who are the bolsheviks

The Bolsheviks were a radical faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, led by Vladimir Lenin. They emerged in 1903 during a split in the party over the nature of membership, with Bolsheviks advocating for a smaller party of professional revolutionaries, as opposed to a broader membership favored by their rivals, the Mensheviks. The name "Bolshevik" means "one of the majority," although the faction fluctuated in influence before formally establishing itself as its own party in 1912. The Bolsheviks are most famous for leading the October Revolution in 1917, where they seized control of the Russian government from the provisional government. They established the first socialist state and later renamed themselves the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Their ideology was based on Leninist principles, emphasizing a dictatorship of the proletariat, centralized leadership, and revolutionary politics aimed at overthrowing capitalism and establishing socialism. Key leaders included Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Joseph Stalin. The Bolsheviks played a pivotal role in shaping Soviet Russia and the political landscape of the 20th century.