I'm actually familiar with a great many of the communist sub-ideologies. I mentioned the Leninist Vanguard for two reasons: One, because it is actually a VERY common theme, albeit in slightly different and sometimes hidden forms in basically ALL versions and flavors of communism. And two, because I consider it to be one of the most accessible and honestly-defined flavors of this theme.

If instead you're suggesting that Leninism/Bolshevism is somehow completely apart from communism, I think that's incredibly disingenuous.

> I'm actually familiar with a great many of the communist sub-ideologies.

You're really really not.

> One, because it is actually a VERY common theme, albeit in slightly different and sometimes hidden forms in basically ALL versions and flavors of communism

This isn't even remotely true. Not in social democracy, not in democratic socialism, market socialism, Titoism, mutualism and especially not in anarcho-communism, the most popular form of anarchsim globally. Half of these aren't even Marxist let alone "Bolshevik" or "Leninism."

> If instead you're suggesting that Leninism/Bolshevism is somehow completely apart from communism, I think that's incredibly disingenuous.

I think you're just really ignorant about this topic.

Thank you. This is a great opportunity to learn how that theme applies to basically all versions of Orthodox Marxist Communism, Libertarian Marxism, Austro-Marxism, Left communism, Ultra-leftism, Autonomism, Western Marxism, Eurocommunism, Luxemburgism, Council communism, De Leonism, Situationism, Impossibilism, Marxist feminism, Marxist humanism, Primitive communism, Anarcho-communism, and Communist Bundism, It would seem you have your work cut out for you.

Was there a flavor of communism that didn't go way south? Perhaps a true scotsman?

IMO, no. And the reason for that is exactly the one best summarized with that Leninist position.

Any practical attempt to enact or enforce communism necessarily falls back on that central precept coupled with authoritarianism.

Sure, there are plenty of naive, academic flavors of communism. (I even almost mentioned some of them because I had a feeling that's where some of the replies to my comments were going.) ...But I can essentially guarantee that they all suffer from that same fundamental flaw if you were to actually try to implement them.

Are you genuinely asking? There are dozens of flavors of communism and you are free to pursue their histories and determine their conclusions.