to distribute the Marxist newspaper, Iskra (``The Spark''). 10 Among its chief editors were Lenin and Plekhanov. The Russian Social Democratic Worker's Party officially began with a congress held in Brussels, in 1903. Dramatic differences of opinion as to how the party should operate soon arose, and a second congress was convened in London. Out of this, the party essentially split into Mensheviks (the minority) and Bolsheviks (``Majority Men''). 11 While the Mensheviks and Bolsheviks struggled to unite the Social Democrats, Nicholas II was busy insulting Japan, hoping to start a war. Nicholas allowed the advice of his more competent advisors to be drowned out by the flattery of his incompetent uncle, the Viceroy of the Far East and by vain imperial ambitions. 12 The cautious and competent Minister of the Interior, Witte was replaced by the more agreeable Pleve, an experienced policeman. Nicholas allowed tension to develop, until Japan had no other choice than to go to war. Pleve felt that a ``small victorious war'' would arouse patriotism and help relieve domestic pressures. Unfortiantly, Russia's single-track, Trans-Siberian railroad could not provide sufficient supplies across 5,500 miles. 13 Furthermore, it was still over a year from completion. 14 The Czar's ministers eventually convinced Nicholas that war with Japan would be a disaster, but it was too late to stop.News of Japan's attack on the Russian fleet reversed whatever momentum the revolutionaries had been building. Rumors began circulating that the Japanese fleet had been sunk. A large group of students from St. Petersburg University marched to the Winter Palace, serenading the Czar with hymns of ``God Save the Czar'' and ``Holy Russia'', interspersed with cheers, ``Hail to the Russian Army'', ``Long Live Russia'' and ``Hail to the Czar''. From there, the procession marched through St. Petersburg, gathering support from all classes of society and walks of life. These patri...
