THE WORD BOLSHEVIK

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 264, 4 August 1919, Page 8

THE WORD BOLSHEVIK

MEANING ANALYSED. In. response to various inquiries as to the exact etymology and meaning of the word Bolshevik, a correspondent at Petrograd up to the time of the Revolution supplies the following interesting note:—

The word Bolshuvik is a bastard forma-! Won from the word "bolshe," the-com-parative of "bolshoy," which means "big." ' "Bolshe" signifies, or is equal to, "bigger." The suffix "-vik" is used with substantives to indicate the agent, e.g., "parovik" is a thing that works with "par," which means steam: "parovik" literallv signifies steam-er, but in, Russia usually means "locomotive." Bolshevik—an impossible formation from an adiective—means simply "bigger-er." Originally contrasted with "menshevik" (signifying "littler-er), it has come to have a specialised meaning of its own. Long ago in the Socialist Democratic Party were two sections, Bolsheviks and Mensheviks; the former wanted the Socialist millennium at once, and were prepared to use any and all means to get there: the latter sought the same ends step by step—they were the Fabians of the party. But for a couple of years past, ever since, in fact, the Jews took hold of Russia, Bolshevik has gained a verv simple meaning: "I am bigger than you-hand over!" is now the full signficance of the Bolshevik's political creed. Bolshevism is, of course, a doubly bastard formation—the Greek* termination "ism" tacked on the impossible bolflheyik. and equivalent to the un-English word. "Bigger-er-ism," The words Bolshevik and Bolshevism alone to any qualified critic of languages nfford sufficient proof that the movements so labelled are not Russian in origin or growth. They are alien and the products of the alien. Russian is a language as flexible as Greek, and with a fuller vocabulary perfectly oapablo of txpressing, in Russian without bastardising the mother tongue, any ideas whatsoever. But Russians, of all the nationalities affected, have had least to do with the rise and growth of the abominations of our day on Russian torritory. These amount in plain truth to nothing else than a Christian pogrom, and are not the product of Christian brains.