Author Description

The Bolshevik revolution in Russia was the work of men who interpreted Marx in the light of their own experiences as members of the 'underground'. This book traces the doctrine we call 'Communism' or 'Leninism' to its roots in the early history of the Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP). It shows how this party gradually emerged as a force in the Russian politics, from the first Marxist discussion circle in the 1880's to the abortive revolution of 1905-7. Light is thrown on the Party's organization and relations with other opposition groups. It gives the background to the famous schism between Bolsheviks and Mensheviks in 1903, which revealed profound differences of out look among the Party leaders. Was the revolution to be an affair of the whole people, acting in accordance with the objective laws of historical development, or of a dedicated group of leaders prepared to reshape history according to their own design? was it to be democratic or authoritarian? in many respects these controversies of 60 years ago are supremely topical today. In Russia the view that the Communist Party cannot err prevents Soviet historians from examining its record impartially.. This account is based partly on Soviet sources - particularly works written before or after the Stalin period - and partly on documentary collections and archives available only in the West.