Mensheviks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A faction within the Russian socialist movement that advocated for a more democratic and gradual approach to achieving socialism rather than immediate revolution
2. Members of a historical political party in Russia that opposed the Bolsheviks and supported a less militant means to reform and social change
3. Individuals belonging to a group known for their emphasis on democratic principles and collaboration with moderate socialists in the early 20th century Russia

Etymology: In 1903, at the Second Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, delegates split over the wording of party membership rules. Lenin's faction won the decisive vote, and both sides took names from the result. The winners became the "bolsheviks," from "большинство," "majority." The losers became the "меньшевики," from "меньше," meaning "less" or "smaller," so the name means "members of the minority." The Russian "-evik" ending is a suffix that turned the comparative into a group name. The labels rested on one narrow ballot, yet they outlasted the vote that produced them. The party's membership did not stay split along those lines, and the Mensheviks were not reliably the smaller group in the years that followed. The name remained a fixed label long after the arithmetic behind it had changed.