who Is in Charge? 52

3. The Collapse of Communism: The End of the Beginning 116

4. The New South Africa: The SACP and the Future 155

Conclusion 218

Chapter Notes 223

Selected Bibliography 240

Index 249