Yes the Mensheviks were a communist group in communist Russia. They were mostly made up of the middle class or bourgies. They believed in a large group of people changing things slowly. This was very different to the Bolsheviks who had 15 group members who believed in a fast marxist revolution.
Mensheviks
Jules Martov led the Mensheviks (:
The Mensheviks lost because they lacked the leadership of Lenin and were less radical in using force.
The Bolshevik Party under Vladimir Lenin renamed itself the Communist Party in March 1918 after the Russian Revolution. They did this because Lenin had outlawed all other political parties, especially the other Marxist/Communist ones. He felt that since the Bolsheviks were the only political party espousing communism and since there was no further reason to differentiate themselves from the Mensheviks, they should call themselves the Communist Party. So they did.
The main difference between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks is the fact that the Mensheviks were more "Orthodox" Marxists, meaning that they believed in a slow, gradual transition from Capitalism into Communism. The Mensheviks believed that before there should be a Proletariat revolution, there must be a Bourgeois revolution, where Capitalism is the main socioeconomic system. Later, there would be a workers' revolution, which would usher in Socialism, and slowly the Socialist government would loosen its control over the means of production and the state would wither away into a Communist system. The Bolsheviks believed basically the same thing, but wanted to move through the Capitalist phase as quickly as possible, arriving at a Socialist state as soon as they could.
Mensheviks
The Bolsheviks were communist and went on to form the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Mensheviks were socialists with different ideals who split from the Bolsheviks.
Jules Martov led the Mensheviks (:
The name of the followers of Lenin was "Bolsheviks" to be distinguished from the opposing group known as the "Mensheviks." Both groups were factions of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Party, but the Bolsheviks wanted more radical changes than the Mensheviks. After the Revolution, the Bolsheviks changed their name to the Communist Party.
The Mensheviks were the other communist party in Russia who were more closely associated with the believes of Marx and felt that communism should come to Russia naturally, unlike the Bolsheviks who believed a revolution should be instigated by a small group on behalf of the proletariat. The Bolsheviks would eventually seize control of Russia under Lenin.
The Mensheviks lost because they lacked the leadership of Lenin and were less radical in using force.
Mensheviks were not in favor of withdrawing from World War I. The Bolsheviks were. Also, the mensheviks were a majority.
The Bolshevik Party under Vladimir Lenin renamed itself the Communist Party in March 1918 after the Russian Revolution. They did this because Lenin had outlawed all other political parties, especially the other Marxist/Communist ones. He felt that since the Bolsheviks were the only political party espousing communism and since there was no further reason to differentiate themselves from the Mensheviks, they should call themselves the Communist Party. So they did.
The Bolsheviks and Mensheviks split essentially because the Mensheviks were reformists and the Bolsheviks were revolutionaries. The Bolsheviks said that when the revolution finally came, the Mensheviks would sooner or later only hinder it and would betray the revolution.
Lenin led the Bolshevik faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. The RSDLP was split into two factions, Lenin's Bolsheviks and the majority faction Mensheviks. Both Bolsheviks and Mensheviks were Marxist. The Mensheviks were just not as radical as the Bolsheviks. Lenin led the Bolshevik faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Party. The RSDLP was split into two factions, Lenin's Bolsheviks and the majority faction Mensheviks. Both Bolsheviks and Mensheviks were Marxist. The Mensheviks were just not as radical as the Bolsheviks.
The main difference between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks is the fact that the Mensheviks were more "Orthodox" Marxists, meaning that they believed in a slow, gradual transition from Capitalism into Communism. The Mensheviks believed that before there should be a Proletariat revolution, there must be a Bourgeois revolution, where Capitalism is the main socioeconomic system. Later, there would be a workers' revolution, which would usher in Socialism, and slowly the Socialist government would loosen its control over the means of production and the state would wither away into a Communist system. The Bolsheviks believed basically the same thing, but wanted to move through the Capitalist phase as quickly as possible, arriving at a Socialist state as soon as they could.
Vladimir Lenin and his Bolshevik followers split from the Menshevik dominated Russian Social Democratic Workers Party in 1906. In other words, the Bolsheviks did not "split from the Mensheviks." Lenin created the Bolshevik faction within the RSDLP in 1903. Then the remaining members began calling themselves Mensheviks. This was a bad tactical move on the part of the Mensheviks, because "mensheviks" means "minorityites" when in fact those members were in the majority.