Who Were The Bolsheviks

The Bolsheviks were a political party in Russia during the early 1900s that sought to bring about a socialist revolution and later founded the Soviet Union. Founded by Vladimir Lenin, a Russian revolutionary, and other Marxist-Leninist intellectuals, the Bolsheviks followed the teachings of Karl Marx and sought to overthrow the existing capitalist government.

During the Russian Revolution of 1905-1907, the Bolsheviks gained control of a large number of trade unions, workers’ councils, and socialist political parties, allowing them to challenge the Tsar’s government for power. In the wake of their unsuccessful attempt to take power during the Revolution, the Bolsheviks were outlawed and many of their leaders exiled from Russia. The party, however, continued its activities from abroad, often using Finland and Switzerland as bases.

In April 1917, the Bolsheviks, who had become a major political force in Russia, successfully seized control of Petrograd and subsequently declared a Bolshevik government. During the Russian Civil War, the Bolsheviks, now known as the Communist Party, fought against the White forces and their allies for control of Russia. In 1922, the Bolsheviks were victorious and the Soviet Union was established, a communist state ruled by Lenin and the Bolshevik Party.

The Bolsheviks’ vision of a utopian Marxist-Leninist future did not last. After Lenin’s death, Joseph Stalin rose to power and adopted many of his own policies, like state terror and gulags, that crushed much of the Soviet population. Although the Bolsheviks’ original dreams of a utopia never came to fruition, the party nonetheless succeeded in establishing a communist government that lasted until the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.