Mensheviks

Quick Facts: Who was Mensheviks?

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Mensheviks

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A moderate Marxist faction that split from the Bolsheviks over party structure and revolutionary strategy.

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Origins & Early Life

The Mensheviks were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903. Mensheviks held more moderate and reformist views as compared to the Bolsheviks, and were led by figures including Julius Martov and Pavel Axelrod. The initial point of disagreement was the Mensheviks' support for a broad party membership, as opposed to Lenin's support for a smaller party of professional revolutionaries. The Bolsheviks gained a majority on the Central Committee in 1903, although the power of the two factions fluctuated in the following years. Mensheviks were associated with Georgi Plekhanov's position that a bourgeois-democratic revolution and period of capitalism would need to occur before the conditions for a socialist revolution emerged.

Career & Major Achievements

Some Mensheviks, notably Alexander Potresov, called for the party to suspend illegal revolutionary work to focus more on trade union work (legal since 1906) and elections to the Duma; this was condemned by Lenin. In 1912, the RSDLP formally split into Bolshevik and Menshevik parties. At the 2nd Congress of the RSDLP in August 1903, Julius Martov and Vladimir Lenin disagreed, firstly, with regard to which persons should be in the editorial committee of Iskra, the Party newspaper; secondly, in regards to the definition of a "party member" in the future Party statute: Lenin's formulation required the party member to be a member of one of the Party's organizations Martov's only stated that he should work under the guidance of a Party organization. Although the difference in definitions was small, with Lenin's being more exclusive, it was indicative of what became an essential difference between the philosophies of the two emerging factions: Lenin argued for a small party of professional revolutionaries with a large fringe of non-party sympathizers and supporters, whereas Martov believed it was better to have a large party of activists with broad representation. Martov's proposal was accepted by the majority of the delegates (28 votes to 23).

Enduring Legacy & Impact

However, after seven delegates stormed out of the Congress—five of whom were representatives of the Jewish Bund who left in protest about their own federalist proposal being defeated—Lenin's supporters won a slight majority, which was reflected in the composition of the Central Committee and the other central party organs elected at the Congress. This was also the reason behind the naming of the factions. It was later hypothesized that Lenin had purposely offended some of the delegates in order to have them leave the meeting in protest, giving him a majority. However, Bolsheviks and Mensheviks were united in voting against the Bundist proposal, which lost 41 to 5. Despite the outcome of the Congress, the following years saw the Mensheviks gathering considerable support among regular social democrats and effectively building up a parallel party organization.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1903: 1903 Milestone — The Mensheviks were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903.
2. 1906: 1906 Milestone — Some Mensheviks, notably Alexander Potresov, called for the party to suspend illegal revolutionary work to focus more on trade union work (legal since 1906) and elections to the Duma; this was condemned by Lenin.
3. 1912: 1912 Milestone — In 1912, the RSDLP formally split into Bolshevik and Menshevik parties.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Mensheviks

True or False: “The Mensheviks always advocated for immediate socialist revolution without a preceding bourgeois-democratic stage.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Mensheviks generally supported Georgi Plekhanov's view that a bourgeois-democratic revolution and period of capitalism must occur before socialism could be achieved.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Mensheviks