Nepal: What exactly does "Maoist" mean, nowadays, outside China?

[BrainGlutton]

@cuauhtemoc

How about that Shining Path anyway? Speaking of Maoism outside China?

Prettty much gone, but an extra-militant faction called Proseguir is still hanging on. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shining_path#21st_Century

[Acsenray]

@Paul in Saudi

In addition, ‘Maoist’ means a ‘Party of the Masses,’ while ‘Marxism-Leninism’ means a ‘Vanguard Party.’ Meaningless? Certainly, Tens of thousands have been killed over this sort of obscure difference.

It’s interesting that West Bengal has a “Communist Party of India (Marxist)” (the party in power), a “Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist),” a “Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists,” a “Communist Revolutionary League of India,” a “Communist Workers Party (India),” and a “Marxist Forward Bloc.”

I suppose the pure Marxists are economic theorists, but the Marxist-Leninists believe in active political goals. Which makes it odd that the CPIM is the party in power.