Same in France. I suppose it’s Trotskist-specific rather than country-specific. An old joke :
What are two Trotskits? A party.
What are three Trotskists? A splinter.
It can still be used as a descriptive noun that way and even be somewhat free of the communist undertone. It is when it is used as an adjective (“Comrade Zoe”) or a form of address (like you might use “sir” when you do not know his name) that it sounds like a communist thing.
Where’s Chumpsky when you need him?
It’s still used in South Africa, by the SACP stalwarts but also more generally by the ANC and the trade unionists. It gets used a lot in Parliament and political speeches, and generally just signifies that the person you’re addressing was on the right side of the struggle against apartheid.
Or even that they weren’t, it gets used sarcastically sometimes as well.
It’s been my impression, and I offer this subject to correction by Terr or other Russopone with more hands-on knowledge, that in the period before 1917 outside Revolutionary circles in Russia and Ukraine, tovarishch was used, both in 2nd person address and 3rd person conversation, much like mate is in Australian and British colloquial English – “coworker” or “fellow laborer” with a strong working-class connotation implied.
Also it’s wise not to forget that, although Russian has a healthy supply of “prenominal honorifics”, it does not as a rule expect the local equivalent of Herr/Signore/Señor/Mister/Monsieur/Kyrios – in the absence of a professional or noble title. the completely proper correct form of address is given name plus patronymic, even a small child addressing a respected adult.
It’s not a de rigeur form of address, although I hear it in speeches at congresses and the like. It does get used informally every so often as well. But yeah, it’s used.
Anecdote != data, I know, but as a Trotskyist of 20 years standing I like to think I do have some grasp of the situation.
The Communist Workers Party headquarters here in Atlanta was just over a mile from my place. They’ve closed up shop here in the last year. Don’t know if they’ve moved to cheaper digs, somebody’s garage. Or if they’ve all just realized how silly they look.
Much the same in Germany, not only in Communist parties but also in the Social Democratic party (SPD), Genosse/Genossin replacing the usual honorifics Herr/Frau in reference, when addressing members in writing and when formally addressing members orally. But not in unions (as the postwar unions are nonpartisan); unions use Kollege/Kollegin in place of Herr/Frau.
Another form of address is experimented on by the Pirate Party: in addresses to meeting and with generic antecedents members are often called Eichhörnchen (squirrels) as that noun is neuter and thus avoids gender-war baggage.
My brief exposure to overly-socialist labour union politics in Canada - they seemed to delight in calling each other “brother”. Combine that with my catholic education, and my observation was that those who expect to be called “father” are not your father, and those that expect to be called “brother” are not your brothers. I suppose the same logic can be extended to comerades.
Cool story, bro.
Well, the British Labour party, which has always been severely anti-marxist, particularly the Old Labourites, who had personal experiences with communists — more so than the conservatives — still sings ‘The Red Flag’ as a party anthem.
Probably goes back to the Second International.
True inasmuch as it goes. However, there’s reasonably good evidence the word came to be used in a semi-military context due to an actual band of soldiers who called themselves the Tovarisch.
You post that without a cite? Really? :dubious: