Communism

The flag of Bachuan, symbolizing the struggle between wealthy nobles (the dragon) and the lower classes (the tiger).

Communism is a secular political philosophy practiced primarily in the nation of Bachuan in Tian Xia.

In Bachuan

First instituted by the peasant-philosopher Grandfather Pei, the tenets of communism center on the equality and comradeship of all humanoids and the struggle between social classes. Following Grandfather Pei's teachings, an army of farmers, miners, and fisherfolk took up arms against their callous imperial rulers and the corrupt priests who helped prop them up. Under the communist government established following the revolution and headed by Pei, all people of Bachuan were declared equal, religion was outlawed, the state assumed communal ownership of all property, and all citizens were expected to share equally in labor and the rewards thereof.

In practice, the utopian promise of communism proved harder to implement, with growing autocracy, reeducation camps, and ideological purges marking the last years of Pei's life. Most blamed his young and extremely zealous wife Pu Yae Men, better known as Grandmother Pei, for the shift away from her late husband's teachings. Today, Bachuan's government is a perpetrator of frequent state violence and seeks to spread Grandmother's vision of communism throughout Tian Xia, by the sword if necessary.

Elsewhere on Golarion

Kobolds practice a primitive form of proto-communism in which all members of the tribe work and share resources equally. Individual kobolds might have some personal possessions, but anything too large to carry is usually property of the tribe as a whole.

The walled Korvosan holding of Abken in Varisia is an egalitarian commune, with all citizens treated as a family and its taxes occasionally paid to Korvosan Guards in quality foods, cabble-weed, and flayleaf. The enclave's population, regardless of age or role, also takes up arms in its defense when threatened but is generally friendly toward outsiders.

On other worlds

The nation of Russia on the planet Earth underwent a revolution in 4712 AR, becoming a communist republic.