Information AboutComrade |
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| soviet phraseology | |
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POLITICAL USE The term "comrade" (and its equivalent in other languages) usually means "a fellow Socialist " or "a fellow Communist ". This usage was inspired by the French Revolution . Upon abolishing the titles of nobility, and the terms ''monsieur'' and ''madame'' (literally, "milord" and "milady"), the revolutionaries employed the term ''citoyen(ne)'' (meaning " Citizen ") to refer to each other. The deposed King Louis XVI , for instance, was referred to as ''Citoyen Louis Capet '' to emphasize his loss of privilege. When the socialist movement gained momentum in the mid- 19th Century , socialists began to look for an Egalitarian alternative to terms like "Mister", "Miss", or "Missus". They chose "comrade" as their preferred term of address. In English, the first known use of the word with this meaning was in 1884 in the socialist magazine ''Justice''. In French, the first use of the equivalent term, "''camarade''," among political leftists was in 1790."1790, sens polit." - ''Larousse Dictionnaire d'Étymologie'', Paris, 2001. RUSSIAN USE After the Russian Revolution , the Russian version of this term ( товарищ , ''tovarishch'') was championed by the Bolshevik s. The use of "comrade" soon became widespread among Communist s worldwide (much more so than among socialists who were not supporters of the Communist International ). During the Russian Civil War , the Tsar ist White Russian s used the word ''comrades'' (''tovarishchi'') as a derogatory term for their Bolshevik enemies, particularly those involved in the Red Army and the Soviets . Western politicians and comedians sometimes humorously mock Left-wing opponents by calling them "comrade." Because of its use by communists, the term is now strongly associated with Communism , particularly the Marxist-Leninist , Stalinist and Trotskyist varieties, and the Soviet Union . The term can be affixed to titles to add a Soviet flavor (e.g. "Comrade Colonel"). The usage is fairly flexible. For instance, one might be referred to as ''Comrade Lenin'' or ''Comrade Chairman'', or simply as ''Comrade''. Overuse of the word is a common characteristic of communist Stereotype s on Television and in Film s. In reality, it was employed rarely, reserved mainly for formal or official settings, in largely the same way that terms like "Mister" and "Sir" are employed. The term is still widely used today by the armed forces—superior officers are normally addressed as "Comrade Colonel," "Comrade General," or the like. Second common use of the term is simply a "friend", most often a schoolmate (as in 'he is my товарищ since high school'.) CHINESE USAGE In Chinese , the translation of ''comrade'' is "同志" (), lit. meaning "(people with) the same spirit, goal, ambition, etc." It was best known for its widespread use in Mainland China after the People's Republic Of China was founded, for basically anyone. However, after the 1980s and the onset of China's market-oriented reforms, this term has been moving out of daily usage. It remains in use as a respectful term of public address among middle-aged Chinese and members of the Communist Party Of China . Within the Communist Party, failure to address a fellow member as ''tóng zhì'' 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 ''Tongzhi'', and thus the usage here is not limited to Communist Party members alone. In addition, ''Tongzhi'' is the term of preference to address any national leader when their titles are not attached (i.e. ''Comrade'' Mao Zedong, ''comrade'' Deng Xiaoping etc.). The '' Kuomintang '' (Nationalist Party) also has a long tradition of using the term ''comrade'' (同志) to refer to its members, usually as a noun rather than a title; for example, a KMT member would say "Mr. Zhang is a loyal and reliable comrade (同志)." Due to the character "同" (meaning "same") and the fact that "同性恋" (tóng xìng lián) is the technical term corresponding to "homosexual" in English, ''Tongzhi'' has recently become a Slang Term meaning " Gay ". SOUTHERN AFRICA In South Africa, comrade is associated with the liberation struggle more generally and the African National Congress in particular. The members of unions affiliated to the ANC through their union federation use the term comrade to refer to each other. Comrade can also be a way of describing someone who is an activist, although it has an association with the ANC and the struggle against apartheid or economic inequality. In Zimbabwe , the term is only used to people who are affiliated to the ruling part, ZANU (PF) where the state media also use Cde as short for comrade. Members of the opposition mainly the MDC are oftenly referred by their names or Mr, Mrs or Prof. This is despite the fact that the population in general is not happy with it. GERMAN USAGE In modern Germany the term ''Genosse'' is usually preferred over ''Kamerad'' by those on the political left. This is due to the association of the term with Militarism as well as its use by the NSDAP during the Third Reich . ''Kamerad'' continues to be used today by those on the German far-right. ''Kamerad'' is also used in non-political situations such as within the Bundeswehr , among firemen and in schools for classmates (''Klassenkamerad''). IN OTHER LANGUAGES
:The standard form in Cuba is ''compañero'' / ''compañera'', as it was in socialist Nicaragua and Chile . In some parts of Latin America, ''camarada'' is the more frequent word, except in Peru , where the term is commonly associated with '' Shining Path '', members of social-democrat party APRA employ ''compañero'' to refer to fellow members of the party.
ANIMAL FARM In George Orwell 's novel '' Animal Farm '', the animals all refer to each other as comrade, as the story is a satirical look at the Russian Revolution. REFERENCES |
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