Consider the following statements concerning the Russian Revolution: 1) The Bolsheviks believed that in a repressive society like Tsarist Russia, the party should be disciplined and should control the number of its members. 2) The Mensheviks believed that the party should be opened to all (as in Germany). Which of the statement/s given above is/are correct?

The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) split in 1903 due to fundamental disagreements over party organization and strategy. Statement 1 is correct as Vladimir Lenin, leading the Bolsheviks, argued that in the repressive environment of Tsarist Russia, the party must be a disciplined, centralized 'vanguard' of professional revolutionaries, strictly controlling the number and quality of its members [1][2]. Statement 2 is also correct; the Mensheviks, led by Julius Martov, advocated for a more inclusive, decentralized, and democratic party structure [1]. They aimed to build a mass political movement open to all workers, modeled after the Social Democratic parties of Western Europe, particularly Germany [2]. While the Bolsheviks emphasized a small, tightly organized cadre, the Mensheviks favored a large, loosely organized party that allowed for open debate and broader participation [2].

Sources

1. [1] India and the Contemporary World - I. History-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution > 2.3 Socialism in Russia > p. 32
2. [2] https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/bolshevik-menshevik-split