Russian Social Democratic Labour Party

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The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party(Росси́йская Социа́л-Демократи́ческая Рабо́чая Па́ртия) was formed in 1898 in Minsk. At the first congress, the Tsarist Oknara arrested all its members.

Banded together in opposition to the Narodniki revolutionaries, the Social-Democrats (SDs) programme was to unite and organise the peasantry and proletariat towards Socialist revolution. The SDs regarded the proletariat as the only wholly revolutionary class in Russia, while some of the peasantry, the serfs, were considered revolutionary, while the wealthy peasants (the kulaks) were seen as reactionary.

In 1903 the Second Congress of the party met in Belgium and England. After the congress the party split into the Bolshinstvo (Bolshevik -- majority party) and Menshinstvo (Menshevik -- minority party).

The name R.S.D.L.P. was sometimes used by both groups until 1917.

This page is part of the Field Guide to the Left.