The mencheviks constitute the minority faction of the Parti working social democrat Russia (POSDR) at the time of the bursting of this party to the congress of London in 1903. The term of menchevik comes from Russian меньшевик, menchinstvo which means “minority”. They are opposed to the Bolchevik S (большевик; of bolchinstvo, “majority”). The term of “minority” comes from the result of a vote carried out with the congress about questions of organization and strategy, although the party Bolshevik had remained in political minority until the Revolution of October.

The participation of the party menchevik in the provisional government in 1917 by Irakli Tsereteli décrédibilisa the party, which lost most of its influence to the municipal elections of Moscow in September 1917.

At the time of the Congress of the Soviets the October 25th 1917, the 110 deputy mencheviks, minority (on 673 deputy), left the room at the time of the ratification of the Révolution of October, to denounce a “coup d'etat Bolshevik”.

In a logic of opposition to the Bolsheviks with the capacity, the mencheviks supported the marine of Kronstadt in March 1921.

Certain members of the party were combined besides with the “white” and to the peasants to fight the Bolsheviks during the civil war.

According to their vision, it is initially a question of arriving at the Démocratie with the assistance of the middle-class, then to reach the Socialisme progressively (by the means of social struggles or funds mutualists for example). In this direction, they join the Socialists and the social democrats, and on the international plan, the mencheviks were recognized besides by the Internationale socialist worker.