Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Relating to Bolshevism: Of or pertaining to the political theory, practices, or policies of the Bolsheviks, a radical faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party that seized power in 1917.
   • Characteristic of a Bolshevik: Having the qualities or principles associated with Bolsheviks, such as revolutionary socialism or communism.

2. Noun:

   • A supporter or member of the Bolshevik party: A person who was part of or supported the Bolshevik faction, which became the Russian Communist Party.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The historian analyzed the bolshevist ideology that shaped the early Soviet state.
  • They adopted a bolshevist approach to reorganizing the factory's management.

• Noun:

  • He was a committed bolshevist who participated in the 1917 revolution.
  • The treaty was opposed by the bolshevists within the council.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: The term is primarily used in historical and political discourse to describe the specific faction led by Vladimir Lenin. Its use often carries connotations of radical revolution and strict party discipline.
  • The schism between the Mensheviks and the bolshevists defined early 20th-century Russian politics.

Variants and Related Words

• Bolshevik (noun/adjective): The more common variant with identical core meanings.
  • The Bolshevik Revolution changed world history.
• Bolshevism (noun): The doctrine or practices of the Bolsheviks.
  • Bolshevism advocated for the dictatorship of the proletariat.

Synonyms

• Communist (in the specific historical Russian context)
• Leninist (specifically relating to Lenin's interpretation of Marxism)
• Red (historical, informal term)

Antonyms

• Menshevik (member of the opposing, more moderate faction in the Russian socialist movement)
• Tsarist (supporter of the pre-revolutionary monarchy)
• Capitalist (in the broad ideological sense)

Notes on Usage

• The term bolshevist is less common in modern English than Bolshevik. Both are often used interchangeably, though "Bolshevik" is the standard form.
• In contemporary political rhetoric, the term is sometimes used pejoratively to label someone as an extreme or uncompromising radical, detached from its original historical context.
  • Critics dismissed the proposal as a bolshevist scheme to centralize all power.

Adjective

1. of or relating to Bolshevism
   • Bolshevik Revolution

Noun

1. a Russian member of the left-wing majority group that followed Lenin and eventually became the Russian communist party