The KKE was founded in 1918, as the mature product of the development of the labour movement in our country, and also under the impact of the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917 in Russia. It is the conscious, organized, vanguard section of the working class of Greece, which has the overthrow of capitalism and the construction of socialism-communism as its strategic goal.

The KKE is guided by the revolutionary worldview of Marxism-Leninism.
From the time of its foundation, the KKE has been faithful to the principle of proletarian internationalism. It defended the socialist construction in the USSR, in the other countries of Europe, Asia and in Cuba. It struggles for the regroupment of the International Communist Movement after the retreat and crisis it experienced and is still undergoing today, particularly after the victory of the counterrevolution in 1989-1991.

The KKE over its 95-year history demonstrated a solid commitment to the fundamental principles of a revolutionary workers' communist party: the recognition of the leading role of the working class in social development and of Marxist-Leninist ideology as revolutionary theory for revolutionary political activity. It never renounced the class struggle, the socialist revolution, the dictatorship of the proletariat.
From 1918 onwards the KKE has given a political content to the workers' struggles against the capitalist exploitation and paid the price with many deaths, tortures and persecutions.

It was at the forefront of the armed struggle against the occupation by the three powers (Germany, Italy and Bulgaria) through the Resistance of EAM-ELAS. On two occasions, in December of 1944 and in the three year struggle (1946-1949) of the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE), the labour movement, headed by the KKE, and the allied farmers' movement came into armed conflict with the bourgeois power, which was supported by the direct imperialist military intervention of Great Britain initially and later the of USA.

The KKE went through a long period of illegality until 1974. Thousands of its cadres, members and friends of the KKE were persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, exiled, or became political refugees in the hospitable socialist Democracies.
After the fall of the Junta, the KKE developed its political activity in the new conditions.

The deep historical roots of the KKE in the working class and people and its stable dedication to the fundamental principles of Marxism-Leninism, its struggle against opportunism explain why in previous crises - especially in those of 1968 and in the maelstrom of the victory of the counterrevolution in the Soviet Union and the states of socialist construction in Europe and Asia in 1991- it managed to safeguard its continuity.

The KKE has regrouped organizationally, ideologically and programmatically over the entire new period in its history, based on the five intervening Congresses since the crisis of 1991.

The KKE fought against the accession of Greece to NATO and the EEC. It took a position against the Treaty of Maastricht that transformed the EEC into the EU. It struggles against the anti-people policies of the EU and for the disengagement of Greece from the imperialist unions of the EU and NATO something that can be ensured by the workers’ and people’s power.

The KKE supports the activity of the All-workers’ Militant Front (PAME), as well as of the other anti-monopoly and anti-capitalist rallies in Greece, like the Nationwide Antimonopoly Rally of the Self-employed and the small Tradesmen (PASEVE), the All Farmers’ Militant Rally (PASY), the Students' Militant Front (MAS), the Greek Women’s Federation (OGE) and the Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE).

The Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) was created by the KKE at the side of the party, with a discrete organizational structure, which is the revolutionary organization of youth of the KKE and accepts its worldview, Marxism-Leninism, the Programme of the KKE, and promotes its strategy.

The KKE is represented in the national parliament with 12 MPs and in the European parliament with 2 MEPs. The KKE has over 500 municipal councillors and 41 councillors in the country’s regional councils.

At its recent 19th Congress, (April 2013) it adopted its new Programme which develops the overall strategy of the KKE for socialism and the basic duties of the class struggle.