# Political Parties explained — Ten Days That Shook the World

> Chapter companion for Ten Days That Shook the World by John Reed.

## What happens

This chapter provides a summary of the political parties and factions active in Petrograd and Russia during the revolutionary period, focusing on their programs, constituencies, and key representatives mentioned in the book. It covers Monarchists, Cadets, the Group of Public Men, Populist Socialists, Mensheviki, Mensheviki Internationalists, Bolsheviki, United Social Democrats Internationalists, Yedinstvo, Socialist Revolutionaries, Left Socialist Revolutionaries, and Maximalists.

## Themes in this chapter

### Class Conflict and Polarization

The chapter details how parties aligned with different classes: Cadets and Group of Public Men with propertied classes, Mensheviki with intellectuals, Bolsheviki with factory workers and poor peasants, and Socialist Revolutionaries with peasants.

### Struggle for Legitimacy and Power

The description of party programs and coalitions (e.g., Cadets forming the first Provisional Government, Mensheviki supporting coalition with propertied classes, Bolsheviki advocating proletarian insurrection) reflects the ongoing struggle for political legitimacy and control.

### Proletarian Revolution and Dictatorship

The Bolsheviki are explicitly described as proposing immediate proletarian insurrection and seizure of government to hasten socialism, while the Left Socialist Revolutionaries share the Bolshevik program of dictatorship of the working-class.

## Character check-ins

### Vladimir Lenin

Listed as a leader of the Bolsheviki.

### Leon Trotsky

Listed as a leader of the Bolsheviki and formerly a member of the Mensheviki Internationalists.

### Alexander Kerensky

Listed as a leader of the Socialist Revolutionary party and former leader of the Trudoviki.

### Julius Martov

Listed as a leader of the Mensheviki Internationalists.

### Maria Spiridonova

Listed as a leader of the Left Socialist Revolutionaries.

### Maxim Gorky

Listed as the leader of the United Social Democrats Internationalists (Novaya Zhizn group).

### Georgi Plekhanov

Listed as the leader of the Yedinstvo group.

### Victor Tchernov

Listed as a leader of the Socialist Revolutionary party.

## Key lines

> The name “Bolshevik” can not be translated by “Maximalist.” The Maximalists are a separate group.

The term 'Bolshevik' should not be confused with 'Maximalist,' which refers to a distinct faction.

_Clarifies a common misconception about Bolshevik nomenclature._

> When the Revolution broke out in March, 1917, the Cadets formed the first Provisional Government. The Cadet Ministry was overthrown in April because it declared itself in favour of Allied imperialistic aims, including the imperialistic aims of the Tsar’s Government.

The Cadets established the first Provisional Government after the March Revolution, but were ousted in April for supporting the Tsar's imperialist war goals.

_Highlights the Cadets' initial role and their downfall over war policy._

> The Bolsheviki proposed immediate proletarian insurrection, and seizure of the reins of Government, in order to hasten the coming of Socialism by forcibly taking over industry, land, natural resources and financial institutions.

The Bolsheviks advocated for an immediate uprising of the working class to take control of the government and accelerate socialism through the forced nationalization of industry, land, and resources.

_Summarizes the core Bolshevik revolutionary program._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ten_days_that_shook_the_world_se/chapters/political-parties
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ten_days_that_shook_the_world_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ten_days_that_shook_the_world_se/chapters