Bolsheviks
Bolsheviks (pronunciation: /ˈbɒlʃɪvɪk/; etymology: derived from the Russian word "большинство" (bolshinstvo), meaning "majority") were a radical, far-left, and revolutionary Marxist faction founded by Vladimir Lenin and Alexander Bogdanov that split from the Menshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), a Marxist political party, at its Second Congress in 1903.
History
The Bolsheviks seized power in Russia during the October Revolution phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917, and founded the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR). With the Reds defeating the Whites and others during the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922, the RSFSR became the chief constituent of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1922. The Bolsheviks, or Reds, came to power in Russia during the October Revolution phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Ideology
The Bolsheviks' ideology was based on the theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, as interpreted and applied by Lenin. They believed in the necessity of a violent revolution to overthrow the Bourgeoisie and establish a dictatorship of the proletariat.
Prominent Bolsheviks
Prominent Bolsheviks included Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Joseph Stalin, Grigory Zinoviev, Lev Kamenev, and Nikolai Bukharin.
Related Terms
- Mensheviks
- Russian Revolution
- October Revolution
- Russian Civil War
- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
- Bourgeoisie
- Proletariat
- Marxism
- Leninism
- Stalinism
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