Comrade

From Free net encyclopedia

Comrade is a term meaning friend, colleague, or ally. The term originally carried a strong military connotation, and referred to a roommate.

Political use

The term "comrade" (and its equivalent in other languages) is widely used to mean "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. King Louis XVI, for instance, was addressed 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 Bolsheviks. The use of "comrade" soon became widespread among Communists worldwide (much more so than among socialists who were not supporters of the Communist International).

During the Russian Civil War, the Czarist White Russians 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 variety, and the Soviet Union. The term can be affixed to titles to add a Soviet flavour (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 stereotypes on television and in films. 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' or 'Comrade General' etc.

In other languages

• The Arabic word رفيق (Rafiq) (meaning friend) is used with the same political connotation as comrade. The term is used both amongst Arab communists as well as within the Baath movement. The term predates modern political usage, and is an Islamic male proper name. Iranian communists also use the exact term.

• In Chinese, the translation of comrade is "同志" (pinyin: tóng zhì), lit. meaning "(people with) the same spirit, goal, ambition, etc." It was in widespread use in mainland China after the People's Republic of China was founded. 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. However, lately "同志" is often used informally as a synonym for homosexual. It began when the media in Hong Kong addressed gay men as 同志, and eventually extended to the lesbian and the bisexual communties as well.

• The Dutch word is "kameraad". And although it can be used to refer to communists or an aquaintance, it is rarely (if ever) used.

• The German word for Comrade is Genosse amongst Communists and Social Democrats. Alternatively, textbooks suggest Kamerad.

• In Spain, the word is compañero / compañera ("companion"); the term camarada ("companion", "friend") has also been used, but much less widely. 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. Camarada is more associated with the communist tradition.

• The Swedish word is kamrat. Although it can be associated with communist lingo it may just as well be used to refer to a friend, a co-worker or a schoolmate.

• The old Turkish word Yoldas (literally co-traveller) has become used within the communist movement. In the climate of harsh anticommunist repression the word largely disappeared from common usage.

• In the United Kingdom, the term "comrade" is still used as a form of address among some Labour Party members, although it is much less common than formerly.

• In the United States, the word "comrade" carries a very strong connotation of being associated with communism, Marxism-Leninism, and all the Soviet Union in general. Especially during the Cold War, to address someone as "comrade" marked either the speaker, person addressed, or both as suspected communist sympathizers. It is still used in its generic context by some American socialists, even strong anti-communists. It latterly is frequently used with humourous intent.de:Genosse

es:Camarada fr:Camarade io:Kamarado pt:Camarada fi:Toveri sv:Kamrat zh:同志