The influence of Marxism and the development of the Social Democratic Workers' Party

What helped make Marxist theories more attractive to Russian intellectuals in the late 1890s?

The industrial ‘take-off’ during that period.

Who led the Emancipation of labour group, and what was its signfigance?

Georgi Plekhanov led the group, which grew by attracting those interested in Marxist ideas, despite Plekhanov’s exile from 1880 to 1917.

When was the Social Democratic Workers’ Party formed, and what was its basis?

Formed in 1898, it was an amalgam of various Marxist groups.

What significant event took place at the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Workers’ Party in 1898?

The congress launched the new party, elected a three-man Central Committee, and produced a manifesto.

What was the main message of the manifesto produced at the First Congress of the Russian SD Party?

It asserted the exploitation of the working class by their masters and the necessity of class struggle.

Who was Vladmir Ilyich Ulyanov, and what was his role in the Social Democratic Workers’ Party?

Also known as Lenin, he became prominent figure in the development of the party after being converted to Marxism in 1887.

What were the main points of contention at the Second Party Congress in 1903?

Whether to form a strong, disciplined organization of professional revolutionaries (Lenin’s view) or a broad party with a mass working-class membership (Martov’s view).

How did Lenin and Martov’s supporters became known after the Second Party Congress?

Lenin’s supporters were called Bolsheviks (majority) and Martov’s supporters were called Mensheviks (minority), despite actual numbers. The party split into two in 1906.

How did Trotsky’s stance evolve between 1904 and 1917 regarding the SD party factions?

Initially a Menshevik, he later described himself as a ‘non-factional social democrat’ and tried to reconcile different groups, eventually conceding that Lenin was right about party organization.

Mensheviks

• Awaited the bourgeois revolution that they believed had to precede he proletarian revolution.

• Believed the impetus had to come from the workers themselves.

• Insisted that membership should be open to all and the party should work through the trade unions and other workers’ organisation to raise workers’ consciousness.

• Wanted to follow democratic procedures and feared that approach of the Bolshevik’s lead to dictatorship.

Bolsheviks

• Suggested the bourgeois and proletarian revolution could occur simultaneously.

• Felt that the party’s job was to educate the workers to lead them through the revolution.

• Believed that membership should be restricted and that members should work within small cells that could escape police notice.

• Favoured control in the hands of a Central Committee.