The Russian Revolution moved the colonised peoples, for it demonstrated that it was possible both to overthrow a supposedly unshakable, almost divine power, and to build a society premised on the welfare of the masses at a time when most people struggled in poor living conditions. Its influence on sections of the intelligentsia of countries under the yoke of imperialism was undeniable. The propaganda of the Communist Party of India (CPI), inducing Indians to emulate the Soviet example, promised a future based on peace, equality and social justice. 

It was on this wave of idealism that communism came to India. Here it mingled with another stream – nationalism – sometimes supporting it, sometimes opposing it. India was then waking from a long slumber into a new consciousness of its pride and dignity… (Masani 1954, p. 19). 

Manoochehr Rustom Masani, author of these lines, was one of the outstanding figures of Indian socialism which, in seeking the Communist alliance, saw much of its force diminished. Attempting, however, an impartial analysis of the events that shook the West following the fall of the Tsarist Empire, Masani stressed that the Communist ideology promoted by Moscow attested the existence of a doctrine of liberation from foreign domination and the harmful consequences of the capitalist model. The extreme poverty of the majority of the population, despite the latent wealth of the Subcontinent, was striking. The writings of Karl Marx seemed to provide a real answer to Indian political, economic and social problems. The speech of the new leaders of the Kremlin, who declared their willingness to provide material assistance to the oppressed throughout the world, was – it is true – aimed at seducing colonised people in search of dignity.

The CPI long stood as the one authentic advocate for the most disadvantaged, even as this political group seemed undermined by internal disputes which no doubt reflected both ideological quarrels that ran through the Communist International as a whole, but also less lofty struggles between leaders to gain control of the Party. This article will return to the birth of the Indian Communist movement and its first steps in the country: a period when its leaders had great difficulty to analyse the role of the Indian bourgeoisie. Then, came the split in 1964 of the CPI, whose two currents diverged in their assessment of the Sino-Indian territorial conflict and the Sino-Soviet ideological confrontation in which India was itself a bone of contention. Thus, this saw the foundation of the CPI (Marxist) which sought to implement a specifically Indian Communism, rejecting the armed path advocated by its leftmost fringe, from which it split in 1967. Most recently, the article will look at the experience of CPI(M) during its bruising period in power in West Bengal – which was ultimately a rather rough ride. Its reputation remains durably tainted, while its leaders in Bengal as well as at the Centre refuse to engage in genuine process of auto-criticism that could contribute to the regeneration of the Indian communist movement.