people's army
Revolutionary armed civilians
A people's army is a military force that claims to represent ordinary citizens rather than a ruling elite or colonial power.
The term appears frequently in revolutionary and communist contexts, where it suggests the armed wing of a popular movement: The People's Liberation Army, The Viet Cong styled itself a people's army.
The phrase carries ideological weight—implying legitimacy through mass support rather than state authority.
Collective ownership system
- socialismCommunal economic control
- MaoismPeasant-centered communist doctrine
- Marxism-LeninismState-led revolutionary socialism
- collectivismGroup primacy doctrine
egalitarianism · proletariat · class struggle · solidarity · liberation · anti-imperialism · revolutionary theory · vanguard
Unpaid willing workers
- conscriptsCompulsory military personnel
- militiaNon-professional armed force
- enlisteesVoluntary military joiners
- civiliansNon-military population
levy · recruitment · mass mobilization · reserve forces · home guard · civil defense · national service · rallying
Vietnamese communist guerrilla force
- SandinistasNicaraguan revolutionary political party
- FARCColombian Marxist insurgency
- Khmer RougeCambodian communist movement
Irregular combatants, unconventional warfare
- partisansStaunch factional supporters
- insurgentsThose fighting established authority
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- rebelsArmed opposition fighters
irregulars · paramilitary · uprising · liberation front · underground · sabotage · ambush · jungle warfare
communism
Collective ownership system
- socialismCommunal economic control
- MaoismPeasant-centered communist doctrine
- Marxism-LeninismState-led revolutionary socialism
collectivism · egalitarianism · proletariat · class struggle · solidarity · liberation · anti-imperialism · revolutionary theory · vanguard · political education
volunteers
Unpaid willing workers
- conscriptsCompulsory military personnel
- militiaNon-professional armed force
- enlisteesVoluntary military joiners
civilians · levy · recruitment · mass mobilization · reserve forces · home guard · civil defense · national service · rallying · draft
Viet Cong
Vietnamese communist guerrilla force
- SandinistasNicaraguan revolutionary political party
- FARCColombian Marxist insurgency
- Khmer RougeCambodian communist movement
guerrillas
Irregular combatants, unconventional warfare
- partisansStaunch factional supporters
- insurgentsThose fighting established authority
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
rebels · irregulars · paramilitary · uprising · liberation front · underground · sabotage · ambush · jungle warfare · mountain warfare
infantry
Ground combat troops
division · platoon · squad · troops · soldiers · combatants · commanders · tactics · strategy · maneuvers
- Communist governanceCommunist Party, Politburo, Central Committee, one-party rule, single-party state
people's armyprofessional army
Paid, trained military force
standing army · conscript army · special forces · officer corps · military caste
people, army, person, persons, peoples, peopled, peopling, armies, arms