Political Parties In The Dumas

• Social Democratic Workers’ Party (SD) – divided between the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks
• Bolsheviks – Led by Vladimir Lenin. Believed in discipline, centralisation, organisation, and the role of the proletariat under party guidance. From 1905 favoured a peasant/proletariat alliance.
• Mensheviks – Led by Julius Martov. Believed in cooperation with bourgeoisie/liberals rather than peasantry and the use of legal channels of opposition
• Socialist Revolutionaries (SR) Favoured populist ideas of redistribution of land and nationalisation. Left of the party favoured terrorism to achieve aims.
• Trudovniks (Labour Group) Non-revolutionary breakaway from SR party of moderate liberal views but with no formal programme. Favoured nationalisation of non-peasant land, democratic representation, a minimum wage and an eight hour working day. Supported by peasants and intelligentsia.
• Kadets (Constitutional Democrats) a central liberal party which favoured a constitutional monarchy with parliamentary government
• Octobrists (Union of 17th of October) A moderate conservative party that accepted the October Manifesto and opposed further concessions to workers or peasants. Supported by wealthy landowners and industrialists
• Progressives A loose grouping of businessmen who favoured moderate reform.
• Rightists- including The Union of the Russian People Extremely right-wing, favoured monarchism, Orthodoxy, Pan-Slavism and anti-Semitism
• Nationalist and religious groupings Ukrainians, Polish, Georgians, Muslims – all seeking rights and greater independence