Bolshevik

noun; also adjective

/ˈbɒlʃəvɪk/

A member of the radical wing of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917 and established the world's first communist state.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

In tracing the ideological lineage of twentieth-century revolutions, one must distinguish the disciplined vanguardism of the Bolshevik model from the gradualist, parliamentary path that India's framers ultimately chose to embed in the Constitution.

Synonyms

communistrevolutionaryradicalMarxistleftistred

Antonyms

Menshevikconservativereactionarymonarchist

🌱 Word Family

Bolshevik (n/adj), Bolsheviki (n pl archaic), Bolshevism (n), Bolshevist (n/adj), Bolshevise (v)

🔡 Root

Russian bol'shevik (большевик), from bol'she = greater/larger; majority faction name from 1903 party congress

📜 Etymology

From Russian bol'shevik (большевик), derived from bol'she ("greater, larger"), because the faction won a majority on key votes at the party's Second Congress in 1903; contrasted with Menshevik ("minority").

🧠 Memory Hook

Bolshevik contains "BIG" in disguise: Russian "bol'she" means "more/bigger" — the Bolsheviks were the "bigger" (majority) faction. Picture a BOLD, BIG group of revolutionaries outvoting the rest.

🏛️ History & Culture 📖 Seen in: World War I & Russian Revolution

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