Mezhraiontsy or Mezhraoinka (Russian: межрайонцы), usually translated as the interdistrictites (from the Russian "mezh-", i.e. "inter-", and "raion", i.e. "district") was a small Petrograd-based group within the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, which existed between 1913 and 1917. It merged with the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution of 1917. Saint Petersburg  listen (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of... The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, or RSDLP (Росси́йская Социа́л-Демократи́ческая Рабо́чая Па́ртия = РСДРП), also known as the Russian Social Democratic Workers Party, was a revolutionary socialist Russian political party formed in 1898 in Minsk to unite the various revolutionary organisations into one party. ... Bolshevik Party Meeting. ... The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a series of political events in Russia, which, after the elimination of the Russian autocracy system, and the Provisional Government (Duma), resulted in the establishment of the Soviet power under the control of the Bolshevik party. ...

Background

Russian social democrats had been split into numerous factions along political and ethnic lines since at least 1903 when the original divisions between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks arose. After the defeat of the Russian Revolution of 1905 in 1907, both the Bolshevik and the Menshevik factions split into smaller factions. In January 1912, the dominant Bolshevik faction led by Vladimir Lenin held a meeting in Prague, formed its own party and split from other Bolshevik and Menshevik groups. In response, most Mensheviks, Leon Trotsky's followers, the Jewish Bund and other ethnic social democratic groups held a meeting in Vienna in August 1912 and formed a competing party, the so-called August Bloc. Leaders of the Menshevik Party at Norra Bantorget in Stockholm, Sweden, May 1917. ... The Russian Revolution of 1905 was an empire-wide spasm of both anti-government and undirected violence. ... (Russian: Владимир Ильич Ленин, IPA:, born Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov; April 22 [O.S. April 10] 1870 – January 21, 1924), was a Communist revolutionary of Russia, the leader of the Bolshevik party, the first Premier of the Soviet Union, and the main theorist of what has come to be called Leninism, which is described... Prague (Czech: Praha, see also other names) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... (Russian: Лев Давидович Троцкий; also transliterated Leo, Lev, Trotskii, Trotski, Trotskij, Trockij and Trotzky) (November 7 [O.S. October 26] 1879 – August 21, 1940), born Lev Davidovich Bronstein (Лев Давидович Бронштейн), was a Bolshevik revolutionary and Marxist theorist. ... A Bundist demonstration, 1917 The General Jewish Labour Union of Lithuania, Poland and Russia, in Yiddish the Algemeyner Yidisher Arbeter Bund in Lite, Poyln un Rusland (אלגמײנער ײדישער ארבײטרסבונד אין רוסלנד, ליטא אונד פוילן), generally called The Bund (בונד), was a Jewish political party operating in several European countries between... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Slovenian: Dunaj, Croatian and Serbian: Beč Romanian: Viena, Hungarian: Bécs, Czech: Vídeň, Slovak: Viedeň, Romany Vidnya, Russian: Вена) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ...

Formation of the Mezhraionka

As a result of these developments, by late 1912 there were 2 separate social democratic organizations in St. Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire. The Bolsheviks had their "St. Petersburg Committee of the RSDRP(bolsheviks)" and the "August Bloc" supporters had their "Initiative Group of the RSDRP". Some St. Petersburg social democrats were unhappy with this split and created an alternative organization that would, they hoped, eventually unite all fragments of revolutionary social democracy in Russia. The only exception that they made was for those Mensheviks who were concentrating on legal forms of oppostionist activity at the expense of revolutionary activities. Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start...

The Mezhraiontsy group was founded in November 1913 by three Bolsheviks (Konstantin Yurenev, A.M. Novosyolov and E.M. Adamovich) and one Menshevik, N.M. Yegorov. Leon Trotsky also played a key role in founding the group.He was disillusioned by Lenin's centralization of the party. Yurenev was the informal leader of the organization until May 1917 except for one year between February 1915 and February 1916, which he spent in jail on charges of subversive activities.

