From the combat party to the art of insurrection:

The Bolshevik strategy reexamined

The centenary of the Russian Revolution sparked another wave of relative literature
about social revolutions, strategy as also the role of the communists in contemporary
movements. However, this “self-reflection” view, often focuses to the post-
revolutionary period and tends to omit, crucial parts of the communist history, theory
and practice. A clear example of this “black box” is the (non) analysis of the
Bolshevik strategy and tactics during the prorevolutionary and revolutionary years
(1905-1917). Far from a deterministic view that regards the Bolshevik hegemony over
the Russian Revolution as an “unavoidable fact”, or a personalistic pattern which
examines history using a single dimension -usually obsessional- approach, this paper
esteems that October Revolution was the outcome of a complex dialectical
relationship between a radical political agent and grassroot working class dynamics.

The contentious circles of the Russian revolutionary movement during the first two
decades of the 20th century, provide a solid basis for dissecting the organizational
readiness, the tactical transformations and the strategic interchange between “attack”
and “defence”, that the Bolshevik Party implemented in order to be an operational
revolutionary instrument under different political and social conditions. In this
context, this specific analysis will stress the duality of the Bolshevik tactics deployed
(institutional, extra-institutional and violent) during the prorevolutionary and
revolutionary years, and will seek to establish the “Contraction and Dilation” action
model, as a key-factor of the Bolshevik organization and strategy. Finally, the paper
will challenge the myth of “monolithic” party character that prevailed during the
Interwar years, and will highlight the political mediation issue as the very crucial part
during the revolutionary process.
Personal/Contact details:

Evangelos Karatzis is a post-graduate student in Department of Political Science and

History (MA) at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences. He is a member
of the Contentious Politics Laboratory, Political Science and History Department in
Panteion University, and also member of the research group “Military History” of the
Institute of International Relations (IDIS). He writes for five years in the monthly
journals “Military History” and “Historical Issues”. His main research interests
concern the strategies of social movements, the military history of revolutions and
social insurgency in the modern era.

Email: vagkaratzis@gmail.com

Phone: 6976878777