bolshevism
noun
bol·she·vism
ˈbōl-shə-ˌvi-zəm 
ˈbȯl-,
ˈbäl-
variants
often Bolshevism
1
: the doctrine or program of the Bolsheviks advocating violent overthrow of capitalism
2
: Russian communism
Examples of bolshevism in a Sentence
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Even Germany, with many former Nazis regnant in public life, and unabashedly fascist Spain could be accommodated in the West’s anti-totalitarian community, helped by historians such as Ernst Nolte, who argued that Nazism and fascism were simply consequences of Bolshevism.
—
Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
If a return to empire offered no clear ideological alternative to interwar nationalism, that left only one other option: Bolshevism.
—Mark Mazower, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2023
Fear of bolshevism blended with a long-standing hostility toward certain classes of immigrants.
—Adam Hochschild, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2019
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Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
If a return to empire offered no clear ideological alternative to interwar nationalism, that left only one other option: Bolshevism.
—Mark Mazower, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2023
Fear of bolshevism blended with a long-standing hostility toward certain classes of immigrants.
—Adam Hochschild, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Bolshevism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bolshevism. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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