Growth during the war

At the outbreak of World War I in July-Augist 1914 (and subsequent change of St. Petersburg's name to "Petrograd"), the faction lines within the RSDRP were drastically redrawn over the issue of support for the war. Those who supported the war were called "Defensists" and those who were opposed to it were called "Defeatists". Most members of the Mezhraionka, as well as Lenin and some Mensheviks, adopted an anti-war position and by late 1915 the organization had 60-80 members. Due to growing popular disillusionment with the war, by the time the February Revolution of 1917 broke out, the organization had 400-500 members. Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead:5 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:8 million Military dead:4 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:7 million The First World... The February Revolution of 1917 in Russia was the first stage of the Russian Revolution of 1917. ...

1917 Revolution

Mezhraionka members were active in Petrograd during the revolution, seizing a printing plant and publishing the first leaflet calling for an armed uprising on February 27 O.S.. After the formation of the Petrograd Soviet later that night, the Mezhraionka was given 1 seat in its Presidium vs. 2 seats allocate to each nationwide socialist party like the Bolsheviks, Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionary Party. In Britain and countries of the British Empire, Old Style or O.S. after a date means that the date is in the Julian calendar, in use in those countries until 1752; New Style or N.S. means that the date is in the Gregorian calendar, adopted on 14 September... An assembly of the Petrograd Soviet, 1917 The Petrograd Soviet, or the Petrograd Soviet of Workers and Soldiers Deputies, was the council set up in Petrograd (Saint Petersburg, Russia) in March 1917 as the representative body of the citys workers. ... The Socialist-Revolutionary Party (SRs, or Essaires; Партия социалистов-революционеров (ПСР), эсеры in Russian) were a Russian political party active in the early 20th century. ...

Although the Mezhraionka's original goal was to unite all Bolsheviks and Mensheviks in one party, the divisions over Russia's participation in the war proved too deep. On April 12, 1917, the Mezhraionka refused to participate in a Menshevik-sponsored unification conference because it would be dominated by the Defensist wing of the Mensheviks. From that point on, their positions began to converge with the Bolshevik positions, which were becoming more radical after Lenin's return from abroad.

Merge with the Bolsheviks

With the return of many anti-war social democratic emigres from European exile in April-June 1917, the Mezhraionka was a natural place for them to join. A number of prominent social democrats like Leon Trotsky, Adolf Joffe, Anatoly Lunacharsky, Moisei Uritsky, David Riazanov, V. Volodarsky, Lev Karakhan and Dmitry Manuilsky joined it at that time. Adolf Abramovich Joffe (Адольф Абрамович Йоффе) (October 10, 1883 – November 16, 1927) was a Russian revolutionary and an associate of Leon Trotsky. ... Anatoly Vasilyevich Lunacharsky (1875 – Russian Soviet literary critic, Bolshevik revolutionary and Communist political figure. ... Moisei Solomonovich Uritsky was a Bolshevik revolutionary leader whose assassination helped precipitate the Red Terror. ... V. Volodarsky (1891, Volhyna (Western Ukraine) — June 20, 1918, Petrograd) (Russian: ) born Moisei Markovich Goldshtein or Goldstein (Моисей Маркович Гольдштейн), was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and early Soviet politician. ...

The Mezhraionka merged with the Bolsheviks at the VIth Party Congress in late July-early August 1917. Many of its former members played an important role during the October Revolution later in the year and the subsequent Russian Civil War. The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917, the first having been instigated by the events around the February Revolution. ... The Russian Civil War was fought from 1918 to 1922. ...

References

• Konstantin Yurenev. "Mezhraioka (1911-1917 gg.)" in Proletarskaya Revolyutsiya, 1924, No. 1 and 2.
• V. I. Miller. "Konstantin Konstantinovich Yurenev" in RevVoenSoviet Respubliki (6 sent. 1918 - 28 avg. 1923), Moscow, Politizdat, 1991, ISBN 525000803, pp. 404