Evolution of Russian SRs SDs Trade Unions
Revolutionary Groups Successes: Successes:
Georgia Plekhanov’s Emancipation After beginnings of economic economy from
of Labour grew in late 1890s 1911, skilled labour more bargaining power
1898, First Congress of the Russian in market place, new round of strikes ensued
Social Democratic Worker’s Party
held in Minsk
Second Party Congress in Brussels in Demonstrated state's failure to pacify
1903, 51 voting delegates working-class in 1905
Failures: Failures:
Only 9 delegates present at first 497 Trade Unions closed down + 604 denied
congress registration between 1906 and 1910
Congress broken up by Okhrana
agents who arrested two of the
newly elected committee 1907 economic depression, rise in
Divisions within party, Bolsheviks vs unemployment + political crackdown
Mensheviks reduced any opportunity for union action
By 1906, divisions so great that
were effectively two separate SDs Mainly confined to St Petersburg +
Plekhanov abandoned Bolsheviks,
Trotsky left Mensheviks in surrounding area with 3/4 strikes, 50% metal
September 1904 over insistence trades (geographically limited)
with alliance with Russian Liberals
Trotsky clashed several time with Only 12% enterprises experienced strike,
Lenin over ‘non-factional social General Strike in St Petersburg in first half of
democrat’ views July 1914 only removed a quarter of the
manufacturing labour force
, Liberalism 1881-1904 Marxism in Russia Bolshevik + Menshevik conceptions within the party
Marxist groups emerged in 1880s and 1890s
Early members mix of former populists +
young intellectuals attracted to Marx’s
knowledge + ideas
Saw that Russia would soon look like what
Marx described (new-found wealth for
industrialists) – 1890s witnessed it via The
Great Spurt
Plekhanov early Marxist, founded
Emancipation of Labour movement in 1883
(Russia’s first openly Marxist group), done in
exile in Switzerland + literature had to be
smuggled into Russia
Support of Marxism grew during great spurt of
1890s, first among students/intellectuals but
then slowly among workers
Despite spread, vast majority of Russians did
not know of Marx, his theory looked
overwhelmingly to workers + Russia still
peasant society (80% pop)
1898 Social Democratic Party founded, Lenin
soon joined (real name Vladimir Ulyanov)
1903 SDP split into two parties over
differences in opinion over the nature and
work of the party:
Mensheviks (means minority): one of its
leaders was Julius Martov
Bolsheviks (means majority): led by Lenin
Until spring of 1917, Mensheviks larger party
Revolutionary Groups Successes: Successes:
Georgia Plekhanov’s Emancipation After beginnings of economic economy from
of Labour grew in late 1890s 1911, skilled labour more bargaining power
1898, First Congress of the Russian in market place, new round of strikes ensued
Social Democratic Worker’s Party
held in Minsk
Second Party Congress in Brussels in Demonstrated state's failure to pacify
1903, 51 voting delegates working-class in 1905
Failures: Failures:
Only 9 delegates present at first 497 Trade Unions closed down + 604 denied
congress registration between 1906 and 1910
Congress broken up by Okhrana
agents who arrested two of the
newly elected committee 1907 economic depression, rise in
Divisions within party, Bolsheviks vs unemployment + political crackdown
Mensheviks reduced any opportunity for union action
By 1906, divisions so great that
were effectively two separate SDs Mainly confined to St Petersburg +
Plekhanov abandoned Bolsheviks,
Trotsky left Mensheviks in surrounding area with 3/4 strikes, 50% metal
September 1904 over insistence trades (geographically limited)
with alliance with Russian Liberals
Trotsky clashed several time with Only 12% enterprises experienced strike,
Lenin over ‘non-factional social General Strike in St Petersburg in first half of
democrat’ views July 1914 only removed a quarter of the
manufacturing labour force
, Liberalism 1881-1904 Marxism in Russia Bolshevik + Menshevik conceptions within the party
Marxist groups emerged in 1880s and 1890s
Early members mix of former populists +
young intellectuals attracted to Marx’s
knowledge + ideas
Saw that Russia would soon look like what
Marx described (new-found wealth for
industrialists) – 1890s witnessed it via The
Great Spurt
Plekhanov early Marxist, founded
Emancipation of Labour movement in 1883
(Russia’s first openly Marxist group), done in
exile in Switzerland + literature had to be
smuggled into Russia
Support of Marxism grew during great spurt of
1890s, first among students/intellectuals but
then slowly among workers
Despite spread, vast majority of Russians did
not know of Marx, his theory looked
overwhelmingly to workers + Russia still
peasant society (80% pop)
1898 Social Democratic Party founded, Lenin
soon joined (real name Vladimir Ulyanov)
1903 SDP split into two parties over
differences in opinion over the nature and
work of the party:
Mensheviks (means minority): one of its
leaders was Julius Martov
Bolsheviks (means majority): led by Lenin
Until spring of 1917, Mensheviks larger party
