The Menshevik Party emerged from the moderate wing of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP), which had existed since 1898. The faction was formed at the 2nd Congress of the RSDLP (1903), the name (originally “minority”) reflected the results of the elections of the party’s governing bodies: Vladimir Lenin’s supporters were in the majority, while those of Julius Martov were in the minority. Further on, the balance of forces between the factions had repeatedly changed. In general, the Mensheviks represented the centrist wing of the Russian revolutionary movement, which advocated an alliance with the liberal bourgeoisie in the fight against the autocracy.

After the February Revolution of 1917, the Mensheviks quickly became one of the most influential political forces in the country, playing a leading role in many Soviets and trade unions. Nikolay Chkheidze became chairman of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies and headed the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTSIK), elected in June at the 1st All-Russian Congress of Soviets. Since May, representatives of the Mensheviks had been part of the coalition Provisional Government (Irakli Tsereteli, Matvey Skobelev, Aleksey Nikitin, Pavel Malyantovich, Kuzma Gvozdev). During 1917, the Menshevik leaders (Irakli Tsereteli, Nikolay Chkheidze, Fyodor Dan, etc.) conducted a course to support the Provisional Government and postpone the resolution of the main issues (on land, peace, etc.) until the Constituent Assembly convocation. Until the end of 1917, the left-wing Mensheviks led by Julius Martov, who opposed the coalition with the bourgeois parties, were in opposition to the party leadership.