In Europe, after the Russian revolution, what was the first communist state?

looney_tunes

The first communist state after the Russian Revolution ("The October Revolution") was Russia. Some consider Russia to be an Asian country, some European. So one answer is Russia, in 1917. After World War II, "governments were formed in East Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland, by predominantly Moscow based expatriate communists with the help of the Soviet Union." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_communism The German Democratic Republic was established on 7 October 1949. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Germany Hungary was communist from 1947. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary Czeckoslovakia was communist-governed from 1948. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovakia In Bulgaria , "the Fatherland Front, a Communist-dominated political coalition, took over the government in 1944 and the Communist party increased its membership from 15,000 to 250,000 during the following six months. It established its rule with the coup d'état of September 9 that year. However, Bulgaria did not become a people's republic until 1946. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria Romania became a 'people's republic' in 1947. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania The Soviet Union instituted a communist government in Poland in 1945. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland The Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia was established in 1946, as was the Socialist People's Republic of Albania. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslavia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_People%27s_Republic_of_Albania From these dates, one could argue for either Bulgaria if the 1944 elections are used as the date) or Poland (if Bulgaria is considered to have become a communist state when it became a people's republic in 1946). Sep 27 09, 1:58 AM

Baloo55th

Counting Russia out ('after the Russian revolution'), I'd go for Hungary followed closely by Bavaria. Both had Communist governments in 1919: Hungary under Béla Kun (strictly Kun Béla) between March 21 and August 6, and Bavaria from April 6 to May 3 (ish). The Bavarian Soviet Republic was mainly in Munich and not regarded as one of the greatest political experiments of all time. (War was declared on Switzerland because the Swiss wouldn't lend them 60 locomotives...) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Soviet_Republic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bavarian_Soviet_Republic Sep 27 09, 3:48 AM

author

Yes, but were the Hungarian and Bavarian Soviet Republics actually "states"? By the way: Béla Kun is "strictly" Kun Béla because the Hungarians always mention the surname before the first name. Sep 27 09, 8:49 PM

author

If these entities were "states", one might also mention the Slovak Soviet Republic (a little later in 1919). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovak_Soviet_Republic Sep 27 09, 8:57 PM

Baloo55th

I'd count them as states. Certainly Hungary was - formerly part of the Dual Monarchy rather like England and Scotland were from James I and VI to the Act of Union. This is the reason for the K und K bit - Imperial and Royal. Austria was an Empire, Hungary a Kingdom. Worth noting that while what is now the Czech Republic (Bohemia and Moravia) was in Austria, Slovakia was in Hungary until the breakup. Like Austria, Hungary was BIG. The personal union of the two crowns ended in 1918 - so Hungary was a totally separate state in 1919. Bavaria was part of the German Empire, then on the exit of the Kaiser a part of the Weimar Republic. Bavaria maintained several independent features, including its own army. After the monarchy ended, it became the Freistaat Bayern - the Free State of Bavaria. There were distinct possibilities that complete independence could be declared. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Bavaria et al Sep 28 09, 4:26 AM