Consider the following statements concerning the Russian Revolution : 1. The Bolsheviks believed that in a repressive society like Tsarist Russia, the party should be disciplined and should control the number of its members. 2. The Mensheviks believed that the party should be opened to all (as in Germany). Which of the statement/s given above is/are correct ?
- (a)1 only
- (b)2 only
- (c)Both 1 and 2
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2
Correct — C, both 1 and 2. Statement 1 is true: the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, held that in repressive Tsarist Russia the party must be tightly disciplined and should restrict membership to committed revolutionaries. Statement 2 is also true: the Mensheviks argued the party should be open to all, on the model of the mass socialist party of Germany. Both descriptions are accurate.
- (a)1 only — Statement 2 is also correct — the Mensheviks did want an open, mass party like Germany's — so the answer is not '1 only'.
- (b)2 only — Statement 1 is correct as well — the Bolsheviks did favour a disciplined party with controlled membership — so '2 only' is wrong.
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2 — Both statements accurately describe the two factions, so 'neither' cannot be right.
At the 1903 congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, the movement split. Lenin's Bolsheviks wanted a small, disciplined party of professional revolutionaries suited to underground work under Tsarist repression, while the Mensheviks favoured a broad, open party on the lines of the German Social Democratic Party.
Both statements restate this Bolshevik–Menshevik contrast accurately, so the temptation to reject one is the trap. Match statement 1 to Lenin's disciplined-party idea and statement 2 to the Mensheviks' open, German-style party, and both stand.
- The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party split into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks in 1903.
- Bolsheviks (Lenin) wanted a disciplined party controlling its membership.
- Mensheviks wanted a party open to all, like Germany's socialist party.
- The split shaped the course of the 1917 Russian Revolution.
Statement 1 describes the Bolsheviks and statement 2 the Mensheviks — both are correct.
- Assuming only one faction is correctly described — both statements are accurate.
- Swapping the two — the disciplined, closed party is Bolshevik, the open one Menshevik.
A two-statement item contrasting the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks — verify each against the party's stance on membership.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party was led by Lenin?
- (a)Mensheviks
- (b)Bolsheviks
- (c)Kadets
- (d)Socialist Revolutionaries
Answer(b) Bolsheviks — Lenin led the Bolshevik faction.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The split of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks occurred in
- (a)1905
- (b)1903
- (c)1917
- (d)1898
Answer(b) 1903 — at the party's second congress.