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In 1903, in London, he initiated a split in the Russian Social-Democratic Workers Party,
which was completed in 1912, and became known as the All Russian Communist Party in 1918.
His left-wing faction became known as the Bolsheviks, or “bolshinstvo,” which meant
“majority” (the Menshevicks, or “menshinstvo,” meant “minority”). The movement was slow to
catch on, and by 1907, he only had 17 members, but he would soon have over 40,000. He
received financial support from the Fabians, including a $15,000 contribution from Joseph Fels,
an American soap manufacturer and a Fabian.
George Bernard Shaw, one of the Fabian’s founders, called Lenin, the “greatest Fabian of
them all,” and in a speech he made in Moscow in 1931, said: “It is a real comfort to me, an old
man, to be able to step into my grave with the knowledge that the civilization of the world will
be saved ... it is here in Russia that I have actually been convinced that the new Communist
system is capable of leading mankind out of its present crisis, and saving it from complete
anarchy and ruin.”
Lenin was an advocate of the Populist doctrine, which had been developed by author
Aleksandr Herzen during the 1860’s. He felt that the peasant communes could be the socialist
society of the future, and called for Russian Socialism to be based on the ancient peasant
tradition. The peasant revolt later developed into all-out revolution. In 1881, they succeeded in
assassinating Czar Alexander II, and continued to function as a conspiratorial organization.
Many Populists began advocating Marxist doctrine, and in 1883, led by Georgy Plekhanov,
established the Marxist “Liberation of Labor Group.”
Lenin wanted to use the Populists to overthrow the government and introduce socialism. He
added two Marxist elements to the Populist theory: the notion of a class struggle, and the need
for Russia to pass through a stage of capitalism. He led the people to believe that the purpose of
his movement was to help the working class. In America during the 1800’s, an alliance of
various farming groups produced the Populist Party in 1892, which came to be known as the
National People’s Party. With their slogan, “The people against the tycoons,” they fought for an
increase in currency circulation, free silver, labor reform, a graduated income tax, government
ownership of the railroads, and the direct election of U.S. Senators. By 1896, they were almost
fully integrated into the Democratic Party, while their principles were later embraced by the
Progressive Party.
The Progressive Party was a coalition of socialists, labor leaders and farmers, organized by
Republican Senator Robert M. LaFollette of Wisconsin in 1911 to oppose the conservatism of
the Republican Party, and to fight for an aggressive program of social legislation. They later
reunited with the Republican Party until 1924, when a coalition of liberals, farmers, Republican
progressives, socialists, and left-wing labor leaders reorganized the Progressive Party, as
LaFollette promised to sweep conservatism out of the Federal government. He wanted to “end
control of government and industry by private monopoly,” to have public control of natural
resources, public ownership of railroads, and a reduction in taxes.
When he died in 1925, the Party broke up, but was revived in 1948 by Communist Party
leaders and left-wing labor leaders. Their platform included civil rights legislation, and called for
negotiations with the Russians. The Party’s credibility was damaged when it was revealed that
their leadership was communist dominated. The Progressive Party was able to wield enough
influence to help pass the Federal Reserve Act, the Federal Income Tax, and the 17th
Constitutional Amendment, which provided for the direct election of U.S. Senators, rather than
being appointed by the state legislators. They also provided support for the effort which
eventually gave women the right to vote. Many of their goals were achieved during the