October 9, 2024 Russian Revolution Vocabulary Humanities 9
https://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/russianrev/terms/
April Theses
The ideas for Russia’s future that Vladimir Lenin expressed upon his return to Russia in April
1917. They were published in the newspaper Pravda on April 7. In short, Lenin called for the
overthrow of the provisional government and its replacement with a communist form of
government led by the working class. He believed that other countries would follow Russia’s
example.
Bolsheviks
A radical political party, led by Vladimir Lenin, that split from the Russian Social Democratic
Labor Party in 1903. The Bolshevik Party favored a closed party consisting of and run by
professional revolutionaries and supported the idea of a dictatorship that would accelerate the
transition to socialism. It placed an emphasis on the working class, from which it drew much of
its support.
Cadets
A political group (an acronym for Constitutional Democrats) that wanted to see Russia
established as a democratic republic governed by a constitution and an elected parliament. This
stance put the Cadets at sharp odds with the Bolsheviks, who favored a dictatorship of the
proletariat. The Cadets drew support primarily from professional workers and the bourgeois
class.
Constituent Assembly
An elected body of representatives from around Russia, created in November 1917, that was
meant to decide on the country’s governmental structure. When Nicholas II abdicated in
February 1917, the Provisional Government that took power made plans for the formation of this
Constituent Assembly in order to choose a more permanent government for Russia. After
Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks took power in the October Revolution, they initially allowed
elections for the assembly to go forward as scheduled but changed their minds after receiving
less than 25 percent of the vote in those elections.
Coalition Government/Cossacks
Dual Power
A term referring to the two governments that Russia had following the February Revolution—the
Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet.
Duma
The Russian legislature from 1905–1917. The term, an ancient Russian word referring to small
village councils that existed in early Russia, was resurrected when Tsar Nicholas II agreed to
allow the formation of a legislature after the uprising of 1905. Since the collapse of the Soviet
Union in 1991, the term has once more come into use, this time specifically referring to today’s
lower house of the Russian parliament.
Imperial Government
Mensheviks
A political group that, like the Bolsheviks, split from the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party.
The Mensheviks, less radical than the Bolsheviks, supported the idea of a socialistic party that
was open to all who wished to join and that would be ruled and organized in a democratic
manner.
Orthodox Church
Petrograd Soviet
A body that existed prior to the February Revolution as a sort of underground revolutionary labor
union for workers and soldiers in the Petrograd area, containing members of a number of
different political parties. During the February Revolution, members of the Petrograd Soviet saw
an opportunity and declared themselves to be the government of Russia. However, they quickly
found themselves competing with the Provisional Government.
Provisional Government
A government that members of the Duma formed following the February Revolution. The
provisional government was meant to be temporary and would rule Russia only until the
Constituent Assembly decided on a permanent government later.
Revolution
Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP)
A party that formed in 1898 and was among Russia’s earliest revolutionary movements, though
by no means the first. In 1903, the RSDLP split into two factions, the Mensheviks and the
Bolsheviks.
Serf
Socialist Revolutionary Party (SRs)
A Russian political party during the revolutionary years that was more moderate than the
Bolsheviks but less so than the Mensheviks. The SRs drew their support primarily from the
peasantry and thus had a much larger base than the other parties in Russia. Before and during the
October Revolution, the SRs were probably the Bolsheviks’ closest allies among Russia’s many
political movements. After the revolution, however, the Bolsheviks abandoned the SRs after the
SRs enjoyed a major victory over the Bolsheviks in the elections for the Constituent Assembly.
Soviet
A Russian word literally meaning “council.” In the early twentieth century, Soviets were
governing bodies, similar to labor unions, that existed primarily on the local/municipal level and
collectively made policy decisions for their respective regions. The idea of Soviets was popular
among the various socialist parties of the time, including the Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, and
Socialist Revolutionaries. When Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in early 1917, the powerful Petrograd
Soviet wielded significant political power in Russia.
Strikes
