Bolsheviks

[chirpychirpy]

can anyone tell me the difference between Bolsheviks and Communists, or are they one and the same? Please excuse my ignorance

[tiggerblue10]

A Bolshevik is a Communist. Bolsheviks and Mensheviks are the differing Communist parties.

[Mosaic]

Were, Tigger - were.
A long time ago.
The Bolsheviks split from the rest of the revolutionary group in Russia in 1903 under the leadership of Lenin. because they formed the majority, they dominated decisons. This formed the basis of the Communist Party later on. 'Menshevik' means minority men - the rest of the revolutionaries who weren't as hard-line as Lenin's group.
They are both outmoded terms today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolshevik

[tiggerblue10]

Yes indeed Mosaic, "were" should have been used instead of "are".

I was just answering it the same tense as the question was put. "are they one in the same".

[jno]

Bolsheviks were a specifically Russian party. Communists today, and communists in other countries, aren't Bolsheviks.

[ricanold]

I am not sure. I had thought Bolsheviks was the label put on the Communists to differentiate them from the Tzarists, who were the Mensheviks. Appropo of nothing, The Bolshoi Ballet has been knocking about for a while. Maybe it derives it's name from the same person. Or not.