Communism in Peru

Communism in Peru was represented by far-left-oriented organizations that refer to themselves as communist (comunista) parties, movements, organizations, groups, etc.

Peruvian Communist Party
The oldest communist party in Peru is the Peruvian Communist Party (Partido Comunista Peruano), founded in 1928 by José Carlos Mariátegui, under the name Socialist Party of Peru (Partido Socialista del Perú). In 1930, the name was changed to Peruvian Communist Party. Jorge Del Prado was the party's General Secretary between 1966 and 1991.

The General Secretary is Roberto de la Cruz. The main political base of PCP-Unidad is located at Plaza Ramón Castilla, Lima and is led by Renán Raffo Muñoz. PCP publishes Unidad ("Unity") and Nuestra Bandera ("Our Flag").

Partido Comunista del Perú – Patria Roja
Another party that also considers itself the Communist Party of Peru is the Partido Comunista del Perú – Patria Roja. It was founded in 1970, and as of 2006 was headed by Alberto Moreno. It descends from the mainstream faction of PCP-Bandera Roja, which, in turn, originated as a Maoist faction within the Partido Comunista Peruano.

Partido Comunista Peruano
Both PCP-Bandera Roja and PCP-Unidad are named after their traditional press organs. The name "PCP-Unidad" is an informal designation; the official name of the PCP-Unidad is simply "Partido Comunista Peruano".

PCP-Mayoría
PCP-Mayoría operated around 1980: its members considered that PCP-Unidad had taken a Eurocommunist turn, while they themselves preferred a more hard-line Soviet stance.

Others
A few other groups consider themselves to the Communist Party of Peru. The best known is the one known as the "Shining Path" (a name that the group does not use). This armed group, regarded by the Peruvian state as a terrorist organization, is an offshoot of PCP-Bandera Roja, which split from it in the early 1970s. The "Shining Path" considers PCP-Patria Roja and PCP-Unidad to be revisionist; it assassinated several of their militants and elected officials.

Political parties that have used the name
The Peruvian Communist Party was founded with the name Peruvian Socialist Party (Partido Socialista del Perú) by José Carlos Mariátegui, and is considered the first communist party in Peru.

A number of political parties claim the name and legacy of the original party:
 * Communist Party of Peru (Marxist–Leninist)
 * Communist Party of Peru – Red Fatherland
 * Communist Party – Red Star
 * Communist Party of Peru – Shining Path
 * Peruvian Communist Party – Red Flag
 * Proletarian Party of Peru
 * Revolutionary Communist Party – Red Trench
 * Revolutionary Communist Party (Working Class)
 * Revolutionary Socialist Party (Marxist–Leninist)
 * Revolutionary Vanguard (Communist Proletarian)
 * Revolutionary Workers' Party (Peru)
 * Worker Peasant Student and Popular Front
 * Workers' Revolutionary Party (Peru)

The United Left movement was a loose alliance of several of these leftist parties that gained a strong political presence in the 1980s.