Parties setting the task of liberating the proletariatfrom the exploitation of parasitic classes, traditionally from the end of the XIX century were called Social Democratic. Moreover, the ideological basis of these organizations was Marxism of the most revolutionary sense. The decoding of the RSDLP includes the Socdeck formula, but during its early development the party platform was much more diverse than traditional Marxism. She allowed to maneuver in a wide range, from legal and legitimate forms of struggle to terrorism. There were both disadvantages and merits of the young party of Russian Social Democrats.
Creation of the RSDLP
At the end of 1895, the Union of Struggle forthe liberation of the working class ”, which is an association of Marxist circles in order to coordinate their work. Only three years later, on the basis of this organization, was it possible to work out a single party program and declare the emergence of a single party. The founders of the RSDLP were nine delegates of the “Union of Struggle” from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev and representatives of Bund (the Jewish workers' union). This event took place in early March 1898 in the city of Minsk.
Then the name arose.The decryption of the “RSDLP”, five letters, clearly spoke about the revolutionary essence of the organization, social democracy in the slang of the then politicians was synonymous with radical Marxism.
"Spark" and the first split cracks
Two more years passed, and the party from the declarationsmoved on to action. At the end of 1900, the first circulation of the Iskra newspaper, edited by Lenin (V. I. Ulyanov), was released, helped by Plekhanov, Martov, Zasulich, Axelrod and Potresov. In the course of the work of this press organ, serious contradictions in the approach to the methods of the coming class struggle were revealed. The essence of the conflict consisted in the attitude to the legal struggle and the compromises that were to be made in its process, as well as to the discipline. Comrades argued, sometimes hoarsely, they couldn’t come to a common denominator, the split was brewing, and it was initiated by Vladimir Ulyanov, then a rather young (thirty-year-old) man with a thin beard and a burning look. He insisted on the rapid, revolutionary overthrow of the foundations of the "old world", and he was intelligently objected to by old man Plekhanov, the patriarch of Russian Marxism.
The split and the emergence of Bolshevism
Russian Social Democratic Labor PartyFor seven years it has existed, carrying in itself some kind of dual principle, the Plekhanov-Leninist one. But nothing lasts forever. Conversations and discussions only deepened the contradictions, making them antagonistic, and at the II congress the question was put bluntly: who will make the revolution, the bourgeoisie or the proletariat? Who will be the hegemon class after it?
Lenin and his supporters voted fordictatorship of the working class, and won by typing the majority. As a result, the party split organizationally, there was a split, the decoding of the RSDLP remained the same, but depending on one of the two factions, the abbreviation was supplemented with the letter “b” or “m” in round brackets. Those who voted for proletarian hegemony at the Second Congress became the Bolsheviks, and the supporters of Plekhanov — on the contrary, the Mensheviks.
Minimum program and maximum program - two components of Russian Marxism
These organizational moments did not prevent to acceptgeneral program consisting of two parts (minimum and maximum). At the very least, what the Russian social organizations have agreed on is the destruction of the monarchic-landowner structure, the bourgeois revolution, the distribution of land to the peasants (free of charge) and the provision of eight-hour working days to the workers. And in the future loomed much more large-scale transformations, during which the proletarian was to become a dictator. This is the maximum that the Bolsheviks counted on. Further progress of social thought was not in their plans.
Seventh Congress - Rubicon
Завершили раскол между большевиками и Mensheviks third, fourth and fifth congresses of the RSDLP. The Bolsheviks completely expelled the Mensheviks from the party leadership by 1907. At this point, they were a disciplined, cohesive and very active detachment, including, inter alia, a military wing, capable of conducting underground work and owning means of propaganda. The Mensheviks could not boast of such assets, for which they paid later.
Social networks and war
The RSDLP Party experienced another internalconflict at the beginning of the World War. This time the conventional “front line” was more difficult, it divided the Bolsheviks into three main groups: internationalists, pacifists and patriots. To advocate for the defeat of their homeland, and in fact, to become its traitor, you need to have special personal qualities, it is not everyone can. Plekhanov did not succeed in crossing the line. Lenin did it.
Social Democratic Labor Party at that timeRussian could be called only on a territorial basis. The Bolshevik agitators made great efforts to convince the soldiers that they should not fight for their homeland, and they should fraternize with the enemy, killing their commanders. What is surprising is the softness shown by the “bloody royal regime” towards the traitors caught. In essence, the fate of the country of Lenin and his accomplices was of little interest, they raved about the world revolution, which, it seemed, was already close, but in fact did not come.
Why RCP (B) became the CPSU (b)
After the seizure of power in 1917 from the Bolsheviksserious disagreements arose with the social democratic movement, whose representatives in many countries adhered to less radical views, showing "precariousness". The positions of German, French and other European Social Democrats expressed their desire to use legal mechanisms, in extreme cases, combining them with underground work, and to achieve victory by moving their representatives to government through elections. Leninists were not satisfied with such a path, they understood that if the people were given the opportunity of free will, they would hardly have come to power, that is why they carried out a coup, overthrowing the Provisional Government (the fact of its dispersal is absurd, because it was created for the time before the elections).
Decryption RSDLP ceased to express the essencethe party, and not to be confused with other public associations, in 1918 it was renamed the All-Union Communist Party (All-Union Communist Party) with an indispensable letter (b) at the end so that doubts would not torment anyone. The first letter of the abbreviation before 1925 meant “All-Russian”, and after the formation of the USSR, the party became All-Union. As such, it remained until 1952, which marked the onset of mature Stalinist socialism. This year the next XIX Congress was held, at which the CPSU (b) was renamed the CPSU, without any small letters in parentheses. This was the last name of the Leninist party.
