A majority faction is generally more difficult to control in a standard democracy because, with one vote per person, they will overall have more votes than a minority faction, therefore their ideas will come into effect. To stifle a minority faction one must merely outvote them, whereas, oftentimes for majority factions you must spread the vote to many smaller (state) governments. This is where the "Republic" form of democracy was suggested by James Madison, which allows representatives to make informed decisions rather than fall to "schemes of oppression" of the majority people.
So, in short, majority's harder to hold back. You just have to outvote minority.
Bolsheviki The Bolsheviks were actually a minority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. The majority faction was the Mensheviks. At a RSDLP congress in Brussels in 1903, Lenin put up for a vote a measure on how stringent the leadership of the RSDLP should be. Several members of the RSDLP walked out in protest, giving Lenin a one vote majority for that one vote. Lenin promptly called his party the Bolsheviks, meaning majorityites even though in terms of number they were a distinct minority. For some reason, the majority faction became known as the Mensheviks, meaning minoritites even though their numbers exceeded that of the Bolsheviks.
A "Bolshevik" was a member of the more liberal and radical minority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party. Ironically, the term "Bolshevik" means 'majoritarian' even though the Bolsheviks were the minority faction. Lenin pulled off that political trick.
Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik Party. At first it was a minority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, but eventually it split off and became its own party.
It comes from the Russian word for minority. There were two factions in the Russian Social Democratic (Marxist) Party at its Party Congress in Brussels in 1903. One was more moderate, while the other, led by Lenin, was more radical. The moderate group was in the majority, however many of that faction walked out of the Congress because of Lenin's actions. This left Lenin's group with a temporary technical majority, or in Russian, bolshinstvo, in the Congress. Lenin declared his group the Bolsheviks (majorityites) even though strictly speaking they had a minority of the members of the Party. The other group came to be known as the Mensheviks (minorityites) even though they, strictly speaking, had the majority of members in the Party.
Lenin's party was called the Bolsheviks, meaning majorityites, which was one faction of the Russian Marxist party. The other faction was called the Mensheviks, meaning minorityites. The irony is that there were more Mensheviks than Bolsheviks in the Marxist party, but Lenin chose that name for his faction because it held a temporary majority of one vote for a brief period of time. It was a huge psychological advantage over the other faction.
His biggest ruse was to call his faction the Bolsheviks, which means Majority Party, when it was still in the minority.
Bolsheviki The Bolsheviks were actually a minority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. The majority faction was the Mensheviks. At a RSDLP congress in Brussels in 1903, Lenin put up for a vote a measure on how stringent the leadership of the RSDLP should be. Several members of the RSDLP walked out in protest, giving Lenin a one vote majority for that one vote. Lenin promptly called his party the Bolsheviks, meaning majorityites even though in terms of number they were a distinct minority. For some reason, the majority faction became known as the Mensheviks, meaning minoritites even though their numbers exceeded that of the Bolsheviks.
Preventing a majority faction from imposing its will on a minority can be achieved through mechanisms like a robust constitutional framework that protects individual rights and minority interests. Establishing checks and balances within government institutions helps ensure that no single group can dominate decision-making. Additionally, promoting civic education and fostering a culture of dialogue and compromise can encourage understanding and respect among diverse groups, reducing the likelihood of majoritarian tyranny. Lastly, implementing proportional representation in electoral systems can provide minority groups with a voice in governance.
Madison defines a faction as "a number of citizens, whether amounting to a minority or majority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community".
In essence, it is the republican principle that ensures the majority can defeat the "sinister views" of the minority: in other words, the regular vote should suffice. (Federalist Paper #10; James Madison)
A majority faction can be controlled through mechanisms that promote checks and balances, such as a robust constitution that protects minority rights and ensures representation. Institutions like bicameral legislatures can dilute the power of a majority by requiring broader consensus for legislation. Additionally, promoting civic engagement and encouraging a pluralistic society can help ensure diverse viewpoints are heard and considered, reducing the risk of majority tyranny. Education about democratic principles and the importance of compromise can also play a crucial role in mitigating the dominance of any single faction.
Vladimir I. Lenin was responsible for the Bolshevik movement in the early 1900s. He was the leader of a minority dissident faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, (RSDLP), a Marxist political party. At its party congress in 1903 in Brussels, he seized an opportunity to gain a temporary majority and named his minority faction Bolsheviks, which means majorityites in Russian. From then on the Bolsheviks were a separate faction with separate ideologies from the rest of the RSDLP. Soon it became an entirely separate political party in and of itself.
Pure Democracy cannot cure the mischief of faction because if the faction is a majority, than they will pursue their interests at the expense of national welfare. [majority rules does not necessarily guarantee an appropriate outcome]
A "Bolshevik" was a member of the more liberal and radical minority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party. Ironically, the term "Bolshevik" means 'majoritarian' even though the Bolsheviks were the minority faction. Lenin pulled off that political trick.
Madison believes that a society broken into many parts, or factions, will not danger minority rights because in a large and diverse society, no single faction would be able to gain complete control. Each faction would have to negotiate and compromise with other factions in order to govern, which would help protect minority rights from being oppressed by the majority faction. Additionally, Madison argues that the existence of multiple factions would prevent tyranny by dividing power and preventing any one group from becoming too dominant.
Madison defines factions as a number of citizens (representing either the minority or majority of the whole) who are united by common passions and interests. Examples of factions today are political parties and unions.
Pure Democracy cannot cure the mischief of faction because if the faction is a majority, than they will pursue their interests at the expense of national welfare.