History glossary
Bolshevism
the revolutionary communist movement associated with Lenin's Bolsheviks and the Soviet state.
- Category
- Political ideology
- Region
- Russia and global communism
- Date range
- from 1917
What it means
Bolshevism was the revolutionary communist movement associated with Lenin's Bolshevik Party, which seized power in Russia in 1917 and shaped the Soviet state. Nazis used the phrase 'Jewish Bolshevism' as an antisemitic conspiracy myth, falsely presenting communism as part of a Jewish plot against Germany.
Related terms
Stories using this term
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The Russian Revolution
From the 1905 crisis to the creation of the USSR, the Russian Revolution transformed imperial collapse into a new one-party socialist state.
The Soviets
From revolution to superpower, the Soviet Union rose, struggled internally, and collapsed in 1991.
Weimar Republic
A fragile democracy marked by crisis and innovation, whose collapse paved the way for Nazi rule.
The First World War
World War I reshaped empires, borders, and societies, setting the stage for World War II.
The Rise of Adolf Hitler
From the ashes of World War I to the Night of the Long Knives, this story traces the political rise of Adolf Hitler and the collapse of the Weimar Republic.
