Understanding the Bolshevik Party and the Russian Revolution

The question asks about the individual who founded the Bolshevik Communist Party and played a leading role in the Russian Revolution of 1917. This is a significant event in world history, leading to the establishment of the world's first communist state.

The Bolsheviks and Their Founder

The Bolsheviks were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split from the Mensheviks in 1903. The Bolsheviks, led by their founder, advocated for a disciplined party of professional revolutionaries to lead the working class to power.

The Russian Revolution of 1917

The Russian Revolution of 1917 involved two major phases:

• The February Revolution, which overthrew the Tsarist autocracy.
• The October Revolution (or Bolshevik Revolution), which saw the Bolsheviks seize power.

The leader who returned to Russia and played a crucial role in the October Revolution, ultimately becoming the head of the new Soviet government, was the founder of the Bolsheviks.

Analyzing the Options

Let's look at the individuals listed in the options:

• Joseph Stalin: Stalin rose to power after the death of the leader of the revolution. He became the General Secretary of the Communist Party in 1922 but was not the founder of the Bolsheviks or the primary leader of the 1917 revolution.
• Vladimir Lenin: Vladimir Lenin was the principal leader of the Bolshevik faction of the RSDLP. He was instrumental in the 1917 October Revolution and served as the first head of government of Soviet Russia.
• Leonid Brezhnev: Brezhnev was a Soviet leader during the Cold War era, serving as General Secretary from 1964 to 1982. He was not involved in the 1917 revolution.
• Nikita Khrushchev: Khrushchev led the Soviet Union after Stalin, from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. He was also not involved in the 1917 revolution.

Based on historical evidence, Vladimir Lenin was the founder of the Bolsheviks and the key leader of the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Conclusion

The founder of the Bolshevik Communist Party and the leader who spearheaded the Russian Revolution of 1917 was Vladimir Lenin.

Russian Revolution Key Figure Revision Table

Additional Information on Russian Revolution and Bolsheviks

The Bolshevik Party's ideology was based on Marxism, but Lenin adapted it to the Russian context, emphasizing the role of a vanguard party to lead the revolution. The 1917 revolution profoundly changed Russia's political and social structure, leading to decades of communist rule.

• The term "Bolshevik" means "one of the majority," originating from a vote at the 1903 RSDLP congress, although they were often a minority later on.
• The October Revolution led to the establishment of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic.
• Lenin's ideas, known as Leninism, became a significant development within Marxist theory.