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Bolshevik
Literally, "majoritarian." The Bolsheviks were the group within the Social Democrats who supported Lenin's call for a party of professional revolutionaries. They orchestrated a takeover of the government during the Russian Revolution, and, calling themselves the Communist Party, came into total power. -
Bourgeoisie
"Bourgeois" is an adjective meaning "middle-class," and its noun form is "bourgeoisie." Marxists used these terms to denote the ruling class of the 19th century who exploited the proletariat. -
Communist Party
The name adopted by the Bolsheviks when they took power. As the Communist Party, they would rule the Soviet Union for seventy years. -
Kulaks
"Kulak" was a term devised by Lenin to describe the "wealthy" peasantry (though no real class divides existed within the peasantry). During the Red Terror, those unfortunate enough to be labeled "kulaks" had their property confiscated; when they resisted, they were killed in great numbers. -
Marxism
The revolutionary ideology upheld by Lenin and his fellow Bolsheviks. It predicted, "scientifically," the overthrow of capitalism, the abolition of private property, and rule by the working class, or proletariat. -
Menshevik
"Menshevik" means literally, "a member of the minority." The Mensheviks were the Social Democrats who, under the leadership of Martov, opposed Lenin after the 1902 split in their party. -
Politburo
Originally, Lenin's inner circle in the 1920s. Later, it referred simply to the chief leaders of the U.S.S.R. -
Proletariat
In Marxist ideology, the working class, whose revolt against their bourgeois masters would usher in a classless society. -
Provisional Government
The government that formed after Nicholas II's abdication, in March 1917. Led by Alexander Kerensky, it called for free elections and the creation of a Constituent Assembly to govern Russia, but it was overthrown by the Bolsheviks in November 1917. -
Russian Social Democratic Labour Party
Founded in 1898 as the first Marxist party in Russia, it eventually split into Menshevik and Bolshevik factions. -
Russia
A vast trans-continental nation and empire at Lenin's birth, it was theoretically subsumed into the Soviet Union along with the other constituent republics, but in practice dominated the U.S.S.R. politically. -
Siberia
The vast, frosty region, covering all of northeast Russia, where political prisoners were sent, both under the Tsars and under the Bolsheviks -
Soviet Union
Literally, a "soviet" referred a worker's council, like the Petrograd Soviet during the Revolution. The U.S.S.R. was the name that the Bolsheviks gave to their newly organized nation in 1922. It lasted until 1991. -
Tsar
A word derived from "Caesar." The Tsars were the Emperors of Russia before the Revolution. -
Red Terror
This term was given to a campaign led during Russia's civil war, and was aimed at "counter-revolutionaries," usually found among the civilian population. It resulted in large-scale killings and the establishment of a system of concentration camps to hold political prisoners. -
Civil War
The period from 1918 to 1920, when the Bolsheviks, or "Reds," fought for control of Russia with the "Whites," a loose collection of armies united only by their opposition to Lenin and his comrades. Foreign armies from Britain, France, and America also intervened in the conflict on the side of the Whites, but the disunity and poor leadership of their enemies, as well as Trotsky's military genius, enabled the Bolsheviks to triumph. -
New Economic Policy
Pursued by the Soviet Union from 1921 to 1927, this policy allowed the market economy to operate in rural areas. Lenin established the policy after the economic collapse and famine of 1921. -
1905 Revolution
The unrest that plagued Russia in 1905, following its defeat in the Russo- Japanese War and the massacre of protestors known as "Bloody Sunday." It forced Nicholas II to issue the "October Manifesto," in which he pledged to create an elected body, or "Duma," to assist him in governing Russia. -
Russian Revolution
This refers specifically to the events of 1917, when the Tsar's government fell, and the Bolsheviks came to power in Russia. Used more generally, it can describe the entire chaotic period from 1917 to 1920, including the years of civil war. -
World War I
This conflict (1914-1918) pitted Russia, Britain, and France (and eventually the U.S.) against Germany and Austro-Hungary. (See the SparkNote on World War I.) It was the stresses of World War I that led to the fall of Nicholas II's government in March 1917, and the coming of the Revolution.