Thinking about feasible paths to communism, and based on extensive reading, every great attempt at proletarian revolution tends to follow a specific course. Here's my thinking at the moment. I'd welcome criticism, but if we agree that communism must be global in order to be successful, since the thing that communism negates (capitalism) is itself a global mode of production, then:
Stage 1: a painful birth
1. Revolution breaks out in a territory.
2. Revolutionary forces succeed in overthrowing the ruling-class.
3. Counterrevolutionary forces attack the revolution, with support from external allies; dictatorship of the proletariat is necessary as an armed body of proletarian-revolutionary defence.
4. Military conflict between revolutionary forces and counterrevolution.
5. Counterrevolutionary forces are defeated militarily, but the revolutionary territory is left politically and economically isolated.
6. Revolutionary territory has to find some way to survive economically whilst also ensuring self-defensive capabilities.
Stage 2: stabilisation and progress
7. A feasible economic policy; impossible to establish full communism within the boundaries of some geographical zone, so instead some compromise policy must be implemented.
8. Realistically, markets and money will have to be retained if the revolutionary territory is not economically self-sufficient (e.g. on an island nation such as Britain). Commanding heights (energy, water, transport, banking) socialised, small/medium enterprises (restaurants, shops) function as co-ops, but participation in the world market can't be avoided, as long as imports (tea, coffee, sugar, tobacco) are needed.
9. The entire revolutionary territory is mobilised for world revolution - combination of military conflict with capitalist powers and strategic support to communists elsewhere.
Stage 3: after the victory of world revolution
10. If world revolution succeeds, then nation-states/governments are replaced by the worldwide dictatorship of the proletariat.
11. The world proletariat, unified politically and economically, embarks on the global abolition of capitalism, and the global construction of communism.
12. Dictatorship of the proletariat disappears as capitalist social relations are replaced by communism, money and markets are abolished.