The rise of the Bolsheviks

The Rise of the Bolsheviks

   The Bolsheviks were a wing of the Russian Social-Democratic Party, which was led by Lenin, and seized control of Russian government on October 1917. They ultimately became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.



Founding of the Bolsheviks

   The Bolsheviks were founded by Vladimir Lenin and Alexander Bogdanov. By 1905 the were a mass organization running under the democratic internal hierarchy and were governed by the principle of democratic centralism. They considered themselves to be the leaders of the revolutionary working class of Russia. The party was split in two, when  Lenin and Julius Martov disagreed over the membership rules. As Lenin wanted the party to be filled with revolutionary experts and Martov would like to have room for outsiders. he two had disagreed on the issue as early as March–May 1903, but it was not until the Congress that their differences became irreconcilable and split the party. One side Bolsheviks, other side Mensheviks. Martov's supported Organizing Committee of the Congress which Lenin opposed, these differences quickly grew and the split became irreparable.

the 1905 Revolution

The two Parties were in a state of flux in 1903-1904. the parties had many members switching sides.The two factions were in a state of flux in 1903–1904 with many members changing sides. Leon Trotsky, who would go on to be the second to Lenon in control, first supported the Mensheviks, but left them in September 1904. This was the start of the Bolsheviks revolution and they pushed for socialist revolution on the streets. On 7 November 1917, the Red Guards stormed the Winter Palace in Petrograd, thus ending the rule of the Provisional Government and leaving all political power to the Soviets. This event is known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. In December, the Bolsheviks signed an armistice with the Central Powers, this armistice didnt last long, as the fighting continued in February. A long and bloody Civil War ensued between the Reds (Supporters of the soviet union) and the Whites (supporters of the Tzar), starting in 1917 and ending in 1923 with the Reds victory.

Creation of the Union

On 28 December 1922, a conference of plenipotentiary delegations from the Russian SFSR, the Transcaucasian SFSR, the Ukrainian SSR and the Byelorussian SSR approved the Treaty of Creation of the USSR. These documents were confirmed by the 1st Congress of Soviets of the USSR and signed by the heads of the delegations of each republic.